Hollywood is coming out with joy, not retro angst
Out of the closet and onto the screen. In the past six months, a slew of movie and TV characters have come out as LGBTQ in ways both casual and comedic.
❚ In feature film “Love, Simon,” adapted from a 2015 novel, gay teen Simon (Nick Robinson) was cruelly outed after being blackmailed by a classmate but ultimately wound up with the mystery dream boy he met online. Detective Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) was warmly embraced by her coworkers when she revealed she’s bisexual in a recent episode of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and R-rated raunch comedy “Blockers” sneaked in a heartfelt coming-out storyline for a high school girl (Gideon Adlon).
❚ And just in time for Pride Month in June, more films and TV shows center on newly out-and-proud characters and their emotional, often funny journeys to getting there. It’s indicative of changing attitudes toward the LGBTQ community, of which 20 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds identify as members, according to a 2017 survey by GLAAD.
“We’re seeing much more of what we call ‘casual inclusion’: authentic, diverse and well-rounded characters who just happen to be LGBTQ.”
Zeke Stokes VP of programs at GLAAD
“What we’re seeing in entertainment is very much reflective of what’s happening in the real world,” says Zeke Stokes, VP of programs at GLAAD. “If there was a coming-out on a show in the ’80s and ’90s, it would be billed as a very special episode and it would be the most important thing you knew about this character.
“Now, we’re seeing much more of what we call ‘casual inclusion’: authentic, diverse and well-rounded characters who just happen to be LGBTQ.”
In musical dramedy “Hearts Beat Loud” (now in theaters), the fact that college-age musician Sam (Kiersey Clemons) is queer is easily accepted by dad Frank (Nick Offerman). In one scene, he teasingly asks her whether she’s dating a guy or girl and doesn’t bat an eye when she later brings her girlfriend to their first father-daughter concert.
“It’s just kind of this joke thrown in there: ‘Are you dating a guy? Are you dating a girl? Who is it? I don’t care, that part doesn’t matter,’ ” Clemons says. “That was really important to show, because we always hear the tragic story of coming out to your parents, which is important to show because that is relatable, unfortunately, to a lot of people. But it’s also relatable having a supportive family that loves and embraces you, and Frank does that.”
While weighty LGBTQ dramas such as “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Brokeback Mountain” and “Moonlight” have tackled repressed sexuality and identity, writer/ director Craig Johnson wanted to show the sweeter side of coming out in romantic comedy “Alex Strangelove” (now streaming on Netflix). In the semi-autobiographical film, high-schooler Alex (Daniel Doheny) falls in love with his best friend, Claire (Madeline Weinstein) but sidesteps her persistent invitations to have sex. It’s not until he meets Elliott (Antonio Marziale), an openly gay teen, that he begins to question his sexuality.
“I was a little exhausted by the depression that often accompanies coming-out stories, and I wanted to see something that acknowledged the stress and anxiety, but in a more comedic way,” Johnson says. “I thought it was time to see something where the stakes weren’t, ‘I’m going to get beat up if I come out.’ But more just, ‘I might lose my girlfriend, who I love more than life itself.’ ”
The movie culminates in a touching exchange between Alex and Claire, when she asks him what he was so scared of that he couldn’t tell her he’s gay. “Losing you,” he tearfully replies. The scene was inspired by three separate girls Johnson dated before he came out in his 20s.
The awkwardness that often comes with navigating life as a newly out individual is at the heart of half-hour comedy “Strangers,” whose second season starts streaming on Facebook Watch Sunday. The series follows Isobel (Zoe Chao), an aspiring writer in her early 30s who comes out as bisexual after cheating on her boyfriend with a woman. The first season drolly mines dating mishaps for laughs as Isobel gets rejected by a lesbian for having dated a man and gradually becomes comfortable with public affection for other women.
With “Strangers,” “I wanted to show a coming-out story that was a little less traditional, in terms of coming out later in life,” says creator Mia Lidofsky. “At the cusp of 30, there’s often this expectation that you know who you are, what you’re doing professionally, who you love. In this (new) season, in particular, I wanted to explore second chances and the idea of Isobel being able to reinvent herself at an age where perhaps you think you’re already pretty far down one path.”