He dragged up and spoke for clive fay valu the 1993 film and played a lovg gay partner ‘The Birdge.’ In far more hostile tim, Rob Williams beme an LGBT hero.
Contents:
- HOW ROB WILLIAMS’S MRS. DOUBTFIRE WON THE CULTURE WARSPOWER DRSGHE DRAGGED UP AND SPOKE FOR CLIVE FAY VALU THE 1993 FILM AND PLAYED A LOVG GAY PARTNER ‘THE BIRDGE.’ IN FAR MORE HOSTILE TIM, ROB WILLIAMS BEME AN LGBT HERO.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 3:07PM EDT / PUBLISHED AUG. 13, 2014 5:50AM EDT 20TH CENTURY-FOX/PHOTOFTTHE MOST AMAZG MOMENT MRS. DOUBTFIRE ISN’T WHEN POOR ROB WILLIAMS IS STUFFED TO HIS PANTYHOSE AND CUMBERSOME PADDG BI A SWIMMG POOL ON A HOT DAY, OR WHEN HIS MRS. DOUBTFIRE “BOOBS” ALMOST TCH FIRE, OR EVEN— THE EXTEND SEQUENCE THAT LEADS TO HIS UNMASKG AS THE FATHER TO HIS CHILDREN AS WELL AS THEIR FEMALE STTISH NANNY—WHEN HE DASH AROUND A RTRANT FURLY GETTG AND OUT OF DRAG.IT RIGHT AT THE END A VOICEOVER, AND IS—FOR A HOLLYWOOD FILM—A RADIL ENDG EVERY WAY: AN ENDG THAT DO NOT SEE A HBAND AND WIFE RNE, OR A BROKEN FAY GLUED BACK TOGETHER. INSTEAD, A NEW KD OF MASTREAM MOVIE FAY TAK SHAPE—TWO SEPARATED PARENTS, UNED BY THEIR MUCH-LOVED CHILDREN.AND THEN, AFTER THAT, MRS. DOUBTFIRE HERSELF GIV A SPEECH THAT EMPHASIZ THE VAR FNS OF WHAT “FAY” N ENPASS.THE SIGNIFINCE OF THIS IS THE FILM’S YEAR OF RELEASE: 1993 WAS THE WHE HEAT OF THE CULTURE WARS, THE YEAR AFTER ARCH-HOMOPHOBE PAT BUCHANAN ADDRSED THE REPUBLIN NATNAL CONVENTN TO TELL THE ASSEMBLED THAT THE AGENDA THAT BILL AND HILLARY CLTON “WOULD IMPOSE ON AMERI—ABORTN ON MAND, A LM TT FOR THE SUPREME COURT, HOMOSEXUAL RIGHTS, DISCRIMATN AGAST RELIG SCHOOLS, WOMEN BAT—THAT’S CHANGE, ALL RIGHT. BUT IS NOT THE KD OF CHANGE AMERI WANTS. IT IS NOT THE KD OF CHANGE AMERI NEEDS. AND IS NOT THE KD OF CHANGE WE N TOLERATE A NATN THAT WE STILL LL GOD’S UNTRY.” BILL CLTON TOOK THE OATH OF OFFICE JANUARY 1993, AND THE HOP OF GAY MEN AND WOMEN WERE AS HIGH AS THE ANTI-FERVENCY OF BIGOTS WAS TOXIC. IN THE SPRG, THE MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN, GAY, AND BI EQUAL RIGHTS (LGB HAD YET TO ACQUIRE A T OR ANY OTHER LETTERS OF MARGALIZED GROUPS) AND LIBERATN ATTRACTED AROUND A LN PARTICIPANTS.A MANIFTO OF MANDS LLED FOR LBIAN AND GAY LEGAL EQUALY ALL AREAS OF LIFE. AS THE EQUALY MOVEMENT FOUND A RENEWED FOC AND TERMATN, SO S OPPONENTS RATCHETED UP THEIR EFFORTS TO SCUPPER .POP CULTURE WOULD PLAY A VAL ROLE PUTTG LBIANS AND GAY MEN ON THE BIG AND SMALL SCREENS, TO THE HEARTS AND MDS OF MIDDLE AMERI. PRE-BATN THERAPI, AIDS WAS STILL EXERTG S CIMATG EFFECT, WH ALL THE EXTRA BIGOTRY AROUND THAT.SURPRISG AS MAY SOUND NOW—WH GAY CHARACTERS, GAY STORYL, AND EVEN A LEAGE OF GAY TV SERI—LBIAN AND GAY REPRENTATN ON FILM AND TV WAS SO SRCE THAT MERED MENT. THE YEAR MRS. DOUBTFIRE WAS RELEASED, SO WAS PHILALPHIA, WHICH TOM HANKS PLAYED A GAY LAWYER (HIS PARTNER WAS PLAYED BY ANTON BANRAS) DYG OF AIDS.THE POLIL AND CULTURAL CLIMATE WAS SHIFTG, BUT GGERLY. THIS WAS YEARS BEFORE QUEER AS FOLK AND THE L WORD. GAY CHARACTERS HAD NOTABLY APPEARED ON THIRTYSOMETHG AND ROSEANNE, BUT WOULD BE ANOTHER FOUR YEARS BEFORE ELLEN DEGENER ME OUT.THE BIG SCREEN OFFERED MORE VISTAS OF REPRENTATN THAN TV AT THAT MOMENT. GO FISH (1994) WAS A BREAKTHROUGH LBIAN MOVIE. MRS. DOUBTFIRE WAS THE FIRST A MI-TRANCHE OF FILMS FEATURG CROSS-DRSG GAY AND STRAIGHT MEN, CLUDG THE ADVENTUR OF PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DERT (1994) AND TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHG! JULIE NEWMAR (BASILLY, THE AMERIN PRISCILLA, 1995), AND THE BIRDGE—HOLLYWOOD’S VERSN OF LA CAGE X FOLL— 1996, WH WILLIAMS PLAYG ARMAND, THE LONGTIME PARTNER OF NATHAN LANE’S ALBERT.BUT WAS MRS. DOUBTFIRE THAT FIRED THE TRIGUG AND MOVG OPENG SALVO, AND WAS SQUARELY DOWN TO WILLIAMS’ SPIRED AND SENSIVE PERFORMANCE THAT SUCCEED. WILLIAMS’ DRAG TRANSFORMATN IS OVERSEEN BY A GAY UPLE: HARVEY FIERSTE, PLAYG WILLIAMS’ BROTHER FRANK, AND FRANK’S BOYIEND, JACK, PLAYED BY STT CAPURRO.WE BELIEVE WILLIAMS AS BOTH A BEATEN-DOWN DAD AND BIG-HEARTED STTISH NANNY. WE FALL FOR MRS. DOUBTFIRE AS MRS. DOUBTFIRE, NOT BEE OF AN EXTEND MAN--DRAG JOKE. JT LIKE SALLY FIELD AND THE CHILDREN AT THE END OF THE FILM, WE’RE SAD WHEN THE GAME IS UP, BEE THAT MEANS WE WON’T SEE ANY MORE OF HER.BY THE END OF THE FILM, MRS. DOUBTFIRE (DANIEL) HAS BEEN EXPOSED AS A MAN, FIELD, AS DANIEL’S WIFE, MIRANDA, HAS DONE HER NUT, FUR THAT HER HBAND HAS BEEN MASQUERADG AS STTISH NANNY EUPHEGENIA DOUBTFIRE. BUT THEIR CHILDREN WANT MRS. DOUBTFIRE BACK, AND MIRANDA DO TOO AND RELENTS, AND DANIEL IS ALLOWED TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME WH THE CHILDREN AS HE LIK. HIS DRAG HAS NOW BEE A FULL-TIME WORK UNIFORM: HIS WISE AND WARM MRS. DOUBTFIRE HAS BEE A CHILDREN’S TV STAR.AS THE CHILDREN HEAD SOMEWHERE WH THEIR CIVVI-CLAD DAD, MIRANDA WATCH AN EPISO OF MRS. DOUBTFIRE’S SHOW, WHICH THE NANNY, WH HER SOFT STTISH LILT, IS ADDRSG A YOUNG GIRL LLED KATIE, WHOSE PARENTS ARE SEPARATG:“SOME PARENTS, WHEN THEY GET ANGRY, THEY GET ALONG MUCH BETTER WHEN THEY DON’T LIVE TOGETHER. THEY DON’T FIGHT ALL THE TIME, AND THEY BEE BETTER PEOPLE AND MUCH BETTER MUMMI AND DADDI FOR YOU.“AND SOMETIM THEY GET BACK TOGETHER, AND SOMETIM THEY DON’T, AR. AND, IF THEY DON’T, DON’T BLAME YOURSELF. JT BEE THEY DON’T LOVE EACH OTHER ANYMORE DON’T MEAN THEY DON’T LOVE YOU.”THAT, SELF, IS WONRFULLY HOLISTIC AND SANE. THEN WILLIAMS’ CHARACTER NTU: “THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF FAI, KATIE. SOME FAI HAVE ONE MUMMY, SOME FAI HAVE ONE DADDY, OR TWO FAI. SOME CHILDREN LIVE WH THEIR UNCLE AND NT, SOME LIVE WH THEIR GRANDPARENTS. SOME CHILDREN LIVE WH FOSTER PARENTS.”OF URSE, MRS. DOUBTFIRE DON’T MENTN LBIAN AND GAY FAI. IN 1993—HOW FAR WE HAVE E 20 YEARS—THIS WAS SEEN AS TOO BLATANT. BUT STILL, THIS IS THE PIVOTAL MOMENT A HOLLYWOOD FAY-FOCED FILM, AND THE FILM’S CRCENDO IS TO ATOMIZE THE RECEIVED NOTN OF “THE FAY,” EEG , OPENG UP.MRS. DOUBTFIRE NTU TO SAY THAT SOME FAI LIVE GEOGRAPHILLY DISLOTED RELATN TO EACH OTHER OR DON’T SEE EACH OTHER FOR LONG PERDS OF TIME: “BUT IF THERE’S LOVE, AR, THOSE ARE THE TI THAT BD, AND YOU’LL HAVE A FAY YOUR HEART FOREVER.”AND AGA, THERE THE FAL AME, WE ABSOLUTELY BUY THE MALE LEAD OF A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE, DRSED AS AN OLD LADY, LAYG OUT AN ALTERNATIVE VISN OF FAY LIFE. THE HONTY OF THE SENTIMENT, THE REFAL TO PULATE TO HOLLYWOOD DIENCE EXPECTATNS, WAS AS IMPRSIVE AS WILLIAMS’ FT ACTG.HE SHOWED THIS AGA THE BIRDGE. THE HUMOR IS BROAD THIS MOVIE—GAY UPLE, ONE A DRAG QUEEN, MT PLAY STRAIGHT WHEN THEIR SON’S FIANCé’S VERY NSERVATIVE PARENTS E TO VIS—BUT WILLIAMS AGA LIVERS A MOVG, GROUND PERFORMANCE AS THE BUTCHER-ACTG PARTNER OF LANE’S ALBERT.THE TEMPTATN HERE WOULD BE TO MAKE LANE THE LGHED-AT FOIL, BUT WHAT WILLIAMS MA CLEAR HIS PERFORMANCE THROUGHOUT THE FILM, AMID THE BELLY LGHS, WAS HOW MUCH ARMAND LOVED ALBERT, AND WH LANE, THE PTH AND MEANG OF THE UPLE’S VOTN.MOST RECENTLY, WILLIAMS PLAYED A MAN ADVANCG YEARS G TO TERMS WH HIS HOMOSEXUALY THE MOVIE BOULEVARD, WHICH PREMIERED AT THIS YEAR’S TRIBE FILM FTIVAL. VARIETY NOTED THAT “THIS IS ONE OF THE KST CHARACTERS WILLIAMS HAS EVER PLAYED, WHICH MAK HIS SELF-IMPOSED TURMOIL—THE NSEQUENCE OF NOT WANTG TO HURT ANYONE, LEAST OF ALL HIS WIFE—ALL THE MORE TRAGIC.”WILLIAMS HIMSELF WAS A SUPPORTER OF LGBT RIGHTS—AGA, A LONG TIME BEFORE THAT BEME FASHNABLE—AND RPOND TO MORS THAT HE WAS GAY NOT WH HAND-WRGG OR IMPATIENCE BUT BY NOTG HE WAS A FAN OF “PS.” IN 2004, HE PRENTED A SPECIAL AWARD AT THE GLAAD AWARDS TO THEN-SAN FRANCIS MAYOR GAV NEWSOM, FOR ISSUG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LICENS. WILLIAMS WAS, SENCE, NATURALLY QUEER THE MOST EMBRACG MEANG OF THAT WORD. WHEN HE TOLD A JOKE LIKE “WE HAD GAY BURGLARS THE OTHER NIGHT. THEY BROKE AND REARRANGED THE FURNURE,” WAS DONE WH THE RIGHT KD OF AFFECTN.THE MOST IMPRSIVE THG ABOUT WILLIAMS IS THAT WH CHARM, RATHER THAN STRINCY, HE BEME AN ALLY OF THE LGBT MUNY WHEN NEED PEOPLE LIKE HIM. HE DID NATURALLY, NOT BEE HE HAD TO, NOT BEE HE WOULD GA ANYTHG OM , BUT BEE THAT WAS WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE BELIEVED . AND WAS A TIME WHEN FEW STRAIGHT HOLLYWOOD ACTORS WERE DOG THE SAME.HIS LAST WORDS MRS. DOUBTFIRE WERE THE BT OF ALL. AFTER THE SPEECH ABOUT ALL KDS OF FAY, MRS. DOUBTFIRE GO BACK TO REASSURG KATIE, THE LTLE GIRL WHO’S WRTEN TO HER. MRS. DOUBTFIRE’S WORDS SHOW WHY WILLIAMS HIMSELF WAS SUCH A GOOD ALLY: HERE HER SIMPLE, WARM HUMANY ASSERTS SELF ABOVE THE BIG POLICS OF THE PRECEDG SPEECH. “ALL MY LOVE TO YOU, POPPET,” MRS. DOUBTFIRE TELLS KATIE. “YOU’RE GOG TO BE ALL RIGHT. BYE BYE.” LET’S HOPE THAT PROPHETIC BENEDICTN HOLDS ULTIMATELY TE FOR LGBT MUNI, TOO. TIM TEEMAN
- 4 WAYS ROB WILLIAMS CHANGED THE WAY WE THK ABOUT FEMISM AND GAY RIGHTS
- GAY MAN IN MRS DOUBTFIRE
HOW ROB WILLIAMS’S MRS. DOUBTFIRE WON THE CULTURE WARSPOWER DRSGHE DRAGGED UP AND SPOKE FOR CLIVE FAY VALU THE 1993 FILM AND PLAYED A LOVG GAY PARTNER ‘THE BIRDGE.’ IN FAR MORE HOSTILE TIM, ROB WILLIAMS BEME AN LGBT HERO.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 3:07PM EDT / PUBLISHED AUG. 13, 2014 5:50AM EDT 20TH CENTURY-FOX/PHOTOFTTHE MOST AMAZG MOMENT MRS. DOUBTFIRE ISN’T WHEN POOR ROB WILLIAMS IS STUFFED TO HIS PANTYHOSE AND CUMBERSOME PADDG BI A SWIMMG POOL ON A HOT DAY, OR WHEN HIS MRS. DOUBTFIRE “BOOBS” ALMOST TCH FIRE, OR EVEN— THE EXTEND SEQUENCE THAT LEADS TO HIS UNMASKG AS THE FATHER TO HIS CHILDREN AS WELL AS THEIR FEMALE STTISH NANNY—WHEN HE DASH AROUND A RTRANT FURLY GETTG AND OUT OF DRAG.IT RIGHT AT THE END A VOICEOVER, AND IS—FOR A HOLLYWOOD FILM—A RADIL ENDG EVERY WAY: AN ENDG THAT DO NOT SEE A HBAND AND WIFE RNE, OR A BROKEN FAY GLUED BACK TOGETHER. INSTEAD, A NEW KD OF MASTREAM MOVIE FAY TAK SHAPE—TWO SEPARATED PARENTS, UNED BY THEIR MUCH-LOVED CHILDREN.AND THEN, AFTER THAT, MRS. DOUBTFIRE HERSELF GIV A SPEECH THAT EMPHASIZ THE VAR FNS OF WHAT “FAY” N ENPASS.THE SIGNIFINCE OF THIS IS THE FILM’S YEAR OF RELEASE: 1993 WAS THE WHE HEAT OF THE CULTURE WARS, THE YEAR AFTER ARCH-HOMOPHOBE PAT BUCHANAN ADDRSED THE REPUBLIN NATNAL CONVENTN TO TELL THE ASSEMBLED THAT THE AGENDA THAT BILL AND HILLARY CLTON “WOULD IMPOSE ON AMERI—ABORTN ON MAND, A LM TT FOR THE SUPREME COURT, HOMOSEXUAL RIGHTS, DISCRIMATN AGAST RELIG SCHOOLS, WOMEN BAT—THAT’S CHANGE, ALL RIGHT. BUT IS NOT THE KD OF CHANGE AMERI WANTS. IT IS NOT THE KD OF CHANGE AMERI NEEDS. AND IS NOT THE KD OF CHANGE WE N TOLERATE A NATN THAT WE STILL LL GOD’S UNTRY.” BILL CLTON TOOK THE OATH OF OFFICE JANUARY 1993, AND THE HOP OF GAY MEN AND WOMEN WERE AS HIGH AS THE ANTI-FERVENCY OF BIGOTS WAS TOXIC. IN THE SPRG, THE MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN, GAY, AND BI EQUAL RIGHTS (LGB HAD YET TO ACQUIRE A T OR ANY OTHER LETTERS OF MARGALIZED GROUPS) AND LIBERATN ATTRACTED AROUND A LN PARTICIPANTS.A MANIFTO OF MANDS LLED FOR LBIAN AND GAY LEGAL EQUALY ALL AREAS OF LIFE. AS THE EQUALY MOVEMENT FOUND A RENEWED FOC AND TERMATN, SO S OPPONENTS RATCHETED UP THEIR EFFORTS TO SCUPPER .POP CULTURE WOULD PLAY A VAL ROLE PUTTG LBIANS AND GAY MEN ON THE BIG AND SMALL SCREENS, TO THE HEARTS AND MDS OF MIDDLE AMERI. PRE-BATN THERAPI, AIDS WAS STILL EXERTG S CIMATG EFFECT, WH ALL THE EXTRA BIGOTRY AROUND THAT.SURPRISG AS MAY SOUND NOW—WH GAY CHARACTERS, GAY STORYL, AND EVEN A LEAGE OF GAY TV SERI—LBIAN AND GAY REPRENTATN ON FILM AND TV WAS SO SRCE THAT MERED MENT. THE YEAR MRS. DOUBTFIRE WAS RELEASED, SO WAS PHILALPHIA, WHICH TOM HANKS PLAYED A GAY LAWYER (HIS PARTNER WAS PLAYED BY ANTON BANRAS) DYG OF AIDS.THE POLIL AND CULTURAL CLIMATE WAS SHIFTG, BUT GGERLY. THIS WAS YEARS BEFORE QUEER AS FOLK AND THE L WORD. GAY CHARACTERS HAD NOTABLY APPEARED ON THIRTYSOMETHG AND ROSEANNE, BUT WOULD BE ANOTHER FOUR YEARS BEFORE ELLEN DEGENER ME OUT.THE BIG SCREEN OFFERED MORE VISTAS OF REPRENTATN THAN TV AT THAT MOMENT. GO FISH (1994) WAS A BREAKTHROUGH LBIAN MOVIE. MRS. DOUBTFIRE WAS THE FIRST A MI-TRANCHE OF FILMS FEATURG CROSS-DRSG GAY AND STRAIGHT MEN, CLUDG THE ADVENTUR OF PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DERT (1994) AND TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHG! JULIE NEWMAR (BASILLY, THE AMERIN PRISCILLA, 1995), AND THE BIRDGE—HOLLYWOOD’S VERSN OF LA CAGE X FOLL— 1996, WH WILLIAMS PLAYG ARMAND, THE LONGTIME PARTNER OF NATHAN LANE’S ALBERT.BUT WAS MRS. DOUBTFIRE THAT FIRED THE TRIGUG AND MOVG OPENG SALVO, AND WAS SQUARELY DOWN TO WILLIAMS’ SPIRED AND SENSIVE PERFORMANCE THAT SUCCEED. WILLIAMS’ DRAG TRANSFORMATN IS OVERSEEN BY A GAY UPLE: HARVEY FIERSTE, PLAYG WILLIAMS’ BROTHER FRANK, AND FRANK’S BOYIEND, JACK, PLAYED BY STT CAPURRO.WE BELIEVE WILLIAMS AS BOTH A BEATEN-DOWN DAD AND BIG-HEARTED STTISH NANNY. WE FALL FOR MRS. DOUBTFIRE AS MRS. DOUBTFIRE, NOT BEE OF AN EXTEND MAN--DRAG JOKE. JT LIKE SALLY FIELD AND THE CHILDREN AT THE END OF THE FILM, WE’RE SAD WHEN THE GAME IS UP, BEE THAT MEANS WE WON’T SEE ANY MORE OF HER.BY THE END OF THE FILM, MRS. DOUBTFIRE (DANIEL) HAS BEEN EXPOSED AS A MAN, FIELD, AS DANIEL’S WIFE, MIRANDA, HAS DONE HER NUT, FUR THAT HER HBAND HAS BEEN MASQUERADG AS STTISH NANNY EUPHEGENIA DOUBTFIRE. BUT THEIR CHILDREN WANT MRS. DOUBTFIRE BACK, AND MIRANDA DO TOO AND RELENTS, AND DANIEL IS ALLOWED TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME WH THE CHILDREN AS HE LIK. HIS DRAG HAS NOW BEE A FULL-TIME WORK UNIFORM: HIS WISE AND WARM MRS. DOUBTFIRE HAS BEE A CHILDREN’S TV STAR.AS THE CHILDREN HEAD SOMEWHERE WH THEIR CIVVI-CLAD DAD, MIRANDA WATCH AN EPISO OF MRS. DOUBTFIRE’S SHOW, WHICH THE NANNY, WH HER SOFT STTISH LILT, IS ADDRSG A YOUNG GIRL LLED KATIE, WHOSE PARENTS ARE SEPARATG:“SOME PARENTS, WHEN THEY GET ANGRY, THEY GET ALONG MUCH BETTER WHEN THEY DON’T LIVE TOGETHER. THEY DON’T FIGHT ALL THE TIME, AND THEY BEE BETTER PEOPLE AND MUCH BETTER MUMMI AND DADDI FOR YOU.“AND SOMETIM THEY GET BACK TOGETHER, AND SOMETIM THEY DON’T, AR. AND, IF THEY DON’T, DON’T BLAME YOURSELF. JT BEE THEY DON’T LOVE EACH OTHER ANYMORE DON’T MEAN THEY DON’T LOVE YOU.”THAT, SELF, IS WONRFULLY HOLISTIC AND SANE. THEN WILLIAMS’ CHARACTER NTU: “THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF FAI, KATIE. SOME FAI HAVE ONE MUMMY, SOME FAI HAVE ONE DADDY, OR TWO FAI. SOME CHILDREN LIVE WH THEIR UNCLE AND NT, SOME LIVE WH THEIR GRANDPARENTS. SOME CHILDREN LIVE WH FOSTER PARENTS.”OF URSE, MRS. DOUBTFIRE DON’T MENTN LBIAN AND GAY FAI. IN 1993—HOW FAR WE HAVE E 20 YEARS—THIS WAS SEEN AS TOO BLATANT. BUT STILL, THIS IS THE PIVOTAL MOMENT A HOLLYWOOD FAY-FOCED FILM, AND THE FILM’S CRCENDO IS TO ATOMIZE THE RECEIVED NOTN OF “THE FAY,” EEG , OPENG UP.MRS. DOUBTFIRE NTU TO SAY THAT SOME FAI LIVE GEOGRAPHILLY DISLOTED RELATN TO EACH OTHER OR DON’T SEE EACH OTHER FOR LONG PERDS OF TIME: “BUT IF THERE’S LOVE, AR, THOSE ARE THE TI THAT BD, AND YOU’LL HAVE A FAY YOUR HEART FOREVER.”AND AGA, THERE THE FAL AME, WE ABSOLUTELY BUY THE MALE LEAD OF A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE, DRSED AS AN OLD LADY, LAYG OUT AN ALTERNATIVE VISN OF FAY LIFE. THE HONTY OF THE SENTIMENT, THE REFAL TO PULATE TO HOLLYWOOD DIENCE EXPECTATNS, WAS AS IMPRSIVE AS WILLIAMS’ FT ACTG.HE SHOWED THIS AGA THE BIRDGE. THE HUMOR IS BROAD THIS MOVIE—GAY UPLE, ONE A DRAG QUEEN, MT PLAY STRAIGHT WHEN THEIR SON’S FIANCé’S VERY NSERVATIVE PARENTS E TO VIS—BUT WILLIAMS AGA LIVERS A MOVG, GROUND PERFORMANCE AS THE BUTCHER-ACTG PARTNER OF LANE’S ALBERT.THE TEMPTATN HERE WOULD BE TO MAKE LANE THE LGHED-AT FOIL, BUT WHAT WILLIAMS MA CLEAR HIS PERFORMANCE THROUGHOUT THE FILM, AMID THE BELLY LGHS, WAS HOW MUCH ARMAND LOVED ALBERT, AND WH LANE, THE PTH AND MEANG OF THE UPLE’S VOTN.MOST RECENTLY, WILLIAMS PLAYED A MAN ADVANCG YEARS G TO TERMS WH HIS HOMOSEXUALY THE MOVIE BOULEVARD, WHICH PREMIERED AT THIS YEAR’S TRIBE FILM FTIVAL. VARIETY NOTED THAT “THIS IS ONE OF THE KST CHARACTERS WILLIAMS HAS EVER PLAYED, WHICH MAK HIS SELF-IMPOSED TURMOIL—THE NSEQUENCE OF NOT WANTG TO HURT ANYONE, LEAST OF ALL HIS WIFE—ALL THE MORE TRAGIC.”WILLIAMS HIMSELF WAS A SUPPORTER OF LGBT RIGHTS—AGA, A LONG TIME BEFORE THAT BEME FASHNABLE—AND RPOND TO MORS THAT HE WAS GAY NOT WH HAND-WRGG OR IMPATIENCE BUT BY NOTG HE WAS A FAN OF “PS.” IN 2004, HE PRENTED A SPECIAL AWARD AT THE GLAAD AWARDS TO THEN-SAN FRANCIS MAYOR GAV NEWSOM, FOR ISSUG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LICENS. WILLIAMS WAS, SENCE, NATURALLY QUEER THE MOST EMBRACG MEANG OF THAT WORD. WHEN HE TOLD A JOKE LIKE “WE HAD GAY BURGLARS THE OTHER NIGHT. THEY BROKE AND REARRANGED THE FURNURE,” WAS DONE WH THE RIGHT KD OF AFFECTN.THE MOST IMPRSIVE THG ABOUT WILLIAMS IS THAT WH CHARM, RATHER THAN STRINCY, HE BEME AN ALLY OF THE LGBT MUNY WHEN NEED PEOPLE LIKE HIM. HE DID NATURALLY, NOT BEE HE HAD TO, NOT BEE HE WOULD GA ANYTHG OM , BUT BEE THAT WAS WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE BELIEVED . AND WAS A TIME WHEN FEW STRAIGHT HOLLYWOOD ACTORS WERE DOG THE SAME.HIS LAST WORDS MRS. DOUBTFIRE WERE THE BT OF ALL. AFTER THE SPEECH ABOUT ALL KDS OF FAY, MRS. DOUBTFIRE GO BACK TO REASSURG KATIE, THE LTLE GIRL WHO’S WRTEN TO HER. MRS. DOUBTFIRE’S WORDS SHOW WHY WILLIAMS HIMSELF WAS SUCH A GOOD ALLY: HERE HER SIMPLE, WARM HUMANY ASSERTS SELF ABOVE THE BIG POLICS OF THE PRECEDG SPEECH. “ALL MY LOVE TO YOU, POPPET,” MRS. DOUBTFIRE TELLS KATIE. “YOU’RE GOG TO BE ALL RIGHT. BYE BYE.” LET’S HOPE THAT PROPHETIC BENEDICTN HOLDS ULTIMATELY TE FOR LGBT MUNI, TOO. TIM TEEMAN
It may not have been the bt LGBT+ reprentatn ever, but for many, jt seeg a gay uple on screen was enough to help them better unrstand themselv. I kd of regret not tellg her I was gay and this was the first moment of my life I felt like that might be an okay thg. Doubtfire herself giv a speech that emphasiz the var fns of what “fay” n signifince of this is the film’s year of release: 1993 was the whe heat of the culture wars, the year after arch-homophobe Pat Buchanan addrsed the Republin Natnal Conventn to tell the assembled that the agenda that Bill and Hillary Clton “would impose on Ameri—abortn on mand, a lm tt for the Supreme Court, homosexual rights, discrimatn agast relig schools, women bat—that’s change, all right.
”Bill Clton took the oath of office January 1993, and the hop of gay men and women were as high as the anti-fervency of bigots was toxic.
4 WAYS ROB WILLIAMS CHANGED THE WAY WE THK ABOUT FEMISM AND GAY RIGHTS
In the sprg, the March on Washgton for Lbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights (LGB had yet to acquire a T or any other letters of margalized groups) and Liberatn attracted around a ln participants. A manifto of mands lled for lbian and gay legal equaly all areas of life.
As the equaly movement found a renewed foc and termatn, so s opponents ratcheted up their efforts to scupper culture would play a val role puttg lbians and gay men on the big and small screens, to the hearts and mds of middle Ameri. Surprisg as may sound now—wh gay characters, gay storyl, and even a leage of gay TV seri—lbian and gay reprentatn on film and TV was so srce that mered ment.
GAY MAN IN MRS DOUBTFIRE
Doubtfire was released, so was Philalphia, which Tom Hanks played a gay lawyer (his partner was played by Anton Banras) dyg of polil and cultural climate was shiftg, but ggerly. Gay characters had notably appeared on thirtysomethg and Roseanne, but would be another four years before Ellen DeGener me big screen offered more vistas of reprentatn than TV at that moment. Doubtfire was the first a mi-tranche of films featurg cross-drsg gay and straight men, cludg The Adventur of Priscilla: Queen of the Dert (1994) and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everythg!
Williams’ drag transformatn is overseen by a gay uple: Harvey Fierste, playg Williams’ brother Frank, and Frank’s boyiend, Jack, played by Stt believe Williams as both a beaten-down dad and big-hearted Sttish nanny. Doubtfire don’t mentn lbian and gay fai. The humor is broad this movie—gay uple, one a drag queen, mt play straight when their son’s fiancé’s very nservative parents e to vis—but Williams aga livers a movg, ground performance as the butcher-actg partner of Lane’s temptatn here would be to make Lane the lghed-at foil, but what Williams ma clear his performance throughout the film, amid the belly lghs, was how much Armand loved Albert, and wh Lane, the pth and meang of the uple’s recently, Williams played a man advancg years g to terms wh his homosexualy the movie Boulevard, which premiered at this year’s Tribe Film Ftival.