It was cowardly for Disney+ to shift ‘Love, Victor’ to Hulu
Coming-of-age show would have been great for gay teens, their parents to watch together.
As queer people, we’re used to Disney feeding us scraps and calling it progress.
While Hollywood has broken new ground with record LGBTQ representation and nuanced gay storytelling, Walt Disney Co. has been content to do the bare minimum. That much-hyped “exclusively gay moment” in Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast?” Just a few seconds of Josh Gad dancing with another man. Marvel’s first openly gay character in “Avengers: Endgame?” Literally a nameless guy who lost his partner in Thanos’ “snap.”
So I was disappointed, but not at all surprised, when Disney+ revealed in February that “Love, Victor” – a series spinoff of groundbreaking 2018 gay movie “Love, Simon” – would no longer premiere on the family-friendly service due to its “adult themes.” Instead, the show would move to Hulu, where it began streaming Wednesday.
Having watched the 10-episode first season of “Love, Victor,” it’s hard not to see Disney+’s choice to dump the coming-of-age comedy as cowardly and homophobic; an easy way of passing off the show to sister service Hulu, without any of the potential backlash from intolerant, pearl-clutching subscribers.
Like “Love, Simon,” “Victor” centers on a winsome high-school boy struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. Victor (Michael Cimino) and his family move from Texas to Atlanta for a fresh start, and the eager-to-please teen has no trouble fitting in at his new school (the same one that was the setting for the original film): becoming a star basketball player and catching the eye of the beautiful yet sensitive Mia (Rachel Hilson). But he quickly develops a secret crush on Benji (George Sear), an openly gay, almost comically dreamy barista at the coffee shop where Victor works parttime. As you can probably surmise, many lies are told and feelings are hurt before Victor gets the courage to come out.
The patience “Love, Victor” has with its protagonist is part of what makes the show so affecting – and also what makes it so important for kids watching, who may be similarly figuring out their sexual identity. Co-creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger (who also wrote “Love, Simon” and are producers on “This Is Us”) never rush to put labels on Victor, and understand that one’s sexuality is not a foregone conclusion, but a deeply personal journey. In fact, it takes Victor almost the entire season to even say the word “gay.”
“Turns out human sexuality is less of a straight line and more of a Cirque du Soleil show: long, confusing and full of sexy clowns,” Benji tells Victor, after admitting that he dated girls before coming out.
The show deftly critiques what’s traditionally considered masculine and feminine, and knows that biases can exist even in a seemingly loving, supportive family. At Victor’s 16th birthday party, his conservative Latino grandfather (Juan Carlos Cantu) scoffs at Victor’s little brother (Mateo Fernandez) for playing with “girls’ toys” like a “Frozen” magic wand. Later, he scolds Victor when he catches Benji kissing his boyfriend.
“You need to tell them not to do that here,” his grandpa says. “What if your brother sees them?”
“Please, Victor, it’s a family party,” Victor’s dad (James Martinez) chimes in.
That’s precisely the message Disney sends to parents and teens by not putting “Love, Victor” on its family streaming platform: that queer people are not “for” everyone, and our very existence is something that should be discouraged or hidden.
If it’s OK for kids to hear the Avengers swear more than 100 times onscreen, then there’s no reason why they shouldn’t see two guys kiss. “Love, Victor” is the kind of show I wish I had seen as a scared, closeted teen: poignantly capturing the fear, relief and joy of living authentically. If only Disney cared about that boy as much as Iron Man.