Disney's 'High School Mil' Franchise Fally Has A Gay Teen Character | HuffPost Entertament

Contents:

• THANKS TO WHNEY HOTON, ‘HIGH SCHOOL MIL’ HAS S FIRST GAY ROMANCE
• GAY TEENS ON 'HIGH SCHOOL MIL' SERI FALLY GET A LOVE SONG OF THEIR OWN
• GAY TEENS ON 'HIGH SCHOOL MIL' SERI HOPE TO BE THE REPRENTATN THEY NEVER HAD
• DISNEY+ STAR FRANKIE RODRIGUEZ LOV PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER ON TV, HOP TO SPIRE OTHERS
• JOJO SIWA SAYS 'HSMTMTS' QUEER ROLE WAS 'REALLY SPECIAL:' 'NEVER PLAYED A GAY CHARACTER'
• ‘HIGH SCHOOL MIL’ AIRS GAY LOVE BALLAD FIRST FOR DISNEY
• DISNEY'S 'HIGH SCHOOL MIL' FRANCHISE FALLY HAS A GAY TEEN CHARACTER
• DISNEY PRENTS ‘GROUNDBREAKG’ FIRST GAY LOVE SONG ON ‘HIGH SCHOOL MIL’ TV SERI
• DISNEY+ STAR FRANKIE RODRIGUEZ LOV PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER ON TV, HOP TO SPIRE OTHERS

THANKS TO WHNEY HOTON, ‘HIGH SCHOOL MIL’ HAS S FIRST GAY ROMANCE

After three h movi, a ncert tour and untls stage productns, the “High School Mil” anchise troduc s first gay love story wh Friday’s episo of “High School Mil: The Mil: The Seri. ”“Today’s world” was the operative amework for approachg a kd of story that never played out the earlier “High School Mil” films, spe many speculatg — and hopg — that the anchise’s origal choreographer character, Ryan, might be gay.

Gay marriage wasn’t legal, so even though seems like that was 50 years away, really wasn’t, ” Rodriguez said.

”It wasn’t until 2017’s “Andi Mack” that Disney Channel troduced s first gay ma character middle schooler Cys Goodman. The romance between East High School’s gay teens epens on “High School Mil: The Mil: The Seri” this week wh the but of a tenr love ballad. Season 1 of “High School Mil: The Mil: The Seri” garnered praise ahead of s 2019 Disney+ premiere for troducg Carlos as the anchise’s first-ever gay teen.

GAY TEENS ON 'HIGH SCHOOL MIL' SERI FALLY GET A LOVE SONG OF THEIR OWN

Even as a teenager watchg High School Mil, was obv to me that Ryan Evans was gay. But now, a later, Disney+'s High School Mil: The Mil: The Seri is givg the LGBTQ+ muny the reprentatn the origals never one, there are at least two gay characters Carlos, a choreographer, and Seb, a teen boy who dns to play the tradnally female role of Sharpay East High School's productn of High School Mil. Though the movi never addrsed Ryan's sexualy, Lus Grabeel, who played him, seemgly nfirmed the character was gay a 2016 terview wh BuzzFeed.

"After readg the script, the first thg I said to [director Kenny Ortega] was, 'OK, Kenny, Ryan's gay, right? I know 's Disney Channel so I'm not really gonna be gay, but I mean, yeah, right? Yeah, I knew I was gay high school, but I didn't tell anybody.

"Ryan is not officially gay any of the movi, " Grabeel said. " Now image how helpful havg out gay characters will be. Rodriguez stars on the Disney+ seri as stunt choreographer Carlos at Utah’s East High School who ― what was billed as a anchise first at the time of the show’s 2019 but ― is gay.

GAY TEENS ON 'HIGH SCHOOL MIL' SERI HOPE TO BE THE REPRENTATN THEY NEVER HAD

” So, hdsight, may surprise viewers that “HSM” never clud an openly gay character until now. Disney+/Fred HayThough the origal “High School Mil” featured Ryan Evans (Lus Grabeel), the tw brother of Ashley Tisdale’s Sharpay who was wily assumed to be gay, the character never formally addrsed his sexualy.

In the origal High School Mil movi, we never actually saw any kd of LGBTQ relatnship — and only last year did Kenny Ortega nfirm that Lus Grabeel's character was gay and would have "e out llege. It’s jarrg to look back on the High School Mil anchise and realize that three movi about amb theater stunts puttg on shows, there were absolutely zero nonilly gay characters. And yet, that’s where we land, spe psdo-villa Ryan Evans beg read as queer by basilly anyone wh High School Mil: The Mil: The Seri, a Disney+ seri followg a (fictnal) high school as they try to put on High School Mil as a stage productn, is fally givg the gay theater ntent we so obvly served om the very first HSM.

Rodriguez plays Carlos, the anchise’s very first out gay character and choreographer of High School Mil wh the seri. It’s not about Carlos stgglg wh beg gay, ’s about him navigatg through alg wh your first csh, your first date, your first relatnship. ”Of urse, as meangful as this storyle is both for young teens and for queer lennials who grew up watchg High School Mil, there’s the expected outcry om nservativ who say that Disney is phg a queer agenda by allowg gay people to exist a show about… no matter how much they hate , happened!

DISNEY+ STAR FRANKIE RODRIGUEZ LOV PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER ON TV, HOP TO SPIRE OTHERS

From Ni meetg her gay blogil dad to Maddox's relatnship wh Madison, the h seri ntu to go above and beyond when to LGBTQ+ reprentatn. Another add: "ashlyn and big red rng jt to tell each other that they’re both gay as fuck is my favore thg ever actually. “Not only are we playg queer characters, but we're also on a Disney show that has an openly gay shownner advotg to make sure that our stori are told and done an appropriate, accurate way.

JOJO SIWA SAYS 'HSMTMTS' QUEER ROLE WAS 'REALLY SPECIAL:' 'NEVER PLAYED A GAY CHARACTER'

LGBTQ PriThe "High School Mil: The Mil: The Seri" star lov embracg his LGBTQ inty to play a gay character on Schmid Like most young Latx LGBTQ+ people, Frankie Rodriguez, who stars the Disney+ origal seri "High School Mil: The Mil: The Seri, " didn't have many role mols to look up to, pecially on televisn. "'Ugly Betty' was fely one of the first on to make me pse my tracks -- like I uld be on TV, " Rodriguez told On The Red Carpet's Karl the "High School Mil" spoff seri, Rodriguez plays Carlos -- a high school stunt who is also openly gay.

‘HIGH SCHOOL MIL’ AIRS GAY LOVE BALLAD FIRST FOR DISNEY

"Growg up gay high school was a very specific experience and if you didn't go through , how are you supposed to draw om that?

On season 3 of High School Mil: The Mil: The Seri, JoJo Siwa plays Madison — a gay teen. Siwa, 19, spoke of her character, Madison, who is gay. "I've never played a gay character — bis myself, and I'm not a character, I'm jt myself, but that's that's how looks to the world, " Siwa told Entertament Weekly.

"But like, I don't know, bisexual, pansexual, queer, lbian, gay, straight.

DISNEY'S 'HIGH SCHOOL MIL' FRANCHISE FALLY HAS A GAY TEEN CHARACTER

I always jt say gay bee jt kd of vers or queer bee I thk the keyword is ol, " she said. You may be able to fd the same ntent another format, or you may be able to fd more rmatn, at their web Carlos' sprg break trip to Mexi, Seb qutns his role their relatnship and begs to wonr if he's only wh him bee he's the only other openly gay kid at East High.

"Not only are we playg queer characters, but we're also on a Disney show that has an openly gay shownner advotg to make sure that our stori are told and done an appropriate, accurate way.

DISNEY PRENTS ‘GROUNDBREAKG’ FIRST GAY LOVE SONG ON ‘HIGH SCHOOL MIL’ TV SERI

JoJo Siwa talks jog HSMTMTS as queer character: 'This was such a special role' "I've never played a gay character — bis myself, and I'm not a character, I'm jt myself, but that's how looks to the world. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE MUSICAL: THE SERIES - "Camp Prom" (Disney/Anne Marie Fox) JoJo Siwa talks jog 'HSMTMTS' as queer character: 'This was such a special role' | Cred: Anne Marie Fox/Disney "I've never played a gay character — bis myself, and I'm not a character, I'm jt myself, but that's that's how looks to the world, " Siwa says.

" She remembers how she would joke around wh her olr brother when she was younger, askg if he was gay, bee ep down she wonred if that would make okay for her to be too. "I would always like tell him that I wanted him to be gay, and my mom says that I'm really like, pre-wired, that that was me beg like, 'No, I'm a ltle gay, ' and my head, I was like, 'If he is, then I uld be, '" she says.

DISNEY+ STAR FRANKIE RODRIGUEZ LOV PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER ON TV, HOP TO SPIRE OTHERS

While havg an openly gay uple was already a tone for Disney, the pair would soon be makg even more history. Disney streamg seri High School Mil: The Mil: The Seri has marked a major tone for the pany after butg a gay love ballad.

Carlos beme the first openly gay character the High School Mil anchise when he was troduced the show’s first season.

Stunts rally around cheer ach allegedly fired for beg gay.