"Love, Simon" is the first studio-backed gay teen romance film to ever make it in wide release. This earns its status in the annals of history as a milestone in the fight for gay rights and representation.
Over the years, we have seen progression, but it's usually limited to television and such attempts at inclusion can be troubling. "Queer as Folk," had some quality points but often plays into gay stereotypes of the ostentatious sexual deviant. It is also very white.
On "The Walking Dead" the gay angle felt more like a forced distraction than a remarkable achievement, making audiences reluctant to welcome the homosexual's agenda into their zombie-killing squad. The show also succumbed to the infamous "bury your gays" trope that has plagued television and film since the dawn of the gay revolution, killing off characters Eric Raleigh and Denise Cloyd.
It also seems to me there is a lack of diversity in the gay applicant pool for TV industry jobs. There are character tropes that unfortunately lead to skewed public perceptions of how all gay people conduct themselves. Tituss Burgess on "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," Eric Stonestreet on "Modern Family," Jack McFarland on "Will and Grace," are all examples of the "effeminate, flamboyant gay person." While these beloved characters symbolize greater inclusion in the culture, many viewers are limited to these characterizations and preconceived notions about gay people are reinforced.
Some TV does a masterful job of showing gay people, warts and all and struggles notwithstanding. Shows like "The Fosters" have broken ground in portraying a young teenager toiling with the idea of his sexuality, and enduring mental troubles that are subsequent to self-discovery and "coming out."
Ellen, of course, deserves a major salute. She is an amazing, empowering woman who adopted the mantle of LGBT rights, and is the first talk show host to "come out." Her cult-status daytime talk show does for lesbians what Oprah does for African-American women.
So why is "Love, Simon" so important? There have been independent, art-house, and foreign films that have cycled and recycled gay storylines a thousand times over.
Well, one of the differences is that this is the first time a staunchly gay film has had a mainstream release. "Love, Simon" opened in 2400 theaters nationwide, by Twentieth Century Fox, and that's nothing to sneeze at.
Also, throughout cinema history, gay characters have been allowed to exist, but often they are inane, secondary ("gay best friend"), irrelevant to the plot, or exist to check off a box on the diversity quota ("inclusion riders"). A breath of fresh air comes in seeing a gay protagonist who, in essence, meets none of these complaints.
Also, contrary to many gay films, Simon receives an ending of happiness rather than AIDS, or a hate-violence-related homicide. This "gay John Hughes film" as it has been effectively called, draws a real, substantive portrait of a closeted kid and the worries, concerns, and anxieties about coming out that are universal.
His identity prompted not only laughs, but well-intentioned cheers and emotional resonance, and for a film like this to be released outside of just a few major metro-markets is earth-shattering.
The movie does have its criticisms that it is too safe and cautious with its message. It trots out liberal parents in a liberal neighborhood and centers on a humdrum white, cisgender suburbanite. But, accept it or not, this movie is a test case that could set the precedent for a host of LGBT life-affirming films. Progress may seem slow and uninspired, but it is still progress.
It's okay to be a perpetual gadfly, but please allow yourself to bask in the glorious triumph of this movie. If you want to pitch the "coming out" story of a genderqueer black kid from a repressed, rural Bible Belt community, then drive to the nearest theater and see this film!
The film industry flies or dies based on audience measurement and ticket sales. If they see overwhelming support for these stories, then demand will increase, and we will see more character sketches of gay people.
