“Love, Simon”, released on March 16th, shows a plot-line that follows a high school boy in the closet. Falling for a classmate online, Simon has no idea of this anonymous person’s identity. It is a light-hearted film intended to show gay characters in a positive, normative light.
On March 8th, an article appeared in Time Magazine entitled “Love, Simon Is A Groundbreaking Movie. But Do Today’s Teens Actually Need It?”.
The author, listing the apparent abundance of LGBT films saturating the industry such as “Moonlight”, “Blue Is the Warmest Color” and “Call Me By Your Name”, basically is saying that there are already enough of these films in Hollywood. He explains that the industry has already “made stirring and provocative art out of growing up - both what it’s like to discover your sexuality and how to reconcile it with the rest of yourself”. He criticizes the film for its possible inability to appeal to today’s adults, as compared to popular TV shows it lacks an edgy, dark quality.
By saying an LGBT film cannot be successful without having some deeper meaning, by displaying these characters in a light different than those of straight characters in typical romantic comedies, the author unknowingly proves that yes, we do need this movie.
Straight plot lines saturate the media without us even thinking about it. In today’s world, straight is the norm. There are straight characters in basically every film out there, even LGBT ones. Just the other day, I watched the hilarious classic "Wedding Crashers", yet another enjoyable film following the storylines of two straight couples. With these types of movie's success, we see plenty of tender rom-coms featuring a guy and a girl as main protagonists. The Time article author criticizes "Love, Simon" for being almost so mainstream and YA it hurts, but it is like that for a reason.
I remember growing up, unsure of my identity, trying to find characters like me on screen. I remember thinking that these romantic, idealized storylines just wouldn’t happen for me if I chose to be with a girl.
Does that concern make much sense? Probably not. Yet, I am not the only one who grew up thinking this, because as teens our view of the world is so highly shaped by the media we are consuming. The closest thing I had seen to a mainstream lesbian movie growing up was “Blue Is the Warmest Color”, a film about a girl falling for her art teacher.
Not only did actress Léa Seydoux describe scenes in the movie as “psychologically humiliating” to film, but it was also nothing remotely close to the light-hearted positivity of “Love, Simon”. This is a teacher/student love story, already set up to show lesbians in a scandalous light, a light that gay characters are so often limited to.
The author of this article writes that “kids like Simon, in 2018, already have a good shot of fitting in. They don’t need this movie”. It should not be hard to see how irrelevant and downright untrue this statement is. For one, straight kids have a pretty good shot of fitting in as well. However, how many films do they get to see in which other straight couples are the focus? How many films, strictly about romance plots and mainstream teen life, do they get to see themselves in? Why can’t gay teens get the privilege of seeing the same?
Also, the idea that homophobia has ended is the same as saying that sexism is dead just because women have the right to vote or work. Undoubtedly, today’s gay teens are coming out to a less judgemental world than their parents and grandparents. That does not mean they are coming out to one free of hate. Statistically, 9 out of every 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied at school. These teens face hateful peers, as well as possibly unaccepting families, and not to mention the internal homophobia that often many feel without realizing it. These teens may have a better chance at fitting in than ever before, but the odds are certainly not in their favor.
So yes, Time, we are seeing more gay characters on screen. The need for this movie, however, lays not only in its inclusion of a gay teen but in a storyline that follows him without scandal, without a storyline that ends in tragedy. This film shows today's kids, who may be struggling to come to terms with their own sexuality, that despite what the media shows you do get a story. You do not need to be forced into the background. Your life, your love, can be just as romantically cheesy and mainstream as any other straight kid.
I may not speak for the LGBT community as a whole, but I do know that growing up, I sure needed this movie. I am sure there will be kids searching for someone like them on screen, just as I was, and I am glad they will be able to find this film.
