Queer coding is the attribution of stereotypically queer traits to fictional characters without explicitly stating their gender and sexual identity.[1]
Queer coding may have had a negative impact on perceptions of queerness in media as villains are often queer-coded.
Queer coding is a concept both in the discussion of media portrayal of LGBT people and academic research involving queer theory or gender studies.
History
editIn 1930, the Hays Code was established, which regulated the content of films and prohibited the portrayal of homosexuality.[2]
In animation, cartoon artists were able to portray the gender of characters in androgynous, asexual, and gender-fluid ways. Jerry from the Tom & Jerry cartoons has been noted[by whom?] to have an androgynous and even feminine design. The 1966 short "Jerry-Go-Round" has been interpreted[by whom?] as containing a coded lesbian relationship between Jerry and a female elephant, even though Jerry is male.[3] Cade M. Olmstead, a philosopher, has argued that Tom and Jerry "subverts normalized gender and sexuality structures" through theatrical play and performance, transgressing the normal construction of gender.[4] "Queer coding" has also been observed in the Bugs Bunny cartoons.[5]
In the late 1980s, villains in Disney films which were "queer coded" began to appear.[6] Commentary on the treatment of LGBT+ characters in film is made in the 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet, and is one of the first instances in which the idea of queer coding is presented to the public.[7]
Until the 1970s, gay characters generally did not appear on American television.[5]
Villains
edit
Because of the Hays Code, positive portrayals of homosexual characters were barred, and the only characters in fiction that could be perceived as homosexuals had evil roles and were punished throughout the work.[9] Thus, villains became noted in particular to have effeminate characteristics, behaviors or gestures that could be perceived as LGBTQ.[10][11] Disney characters have attracted attention because their films are popular among children.[12][13][14] Examples include:
- Governor Ratcliffe in Pocahontas, who is the only male character with makeup, braided hair and bows, and wears pink
- Ursula in The Little Mermaid was inspired by the drag queen Divine
- Captain Hook in Peter Pan
- King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph
- Hades in Hercules
- Shere Khan and Kaa in The Jungle Book
- Scar in The Lion King
- Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog
- Jafar in Aladdin
- Hector Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise
- The Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, as an anti-hero
While many examples can be pulled from Disney, the trend of queer coding villains in prominent media and film extends beyond the corporation. Some examples include:
- The character 'HIM' in The Powerpuff Girls, who dresses in a tutu and heels.
- The primary antagonist Rumpelstiltskin in Shrek Forever After.
- The lethal duo of Billy Loomis and Stu Macher in Scream, who are based on murderers Nathan Freudenthal Leopold Jr. and Richard Albert Loeb according to the screenwriter of Scream, Kevin Williamson.[15]
- The androgynous Overwatch hero Moira, who is an agent of the terrorist organisation Talon.
- Larry 3000 in the Cartoon Network program Time Squad, who has been interpreted to be gay.[16][17]
- The Scream movies, which screenwriter Kevin Williamson has described as being "coded in gay survival".[18][19]
Impact
editQueer coding may have a negative impact on perceptions of queerness in media; villains are often queer-coded, leading to the pejorative perception of queer traits. Critics have noted the Walt Disney Company's attribution of queer characteristics and behaviors to villainous or antagonistic characters.[20]
Gaston and LeFou in the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast and Jafar from the 1992 film Aladdin were created by an openly gay animator named Andreas Deja,[21] and sang music by Howard Ashman, who was also openly gay. The fact that Deja had also worked on Scar in The Lion King and the titular character in Hercules, for example, has been discussed as an influence on the development of some Disney characters.[22][23][24]
Queer coding has led to some networks not wanting to show overt representation. Animator Rebecca Sugar argued that it is "really heavy" for a kid to only exist "as a villain or a joke" in an animated series.[6] In 2011, Deja told news.com.au that Disney would have a "family that has two dads or two mums" if they find the "right kind of story with that kind of concept."[25] However, critics regarded such queer-coded villains as contributing to "homophobic discourse" and equating queerness with evil itself.[26][27] Other critics have claimed that this attribution can lead to a negative association between queerness and immoral, licentious behavior.[28][13]
In February 2021, producer Ralph Farquhar said that in The Proud Family, which aired on the Disney Channel from 2001 to 2005, they had to use "code to talk about if Michael was gay, to talk about sexuality" and to be "sort of underhanded about it." He said this changed with The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder with the biggest changes to the show are "gender identity, obviously racial identity and quote-unquote wokeness," and said that sexuality can be "sort of in your face with it a lot more," manifesting itself in the storytelling.[29]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Piluso, Francesco (2023-11-27). "Above the heteronormative narrative: looking up the place of Disney's villains". Semiotica. 2023 (255): 131–148. doi:10.1515/sem-2023-0168. ISSN 0037-1998.
- ^ Billheimer, John (2019). "Origins of the Code". Hitchcock and the Censors. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 9–23. doi:10.2307/j.ctvfjcx5v.4. ISBN 9780813177427. JSTOR j.ctvfjcx5v.4. S2CID 214143884.
- ^ Johnson, Jo (2010). ""We'll Have A Gay Old Time!": Queer Representation in American Prime-Time Television from the Cartoon Short to the Family Sitcom". In Elledge, Jim (ed.). Queers in American Popular Culture Volume 1: Film and television. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. pp. 256–257. ISBN 9780313354571. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ Olmstead, Cade M. (2018). "Tom and Jerry: Performative Queerness in Action". Undergraduate Student Work. University of Northern Iowa. pp. 1–8. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Fisher, Deborah A.; Hill, Douglas L.; Grube, Joel W.; Gruber, Enid L. (2007). "Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Content on Television: A Quantitative Analysis Across Two Seasons". Journal of Homosexuality. 52 (3–4): 167–168. doi:10.1300/J082v52n03_08. PMC 2000838. PMID 17594976.
- ^ a b Snyder, Chris; Desiderio, Kyle (June 29, 2021). "The evolution of queer characters in children's animation". Insider. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ Pullen, Christopher (2016). "Youth, Realism and Form". Straight Girls and Queer Guys. pp. 147–168. ISBN 9780748694846. JSTOR 10.3366/j.ctt1bgzbtn.12.
- ^ "From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture". Indiana University Press. 1995. ISBN 0253209781.
- ^ "From Sissies to Secrecy: The Evolution of the Hays Code Queer". Filmic Magazine. 1 August 2015.
- ^ Santos, Caynnã de Camargo (2014). "O vilão desviante: Uma leitura sociocultural pela perspectiva de gênero de Scar em O Rei Leão". Revista de Educação e Letras (in Portuguese). 16 (32).
- ^ "La problemática del villano afeminado". Gaymer (in Spanish). 13 October 2018.
- ^ "Wait a second, are all Disney villains gay?". The Tempest. 4 June 2020.
- ^ a b "10 Queer-Coded, Gay Villains from Our Childhood". www.pride.com. February 5, 2020.
- ^ "Los villanos de Disney salen del armario". El País (in Spanish). 28 May 2021.
- ^ "'Scream' Screenwriter Kevin Williamson Confirms Billy and Stu's Queer-Coded Relationship Was Based on Real Gay Killers". Pride Source. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
- ^ "039 – Mark Hamill on Talkin Toons with Rob Paulsen – Weekly Voice Acting and Voice Over Tips". Tech Jives Network. Archived from the original on 2020-03-19. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ Hamill, Mark. "Love Unique Deadpan No-Nonsense #Skips but #Larry3000 of #TimeSquad was Fierce-Flamboyant & more Crazy-Fun to play!". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ "Kevin Williamson interview: 'The Scream movies are coded in gay survival'". The Independent. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
- ^ "A Survivor to Scream About: Neve Campbell on 'Scream' Queer Theories (Yes, Billy and Stu), and How Sidney Still Inspires the LGBTQ+ Community". Pride Source. 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
- ^ Martinez, Ren (December 18, 2015). "Fabulously Fiendish: Disney Villains and Queer-Coding". Margins Magazine. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017.
- ^ Seymour, Craig (6 October 2000). "Yep, They're Gay". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011.
- ^ Dines, Gail; McMahon Humez, Jean (August 2002). Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-reader. Sage Publications. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-7619-2261-2.
- ^ Schweizer, Peter (September 1998). The Mouse Betrayed. Regnery Publishing. p. 148. ISBN 0-89526-387-4.
- ^ Provenzano, Tom (28 June 1994). "The Lion in Summer". The Advocate: 66.
- ^ Elser, Daniela (March 4, 2011). "Gay families in Disney movies only a matter of time, says Lion King animator Andreas Deja". news.com.au. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ^ Gates, Meggie (July 18, 2021). "Once Again, Disney Attempts to Co-opt Pride Month". Bitch. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ Weir, John (March 29, 1992). "FILM; Gay-Bashing, Villainy and the Oscars". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ Mendoza-Pérez, Inés (October 26, 2018). "Queer-Coding and Horror Films". Control Forever.
- ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (February 4, 2022). "'The Proud Family' Returns to Screens Louder, Prouder & Even More Authentic!". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.