Since the booming success of the latest Disney princess movie, "Frozen," it shouldn't come as a surprise that a sequel is currently in the works. While there has been much speculation about many things -- the fate of Prince Hans, the inevitable Kristoff and Anna wedding, potential suitors for Queen Elsa -- the biggest speculation among fans is the likelihood of Elsa being a lesbian, making her Walt Disney Animation Studios first canonically gay character.
Even Chris Buck, one of the co-directors of ""Frozen and "Frozen 2," hinted at this speculation, saying that Elsa will "deal with an issue facing...people today."
That said, this is still speculation, and we have no concrete proof that this rumor is true. However, there is plausibility for a number of reasons: the fans demand it, for one, "Let It Go" being a big gay metaphor, for another.
Should this be the direction they take with Elsa's character, it will cause an uproar. Despite the fact that I can already hear the One Million Moms crowd screaming, whining, and flipping their 11x8 pans of PTA brownies in frustration and threatening a boycott, the fact that this is a real possibility is pretty incredible.
There could be a gay Disney princess. This begs the question: why the hell should we care?
Because, and this goes without saying that this will be one of the biggest deals of our generation. It goes without saying, but I'm going to explain anyways.
From a simultaneous business and social justice perspective, making Elsa gay would be the best way to effect this gigantic step in modern pop culture. Frozen's gross earnings makes it the highest earning Disney movie to date, and with the surge in merchandise and DVD sales, its worth continues to rise. Yes, it's popular, but that isn't the point.
Why do most of these companies stay away from hot button issues, like LGB characters? The answer is obvious: they're worried about it hurting them economically. And with a small movie with a non-existent franchise, that would be a serious risk. However, as previously stated, Frozen's money makes money. Even if Helen and Patricia and their soccer mom friends band together to keep homosexuality away from their children, what are the odds of that making a dent in Frozen 2's earnings? The answer is, not that high. Sure, it may be a bit of a safe move, but it would be a good use of the success of the movie, to touch on (hopefully explicitly, none of this metaphor bs) a major issue in a story based on love and acceptance.
Kids love Elsa. She is effectively one of the most iconic movie characters of our time. How boss would that be, honestly?
So, let's cut the party poopers of the world at the pass, because I know what's coming.
We don't want to expose children to that! What if they think it's okay to be gay because Elsa is.
I would love to know what form of ignorance people put in their breakfast cereal that they actually think a little kid having a same sex crush is the worst thing in the world. And besides that, you don't turn gay. Sorry, even Elsa doesn't have that much power, despite what you may think.
And it's not as if gay children don't exist. They're just taught that heterosexuality is the default and that there are no other options. This certainly doesn't turn them straight. Hell, I knew that I was into girls when I was five years old. Five. I had never met a gay person in my life, but I knew, in my heart, that I liked girls the way my friends liked guys. I wouldn't know there was a word for this until I was fourteen, and even at that, in 2008, what did I have in pop culture to look to? A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila and RENT, and I'd hardly call either of those things mainstream.
Set aside your personal prejudices for a minute and think about this. One of the biggest characters of this decade could, a few years from now, be gay. A character who earned her fame on the idea of "Let It Go" and throwing away your inhibitions can take this to a very real, personal, and world changing level.
Do you grasp that? This is going to change the face of entertainment for good. This would be a big step for Disney, the animation industry and children's entertainment as a whole, perhaps the biggest step of our lifetime.
But hey, I'm not an idiot. There are still going to be the crowds of people who won't let their kids see this movie because look what the homosexuals have done this time. They'll emphasize that these topics aren't age appropriate, even though, for years, violence, regicide, and on-screen death was perfectly fine. If you want to boycott potentially gay Elsa and vocalize your concern, do it up. That's your right as an American citizen.
Because even if it doesn't happen with Elsa, it's going to happen eventually, somewhere down the line. Your views can't dictate popular culture, especially when society is moving towards acceptance. Slowly, mind you, but surely.
If gay Elsa ends up a thing, by all means, exercise your right to not see a children's movie. For one thing, it won't matter. Elsa will be gay and no amount of raving will change that once the movie's made. If you wanna give Frozen the cold shoulder, hey, that's your prerogative. The importance of the moment won't be taken away by your prejudices. And besides...
