'Shamels': Are Ian and Mickey Gay Real Life? A Look at Their Off-Screen Relatnships

Contents:

• ‘SHAMELS’: ARE IAN AND MICKEY GAY REAL LIFE? A LOOK AT THEIR OFF-SCREEN RELATNSHIPS
• GAYHISTORY: MICKEY MOE, HOMOPHOBE
• LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN

‘SHAMELS’: ARE IAN AND MICKEY GAY REAL LIFE? A LOOK AT THEIR OFF-SCREEN RELATNSHIPS

Fans have wonred: Is Cameron Monaghan gay? Ian Gallagher actor Cameron Monaghan has never dated his on-screen love tert Noel Fisher and is not gay real life. This uproar is largely rponse to Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s announcement, followg backlash om LGBTQ activists, that the pany would no longer support new Florida legislatn that crics have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Nohels, opposn to what has been viewed as Disney’s poal of LGBTQ issu, or phg a “gay agenda, ” dat back to the 1990s, when right-wg Christian groups lled for boytts of the pany over Gay Days, an unofficial Disney theme parks event for queer people and their fai.

GAYHISTORY: MICKEY MOE, HOMOPHOBE

(The outrage was even more ironic nsirg that Disney has never officially sanctned Gay Days, or even formally acknowledged their existence. While the pany has flirted wh troducg openly gay characters mastream stud films, the screen time of such characters has been signifintly rced followg immense backlash. Ined, was only after the uproar over the Don’t Say Gay bill that a prevly-cut same-sex kiss the upg release Lightyear was put back to the film.

LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN

In light of the Don’t Say Gay bill, the pump was primed for the far right to tra nspiracy theori about Disney. In light of the Don’t Say Gay bill, the pump was primed for the far right to tra nspiracy theori about Disney — even though, as recently as jt a few weeks ago, Chapek had said a leaked ternal memo that he did not plan to publicly oppose or support the bill to beg wh.

Followg public outrage and walkouts om LGBTQ employe, Chapek reversed his stance and announced the pany’s “goal” would be to move for the repeal of the Don’t Say Gay bill, unleashg a barrage of outrage agast the pany. A tongue--cheek ment by Disney Televisn Animatn executive producer Latoya Ravene, who said the meetg the pany has been welg to her “not-at-all secret gay agenda, ” also prompted revulsn parents primed to view Disney as a vehicle for left-wg doctratn.

DeSantis’s move was explicly retaliatn to Disney’s opposn to HB 1557, better known as the “Don’t say gay” law. In terms of the LGBTQ+ muny, though, Disney’s relatnship go far eper, and has veloped ways the pany self n never have Disney was never a rd-rryg homophobe but he was a steadfast nservative, and long after his ath 1966, Disney’s output ntued to promote “tradnal” and “fay” valu.

That didn’t disunt “dg” Disney characters (ually villas) as queer, that they exhibed stereotypilly gay attribut such as effemate behavur or distert the oppose sex: Jafar Aladd, for example, or Sr The Ln Kg, or even Shere Khan the tiger The Jungle Book. He moved to Florida and worked for Disney for 15 employe prott agast Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill.

One of the unsung LGBTQ+ hero of Disney lore, for example, is Howard Ashman, the openly gay lyricist and producer, who died of an Aids-related illns 1991. “You didn’t always feel safe as a gay kid, now you’re walkg down Ma Street, USA, and everythg is manicured, everythg is clean. This was the park’s first Gay Day, and has ntued ever sce.

Compose: Guardian DignIn the early years, Disney would warn “straight” visors when was Gay Day and hand out whe T-shirts to non-participants who had advertently turned up wearg red.

While Disney do not officially regnise Gay Day, soon me to appreciate the mercial clout of the LGBTQ+ muny. There is no end of rabow-loured Disney merchandise on sale, and Disney acmodat and facilat the Gay Day schle of events, cludg a week-long ftival takg place across the cy, wh club nights, drag shows, pool parti, and special hotel his first Florida Gay Day 1998, Shapiro found a sister Gay Day Anaheim at the Los Angel Disneyland.

While Orlando Gay Days are more party-centric, the lower-key Anaheim event tak place mostly si the park. Disney now hosts a table at s wele centre promotg fairytale gay weddgs at Disneyland and hosts premier at Gay Day. “Gay Day was never formed wh a polil agenda, ” says Shapiro.

Even if s “openly gay character” proclamatns rarely live up to the billg, there have been fleetg referenc to same-sex relatnships movi cludg Toy Story 4 (two women drop off their dghter at krgarten); Onward (Lena Wahe’s p refers to her girliend); the live-actn Bety and the Beast remake (the character LeFou, played by Josh Gad, is telegraphed as gay and danc wh another man, although not even Gad was particularly proud of that one; “I don’t thk we did jtice to what a real gay character a Disney film should be, ” he admted). Jack Whehall went a step further, playg a gay man Disney’s live-actn film Jungle Cise last year.

Photograph: Chris Livgston/Getty ImagWhen DeSantis first announced the “Don’t say gay” bill early March, Chapek’s rponse was to stay silent. Pixar employe released a statement allegg that Disney executiv had mand cuts om “nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn” s movi. But potentially more harmful than the attacks on Disney is the “Don’t say gay” bill self, which is likely to e long-lastg harm to Florida’s young LGBTQ+ people and their wh prev ocsns when nservativ have “gone after Mickey Moe”, this latt attack is likely to blow over.