There has been a frenzy among fans of two franchises to bring LGBT representation to Hollywood. If you frequent the social media platform Twitter, it is likely you have come across the hashtags #GiveElsaAGirlfriend and #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend. These two trending hashtags are another example of fans trying to make a character their own or more relatable, but it is to the exclusion of what the character might mean to other fans that already connect to the character. While innocent and amazing in intent, the hashtags and pressure from fans creates a few problems. First and foremost, the source material does not support these plot points. While LGBT adaptations exist of pre-existing and popular stories, Captain America and Frozen come from very specific original materials.
Captain Americafirst appeared in Marvel Comics by Stan Lee as a Nazi-fighting super human. One of the things that makes Captain America so humorous is that he doesn't belong in the society he is a part of. Captain America literally comes from a different time period. He doesn't understand women not because he is gay; he doesn't understand women because he doesn't understand how to relate to the people in the society he lives in. If you put him in a room with a boy to be his boyfriend he isn’t going to all of a sudden know how to flirt and engage in sexual intercourse with him. He will still be confused by what he is supposed to do because that is how he was designed as a character. You can’t discredit the original sources of characters in order to support personal desires. Stan Lee stated he doesn’t support a gay Captain America because that isn’t what he wrote. “I think the world has a place for gay superheroes, certainly,” Lee says. “But again, I don’t see any reason to change the sexual proclivities of a character once they’ve already been established. I have no problem with creating new, homosexual superheroes.” Don't give me a Captain America with a boyfriend and change his character- however small of a change it might be; give me a superhero with a boyfriend.
Queen Elsa of Frozen is inspired by "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson. Anderson created a character so evil and cold that she severs a sibling bond. The story "the Snow Queen" is important because it teaches young children to fight for familial love. Disney took this theme and adapted it into Frozen which is why Elsa doesn't need to love someone other than her sister. Overlooking the importance of that plot point discredits the message of the original story. In addition, Frozen appeared from Disney in a time when women were independent and their own heroines. Merida and Rapunzel, princesses of Brave and Tangled respectively, faced their challenges without a man. Sure, Rapunzel had Flynn Rider, but let's face it, he was not much help. Merida went so far as to compete for her own hand in marriage in order to remain single. Elsa is another one of these independent leading ladies who, unlike her sister, is adamant about remaining on her own. The important message of Frozen becomes discredited by introducing a love interest. Frozen was a huge success for Disney, because the film taught people the importance of family bonding. Many people identify with Elsa, Merida and Rapunzel because they are independent women. It isn't fair to these people who have admired them for their self-sufficiency to all of a sudden say, "nevermind, you can't be independent and be happy, you need to be with someone, regardless of their gender, to have a happy life."
The argument exists that Frozen has LGBT themes and speaks to the LGBT community, but these themes are applied themes. The themes created by the film have been taken and modified by the LGBT community in order to make Frozen a metaphor for the coming out process. Frozen was not written as a metaphor for coming out; this makes the LGBT themes applied themes and not the written. By looking at Frozen through an LGBT lens, you can pick up the idea that Elsa is struggling to come to terms with her sexuality, but the story remains that she is struggling with her powers that she has no control over. The film is for a young audience and teaches young people to love their siblings, because in some cases that's all you have. An adult audience can look at it through another lens, because some of us understand the struggles of being in the LGBT community and coming out. Some children are not exposed to LGBT issues and are too young to have the vocabulary to understand gay and lesbian, so this idea is missed out on them. To a child, Frozen is a fun movie with cool characters and catchy tunes.
Another issue that exists with making these characters gay is their coming out process. You don't turn gay, you're born gay, and we need that representation in fiction too. Both of these characters have garnered a huge following in their original films and become highly successful franchises in Hollywood, so think about the number of people that would no longer support them if the characters come out as gay in sequels. Fans were not introduced to them with LGBT identities, and to all of a sudden call them gay ignores the very real struggle of being born gay and accepting that as an identity. Unfortunately, it would tarnish the success of these characters. Don't discredit the fans that support Captain America and Elsa for their independence. Don't give Captain America a boyfriend; give me a gay superhero. Don't give Elsa a girlfriend; give me a new Disney princess that falls in love with a princess.
