LGBTQD: Queer Depictions in Disney

Hi English 102 students!


In this paper I looked at how LGBTQ people are portrayed in Disney films and why. What I found was that while there are no out characters, many are “queer coded” characters, or  characters that given traits/elements stereotypically associated with LGBTQ people. A huge chunk of male Disney villains were queer coded, mostly through their physical appearance, costumes, and body movement. This technique of queer coding the effeminate, implicitly gay villain goes back to the beginning of Hollywood film, where homosexuality was banned from the screen. Queer coded Disney villains can be found in films such as The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Hercules, Aladdin, and even The Lion King.

As to why negative depictions of LGBTQ people are still used in Disney films has no clear answer, but researchers have cited homophobia and sexism as probable causes. I found that this is a multidimensional topic because along with the sexuality issue, gender expectations also play a huge role. 

Here's some advice:

• Procrastinate!! I'm just kidding, don't do it. You'll regret it.

• Don't be intimidated by this paper, it was surprisingly easy to write. It was time consuming but not stressful, if that makes sense.

• Start the search for sources early, it takes a while to find sources that are both academic and related to your topic.

• If you're having difficulty finding sources talk to Jenny for help!

Sources: 

Abel, Sam. "The Rabbit In Drag: Camp And Gender Construction In The American Animated

Cartoon." Journal Of Popular Culture 29.(1995): 183-202. Humanities Full Text (H.W.  Wilson). Web. 26 May 2015.

Allen, Samantha. "What Disney Movies Taught Me about Being Gay." The Daily Dot. 25 Sept.

2014. Web. 08 June 2015.

Brode, Douglas. Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment.

Austin: U of Texas, 2005. Print.

Li-Vollmer, Meredith. "Gender Transgression And Villainy In Animated Film." Popular

Communication 1.2 (2003): 89-109. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30

May 2015.

Morgan, Joe. “The 14 Disney characters you had no idea were gay.” Gay Star News. 5 Oct.

2013. Web. 26 May 2015.

Putnam, Amanda. “Mean Ladies: Transgendered Villains in Disney Films”. Diversity in Disney

Films. Ed. Johnson Cheu. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland & Company, 2013. 147-155.

Web.

Russo, Vito. The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies. New York: Harper & Row,

1987. Print.