Every Sgle "First Gay Character" In a Disney Film •

Contents:

• WHAT WAS THE FIRST MOVIE WH AN OPENLY GAY MA CHARACTER?
• EVERY SGLE “FIRST GAY CHARACTER” IN A DISNEY FILM
• DISNEY'S 8 'FIRST OPENLY GAY' CHARACTERS, RANKED (BY HOW EMBARRASSED DISNEY SHOULD FEEL)
• HOW MANY TIM IS DISNEY GOG TO INTRODUCE ITS ‘FIRST’ GAY CHARACTER?

WHAT WAS THE FIRST MOVIE WH AN OPENLY GAY MA CHARACTER?

While gay characters were equently ed for lghs or not explicly stated to be queer the earlit mastream Hollywood films, a brief relaxatn Germany's film productn the early 20th century allowed for LGBTQ+ classics like "Different om the Others" and "Mädchen Uniform. In Hollywood, the strict Hays Co forba explic pictns of homosexualy film for three s, durg which there was a slew of queer-d villas. Afterward, gay characters appeared more but often tragic stori like 1961's "The Children's Hour.

Later, the New Queer Cema the 1990s flourished as many pennt filmmakers (many of whom were gay) told fluid, empathetic stori about queer dividuals. The film, which featur an all-Black st, was one big step toward makg gay cema that isn't whewashed, featur a range of inti, and don't make s queer characters one-note or vehicl of sufferg. The history starts 1894, wh the very first gay film, and ends 2021 wh a mastream children's movie featurg a ma character who is queer.

EVERY SGLE “FIRST GAY CHARACTER” IN A DISNEY FILM

1894: 'The Dickson Experimental Sound Film' as first gay film. Also known as "The Gay Brothers, " this short film showed two men dancg together.

1916: 'Behd the Curta' employs the first gay gag. The German film "Anrs als die Anrn" (English: "Different om the Others") is one of the olst survivg movi wh a gay protagonist and was ma durg a rare perd when German film censorship was relaxed after World War I.

It centers on a vlist who tak his life after gettg blackmailed for his sexualy and ends wh an appeal for gay tolerance by German gay rights activist Magn Hirschfeld.

DISNEY'S 8 'FIRST OPENLY GAY' CHARACTERS, RANKED (BY HOW EMBARRASSED DISNEY SHOULD FEEL)

1922: 'Manslghter' clus film's first 'erotic' gay kiss. 1922: Gay llaboratn durg the filmg of 'Salome'.

Charl Bryant's adaptatn of gay wrer Osr Wil's play of the same name reportedly featured several queer llaborators—namely, bisexual lead actor Alla Nazimova and set signer Natacha Rambova (her mored lover). The movie drew ntroversy om New York censors for suggtg that two of s male characters were gay. One taboo was homosexualy, meang that any stanc of queerns on film had to be refully d.

1938: 'Brgg Up Baby' 'gay' a queer ntext. In one scene om the 1938 screwball edy "Brgg Up Baby, " the word "gay" was ed a queer ntext for likely the first time (possibly thanks to queer performers' e of "gay" as a slang term). When a woman asks reputedly bisexual actor Cary Grant's character why he's wearg a feathery bathrobe, he rponds, "Bee I jt went gay all of a sudn!

HOW MANY TIM IS DISNEY GOG TO INTRODUCE ITS ‘FIRST’ GAY CHARACTER?

"For all s efforts, the Productn Co didn't erase homosexuals om the screen; jt ma them harr to fd, " "The Celluloid Closet" stat.

1948: Gayns and murr lli Hchock's 'Rope'. Loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb murr se, Aled Hchck's "Rope" tells the story of two heavily d gay men who murr one of their classmat for the sheer thrill of .

1955: 'Rebel Whout a Cse' featur the 'first onscreen gay teenager'. 1961: 'Victim' criciz Brish homophobia. "Victim" opens 1960s London, where a man's ath leads the film's gay ma character (Dirk Bogar) to disver a blackmail scheme agast several gay men.