Disney's Latt 'Gay Character' Sounds Like Another Cop-Out

Contents:

• A GAY CHARACTER SPARKS BATE AND A REFORMED TRAR SAM EMERG DISNEY'S 'JUNGLE CISE'
• ‘JUNGLE CISE’S’ GAY CHARACTER IS YET ANOTHER BABY STEP FROM DISNEY
• ‘JUNGLE CISE’ STAR JACK WHEHALL IS ‘PROUD’ OF HIS GAY CHARACTER’S COMG-OUT SCENE DISNEY FILM
• JUNGLE CISE: DISNEY’S FIRST GAY MA CHARACTER (AND COMG OUT SCENE) EXPLAED
• JUNGLE CISE'S GAY CHARACTER ISN'T PERFECT, BUT HE'S PROGRS
• 'JUNGLE CISE' 'S JACK WHEHALL SAYS HE'S 'PROUD' OF GAY CHARACTER'S COMG-OUT MOMENT FILM
• WHY DID DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE HAVE TO GO GAY?
• DISNEY'S 'JUNGLE CISE' HAS COMG OUT SCENE WH OPENLY GAY CHARACTER
• DISNEY’S LATT ‘GAY CHARACTER’ SOUNDS LIKE ANOTHER P-OUT
• JUNGLE CISE'S GAY CHARACTER INCH DISNEY THE RIGHT DIRECTN
• JACK WHEHALL'S 'JUNGLE CISE' CHARACTER OUT AS GAY A NOT SO 'BIG AL' KD OF A WAY
• WHY DID DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE HAVE TO GO GAY?
• JUNGLE CISE RECEIV BACKLASH FOR STEREOTYPILLY GAY ROLE
• A CHARACTER DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE IS GAY, OR SO WE’RE TOLD

A GAY CHARACTER SPARKS BATE AND A REFORMED TRAR SAM EMERG DISNEY'S 'JUNGLE CISE'

Brish edian Jack Whehall plays a gay character Disney’s “Jungle Cise.

”Whehall’s MacGregor Houghton “ out” a “Jungle Cise” scene wh Dwayne Johnson’s Frank Wolff (never g the word "gay") film featur a rebooted Trar Sam, a character recently removed om the Disney Parks’ Jungle Cise after cricism over the ri’s racist pictn of Indigeno "Jungle Cise" has some notable passengers.

‘JUNGLE CISE’S’ GAY CHARACTER IS YET ANOTHER BABY STEP FROM DISNEY

Brish edian Jack Whehall plays Lily's brother MacGregor Houghton, who is gay, even g out  a scene wh Wolff (though notably whout employg the word "gay").

‘JUNGLE CISE’ STAR JACK WHEHALL IS ‘PROUD’ OF HIS GAY CHARACTER’S COMG-OUT SCENE DISNEY FILM

Meanwhile, ntroversial shnken head aler Trar Sam, recently removed om the Jungle Cise ri after cricism for s racist pictn of Indigeno people, reappears onscreen the reimaged form of Mexin actrs Veroni Falcó's how the characters took their plac onboard "Jungle Cise" which took $90 ln  worldwi box office and Disney+ Premiere Accs over openg Rock, Ey Blunt: Reveal that most awkward 'Jungle Cise' kiss, dirty jok cut by DisneyMacGregor Houghton subtly out to his Jungle Cise ptaDisney has been cricized for the lack of LGBTQ film reprentatn movi, and lled out for blk-or-you'll-miss- gay character moments films such as "Bety and the Beast" and "Onward. " The word "gay" is not mentned the scene that further explas MacGregor's bond to his sister: dienc learn MacGregor's remag fay, and society, have turned their back on him "all bee of who I love.

"It didn't matter if he said the word 'gay' or not, " says Johnson, a producer on the film. "'Bety and the Beast': That 'gay moment' may have been much ado about nothg"We didn't want to e across like we're standg on a soapbox, " Johnson adds, notg the scene shows diversy and cln were "owned and held regard" the praised screenwrer Michael Green for craftg the scene "wh licy and simplicy.

" Producer Hiram Garcia says the "Jungle Cise" filmmakers never set out to clu a gay character the perd piece. "Early reactn to the gay character was mixed, wh one Twter er statg, "Disney will really do anythg to avoid g the word 'gay' s mastream ntent.

JUNGLE CISE: DISNEY’S FIRST GAY MA CHARACTER (AND COMG OUT SCENE) EXPLAED

""The gay character JUNGLE CRUISE is cute and is generally right about thgs, " another Twter er wrote. He’s gay.

It’s another step om Disney toward LGBTQ+ reprentatn that feels big the ntext of the opprsively heterosexual rporatn—certaly, ’s an improvement over some of the lghably meangls Disney “gay moments” recent years—but small the ntext of the year 2021. This is hardly the first time mastream Ameri has seen a gay man on a TV or movie screen.

JUNGLE CISE'S GAY CHARACTER ISN'T PERFECT, BUT HE'S PROGRS

McGregor Houghton (Whehall) had already been d as a gay man, somewhat stereotypilly, throughout the film—fsy, effemate, and a ltle too to skre. ) But about an hour to the film, Frank and McGregor share a quiet moment together, which McGregor reveals— so many words— that he recently me out as gay to his fay. In 2017, Bety and the Beast director Bill Condon promised an “exclively gay moment a Disney movie, ” which turned out to be a two-send shot of LeFou—as played by Josh Gad—dancg wh a man the film’s fal ball sequence, jt before the creds roll.

Two years later, Avengers: Endgame -director Joe Rso revealed the film would feature the Marvel Cematic Universe’s first-ever openly gay character, which turned out to be a random du (played by Rso) g male pronouns to refer to his romantic partner.

Unsurprisgly, the queer muny has not rpond wh gratu to the gay bread cmbs om Disney. Unlike Bety and the Beast, his “gay moment” is an actual, hont-to-God scene that lasts for longer than two sends, and is not thrown at the very end of the film. For once, the filmmakers didn’t proudly announce “Disney’s first gay character” while pattg themselv on the back for “reprentatn.

'JUNGLE CISE' 'S JACK WHEHALL SAYS HE'S 'PROUD' OF GAY CHARACTER'S COMG-OUT MOMENT FILM

) There’s even a good exce to avoid the word “gay, ” given that Jungle Cise tak place the early 1900s, a time when the term “gay” ually meant feelg happy and nothg more. Some may argue—reasonably so—that a movie about a magil tree and ghosts is allowed a gay anachronism or two. Personally, I re ls about hearg the word “gay, ” so much as I re about beg shown that McGregor is actually attracted to men.

Jack Whehall says he didn’t know that his character McGregor “Jungle Cise” was gay when he origally dned for the film. While he don’t e the word “gay, ” he says he broke off three engagements wh women bee his “terts happily lay elsewhere. Jack Whehall opens up about playg a gay character #JungleCise, teasg a "signifint scene the movie" that was "thought about and talked about a lot" behd the scen.

WHY DID DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE HAVE TO GO GAY?

Although Disney mt ntue improvg s LGBTQ+ reprentatn, Jungle Cise is a clear step forward wh s first openly gay ma character. Jungle Cise has Disney's first gay ma character a movie, as well as a g out scene. Disney proudly advertised the movie as havg the studs’ first gay ma character, but is far om perfect.

MacGregor Houghton Com Out As Gay In Jungle Cise. The word "gay" is never said, as is expected for a rerved, upper class Brish man 1916, but the nversatn mak MacGregor’s sexualy clear. The rather tastels joke, and Frank’s clear disfort, effectively eras the moment of support the two shared before and 's pound by a few more double entendre jok built around subtle gay panic.

Is It Disney's First Gay Ma Character? In 2017, the live-actn Bety and the Beast remake claimed to clu Disney’s first openly gay character. This blk-and-you’ll-miss- moment, which neverthels garnered much ntroversy, was meant to imply Josh Gad's LeFou is gay, but ’s only ever implied.

DISNEY'S 'JUNGLE CISE' HAS COMG OUT SCENE WH OPENLY GAY CHARACTER

Although there have been other LGBTQ+ characters, MacGregor is the first gay ma character a Disney movie. Lackg a love tert, or any real way to celebrate his sexualy, only furthers the implitn that beg gay is somethg disgraceful or wrong.

So often, g out scen are amed as unveilg a shameful secret, like when Stranger Thgs’ Rob tearfully rejects Steve and nfs she's gay (though he easily accepts the fact she is a lbian).

DISNEY’S LATT ‘GAY CHARACTER’ SOUNDS LIKE ANOTHER P-OUT

Jungle Cise mers praise for havg Disney’s first gay ma character. It's a phenomenon so md-bogglgly persistent that 's bee a nng joke onle: Disney keeps announcg, and re-announcg, and re-re-announcg their first-ever gay character.

From Bety and the Beast's LeFou to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's blk-and-you'll-miss-them lbians, Disney has e unr some unrstandable fire for their apparent abily to produce a film wh a gay character of substance — until Jungle Cise. Though when the film was first announced, many were skeptil that Jack Whehall's purportedly gay character the actn-adventure flick would jt be another name to add to the baker's dozen of so-lled "first" gay characters, but what dienc were treated to stead broke the mold: a nfirmed queer character wh signifint screentime and a substantial scene explicly acknowledgg his sexualy (even if the label is unattached).

Though Jungle Cise's McGregor Houghton certaly isn't a perfect attempt as far as gay reprentatn Disney films go, he's a step (albe a small one) the right directn — and that's somethg worth talkg about. When news broke that Brish standup edian Jack Whehall had joed the st of Jungle Cise and would be playg Disney's first major gay character, the cisn received signifint cricism and phback om fans and crics alike.

JUNGLE CISE'S GAY CHARACTER INCH DISNEY THE RIGHT DIRECTN

Many were quick to qutn the mers of a not-gay actor playg a gay role — a ntroversial but not entirely damng move.

JACK WHEHALL'S 'JUNGLE CISE' CHARACTER OUT AS GAY A NOT SO 'BIG AL' KD OF A WAY

On paper, 's a pictn that's le wh outdated portrayals of gay men. The cisn to make Jungle Cise's gay character f this mold, which has an unfortunate number of overlappg tras wh historilly damagg pictns of gay men, is still one that rais qutns of the film's ias of gay men and masculy.

In that ntext, Whehall isn't cidg to make this character choice for the first time and for the sole purpose of brgg to life a gay character. ) the jok all e before the film even addrs that he's gay.

WHY DID DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE HAVE TO GO GAY?

As many a headle has noted, though, the film skirts around McGregor actually tellg Frank "I'm gay, " stead optg for a more perd-appropriate assurance that "My terts happily lie elsewhere.

" At the same time, though, 's worth notg that such verbiage ntu Disney's trend of reprentatn that clears the "we have a gay character" thrhold while still remag palatable for nservative viewers and foreign markets wh anti-LGBTQ+ legislatn. Lily Houghton who eventually reveals himself to be gay the adventure film.

Johnson is the boat pta, and the woman (Ey Blunt) is acpanied by her utterly wimpy, fear-filled brother (Jack Whehall), who, turns out, is why, oh why, mt the brother be gay? If anythg, Whehall’s character plays right to negative gay stereotyp.

JUNGLE CISE RECEIV BACKLASH FOR STEREOTYPILLY GAY ROLE

I didn’t read any reviews about and I was unaware of the “gay ntroversy. ” As a July 31 USA Today headle announced, “A gay character sparks bate and a reformed Trar Sam emerg Disney's “Jungle Cise.

A CHARACTER DISNEY’S JUNGLE CISE IS GAY, OR SO WE’RE TOLD

’”Acrdg to the USA Today article, “Disney has been cricized for the lack of LGBTQ film reprentatn movi, and lled out for blk-or-you'll-miss- gay character moments films such as ‘Bety and the Beast’ and ’Onward. ’”And lt there be any misunrstandg, sce the word "gay" is not mentned the scene, MacGregor explas why he, who is anythg but urageo by nature, would follow his sister to such dangero terrory.