'Better Nate Than Ever' Giv Gay Kids Who Love Broadway A Chance To Feel Seen | HuffPost Entertament

Contents:

• 'BETTER NATE THAN EVER' GIV GAY KIDS WHO LOVE BROADWAY A CHANCE TO FEEL SEEN
• BETTER NATE THAN EVER BOASTS LGBTQ REPRENTATN - BUT DISNEY STILL WON’T SAY GAY
• ‘BETTER NATE THAN EVER’ DIRECTOR TIM FERLE ON CRAFTG A DISNEY MOVIE WH LGBTQ THEM THE ERA OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LEGISLATN
• DISNEY RELEAS ITS GAYT KIDS’ MOVIE YET—AT THE CRAZIT TIME
• ‘BETTER NATE THAN EVER’ FILMMAKER ON DISNEY’S HANDLG OF “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL: “GOOD REPRENTATN DO NOT CANCEL OUT BAD LEGISLATN”
• RUEBY WOOD GENR: BETTER NATE THAN EVER STAR GAY OR TRANSGENR? GET TO KNOW THE DETAILS!

'BETTER NATE THAN EVER' GIV GAY KIDS WHO LOVE BROADWAY A CHANCE TO FEEL SEEN

“I also wasn’t sure if a fay film wh a gay protagonist would get ma, hontly. ’ And that was such a no-no, bee for me, a central aspect of growg up was the realizatn of my future as a gay person, which was so tied to my inty as a young theater kid.

(The character nfintly intifi as gay 2018’s “Nate Expectatns, ” the third book the seri. David Lee/DisneyStill, as several outlets have poted out, the movie arriv as Disney is facg a wave of backlash for s checkered rponse to Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn ― or “Don’t Say Gay” ― law.

BETTER NATE THAN EVER BOASTS LGBTQ REPRENTATN - BUT DISNEY STILL WON’T SAY GAY

The Daily Beast picked up on the film’s seemgly spic timg, praisg “Nate” as “the most gay-posive and enuragg youth programmg that Disney has ever released, ” before notg: “And is g out at the most bizarre time. Better Nate Than Ever Boasts LGBTQ Reprentatn - But Disney Still Won’t Say Gay.

At the height of Disney's ntroversy over the "Don't Gay Say" bill, still released a film about a gay character whout ever sayg the word.

Disney has gotten to some ntroversy lately over s flip-floppg stance on Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, but spe that, still released s movie Better Nate Than Ever—a film directly about a gay teenager fdg his place the world—whout any character ever once utterg the word "gay. It was a big al when word got out that Disney's Jungle Cise would be s first major motn picture to feature a leadg gay character.

‘BETTER NATE THAN EVER’ DIRECTOR TIM FERLE ON CRAFTG A DISNEY MOVIE WH LGBTQ THEM THE ERA OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LEGISLATN

It felt like the start of a big change for a pany which the LGBTQIA+ muny has felt ltle reprentatn on the small screen and even ls on the big screen, where the only other major gay character was LeFou om s live-actn Bety and the Beast. However, spe all the boastg and reachg for s proverbial pat on the back for dog good eds, the way Disney has addrsed s LGBTQ+ characters th far has been through stereotypg, very awkward nversatns which the characters talk around the issue, and certaly by never outright sayg that they are gay. In the se of Jungle Cise, they n e the exce that between the time and lotn of the film, McGregor would be aaid to e right out and say that he was gay, as uld've been punishable by actual jail time.

DISNEY RELEAS ITS GAYT KIDS’ MOVIE YET—AT THE CRAZIT TIME

Wrer and creator Tim Ferle says they tentnally never ed the word gay bee he felt at 13 that kids would know they were different but not be ready to say the word out loud yet.

Let characters be gay, let them say whout shame, and don't para around like 's some sort of new trend to be reward.

‘BETTER NATE THAN EVER’ FILMMAKER ON DISNEY’S HANDLG OF “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL: “GOOD REPRENTATN DO NOT CANCEL OUT BAD LEGISLATN”

As the st and crew gathered at the El Capan Theatre Hollywood Tuday night to celebrate the film’s April 1 lnch on Disney Pl, Ferle spoke to Variety about the story’s discsn of sexualy, the importance of LGBTQ reprentatn entertament and weighed on the ntroversy over Disney’s handlg of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. And I was disverg about my inty — I was like, “I bet I grow up and I bee gay.

There is a natnwi nversatn about when kids should be learng about sexualy and approachg that nversatn — wh, particular, Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill and, relatn, Disney’s handlg of that. That latter scriptn has been on my md the feelgs and memori were dug up this week bee I had a chance to watch the new Disney+ film Better Nate Than Ever, which jt may be the most gay-posive and enuragg youth programmg that Disney has ever released.

Consirg everythg that’s been the news about Disney, Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and the disturbg latn of unapologetilly anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric dissemated by GOP policians, uld be argued that ’s the bt time for a movie like this to e out. I have never felt more reprented on are hts that Nate is likely gog to realize he is gay one day, which is obv to everyone, though that label is never articulated.

RUEBY WOOD GENR: BETTER NATE THAN EVER STAR GAY OR TRANSGENR? GET TO KNOW THE DETAILS!

It is a film about the geo, unbreakable bond between a gay boy and his sgle nt.

The disappotg revelatn that Disney had backed the Florida reprentativ who voted for the “Don’t Say Gay” bill—read more about s vicns here—and ially chose not to nmn surfaced a slew of upsettg news and facts about the pany. NBCApril 1, 2022 at 6:49 PMTim Ferle, the director of Disney's "Better Nate Than Ever, " speaks about how the film was fluenced by his own experienc of growg up gay and dreamg of Broadway.

The film also as Disney is volizg s opposn to Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn act, which crics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. “There are a lot of years I didn’t feel safe a room bee I’m gay.