‘Power Rangers’ Gay Character Storyle: Yellow Ranger Plot Explaed – The Hollywood Reporter

Contents:

• ORIGAL BLUE POWER RANGER DAVID YOST ON GAY REPRENTATN NETFLIX'S POWER RANGERS RNN SPECIAL
• THE POWER RANGERS INTRODUC ITS FIRST GAY CHARACTER
• WELE THE FIRST OUT-GAY POWER RANGER!
• ARE 'GAY MOMENTS' 'BETY' AND 'POWER RANGERS' PROGRS?

ORIGAL BLUE POWER RANGER DAVID YOST ON GAY REPRENTATN NETFLIX'S POWER RANGERS RNN SPECIAL

Related: A mighty morphg marriage proposal for the gay Power Rangers. A clip om the episo shows the other characters fdg out that their fellow Ranger is gay when she walks off holdg her girliend’s hand. Warng: The article ntas referenc to homophobia and suici.

David Yost, who played Billy, the Blue Ranger, knew he was gay while workg on the show and had to take preutns to make sure no one would fd out. “I said I’m not gonna be gay, I’m gonna foc on my reer.

Yost rells overhearg producers and -stars watchg footage of him and throwg out homophobic slurs. The emotnal toll Yost alt wh exemplifi what was like for many gay people Hollywood at the time.

THE POWER RANGERS INTRODUC ITS FIRST GAY CHARACTER

“Everybody thks everybody Hollywood is accepted and s great to be gay.

That homophobia me to a head durg productn of the show’s fourth season, Power Rangers Zeo. It was a major step down for the character and Yost feels was part bee many the productn staff believed that bee he was gay he uldn’t be a superhero.

WELE THE FIRST OUT-GAY POWER RANGER!

” However, durg a panel at Power Morphin 2012, Pagter played d clips om behd the scen on the show cludg one that featured a homophobic slur. The harassment Yost faced sent him to a eper darkns and he spent many years tryg to “get rid of” his sexualy, cludg many versns of the horrific “Pray the Gay Away. While gay character and relatnships, nor a gay actor like Yost, weren’t acceptable on the seri, straight characters and relatnships were.

Marchand, who was an out lbian at the time, and the other wrers knew a gay Ranger was never a possibily at the time but 2004’s Power Rangers Do Thunr they troduced Hayley, the team’s rint tech expert.

We were startg to thk, uld we, any pacy, troduce a gay character on this show?

ARE 'GAY MOMENTS' 'BETY' AND 'POWER RANGERS' PROGRS?

In an terview wh Den of Geek, Marchand crg at the memory, parg to the famo Hays Co of early Hollywood that effectively banned direct reference or posive portrayal of gay characters films outsi of ep subtext.

The memory also provok great tratn om Marchand who knew that many executiv at Disney durg that time were gay but, “ jt wouldn’t have flown.