In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Tuesday I’ll be posting opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx/WOC community since I am Latinx.) Welcome to Queerly Not Straight! Enjoy and leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for what I should cover next.
For all the haters in the back that can’t tell their ass from their head, Frozen 2’s “Show Yourself” can be a queer anthem. After all, Frozen is a cinematic universe grounded in transformation, change, growth, and love. Keeping all of that in mind, how could people NOT see themselves in Frozen 2’s “Show Yourself”? I know I see myself. I have friends who see themselves in it. And there are probably people reading this right now that see themselves in “Show Yourself.”
And it’s more than fine.
It’s fucking brilliant, in fact.
But still, people are bothered by “Show Yourself” for the very same reason Disney is actually scared of putting ACTUAL LGBTQ+ individuals in their movies: Homophobia and money. Homophobia on the part of haters who are clutching their pearls at queer Becky or Tom seeing themselves in “Show Yourself” in a way that they have never seen themselves in a song before. And money on the part of Disney who fears backlash internationally from countries that make bank from Disney but might (totally fucking will) disprove of a movie if “homosexual tendencies” appear in it’s content. *insert eye roll here*
So, why are we here? Well, it’s to call out Disney and to strip them of any LGBTQ+ street cred they might’ve garnered in Frozen 2. Because that’s what I’m seeing all over social media. People calling out or embracing Disney for putting out a “blatantly” queer song. And the matter of the fact is that Disney didn’t set out to give us something queer and beautiful. They set out to make a story and make money. The way that we as queer individuals are interpreting “Show Yourself” is a connection we made on our own and that Disney takes no part in.
We need to stop congratulating Disney. Stop giving them thumbs up just because “Show Yourself” is a banger that makes our queer loving selves feel liberated and loved. Disney didn’t mean for that to happen and are still too chicken shit to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to LGBTQ+ content. This is especially true in the shadow of the Twitter campaign asking for Elsa to have a girlfriend in Frozen 2. Disney had the opportunity, they knew what people wanted, but they decided to NOT go in the queer direction.
And I’m not ok with Disney or friends puffing up their chests like they did something game changing with “Show Yourself.” You didn’t give us the queer that we so desperately needed, Disney. So you can’t, and I won’t, let you act like you did a great service to the queer community with “Show Yourself.” We took the song in, we connected with it, we made it ours. All you did Disney is hire Latinx writers who killed it the first time around when it came to Frozen and who brought the same energy to the second movie.
That’s what you did.
We took it after and made it a queer anthem. Not you. We. And the distinction matters.
Queerly Not Straight posts every Tuesday with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx community since I am Latinx.)
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“I have always been so different; normal rules did not apply!” Every time i hear that line i’m caught between cheering and crying..
Right? Gives me shivers down my spine! Thanks for reading!
Honestly, I agreed with Disney’s official explanation that Elsa just isn’t ready for any kind of romance yet. I mean, she doesn’t even really have any friends besides Anna. (Kristoff and Olaf are much more Anna’s friends, she barely shares any dialogue with them.) Now that she’s really come into herself, maybe she can think about that kind of thing, but I also think it would be really cool if she was asexual. I do think Disney should have a gay character, like years ago, but having it be Elsa seems… I don’t know, a little contrived? Like just because she doesn’t end up with a boyfriend at the end of the first movie doesn’t mean she is or should be gay, and I’m not really sure why people are so insistent on it. Merida and Moana didn’t end up with boyfriends either and no one is saying they have to be gay (though I think Merida would actually be a much better candidate, and that would have made the film more interesting). I mean, I definitely wouldn’t mind if she got together with Honeymeren or something in a future movie, but being mad that Disney didn’t go in that direction with Frozen 2 when Elsa had barely learned to socialize seems kind of unfair. I personally think it should be something Disney deals with in an original film. You know, like, assuming they are actually capable of making original films anymore and not just remakes and sequels.