We live in an era in which representation of all cultures in media is not just encouraged – it’s demanded. Barriers of representation of race, gender, and sexuality are being broken left and right in everything from television to comic books. One company still trailing ever-so-slightly behind the rest is Disney, though if fans have their way, that won’t be the case for long.
Disney’s 2013 blockbuster hit Frozen clearly resonated with a tremendous audience. The film’s popularity hasn’t waned since its release, and there’s clearly something about it that draws people in. It’s even encouraging fans to smash gender norms. In particular, much cultural resonance can be attributed to the character of Elsa the Snow Queen (not to be confused with that other snow queen). Elsa’s narrative has been interpreted many ways since the film’s release, with viewers seeing her story as both a struggle with mental illnesses like depression or bipolar disorder and a tale of a woman becoming proud of her identity. One of the more prominent interpretations of the character is that of a woman coming to terms with her sexuality. In fact, this popular takeaway now inspires fans to campaign for Elsa to be established as LGBT in the film’s impending sequel.
The campaign is largely being pushed via Twitter using the hashtag #GiveElsaAGirlfriend. Tweets have focused on everything from legitimate statistics on how the inclusion of a LGBT Disney princess could be beneficial to young children to witty plays on quotes and songs from the original film.
#GiveElsaAGirlfriend because 1 in 5 kids are queer, but only 1 in 10 feel safe enough to come out.
— mimi ♡ (@mimiIlion) May 1, 2016
https://twitter.com/bivanessaives/status/726709428200820736
Disney has yet to comment on the campaign, and they may not, but it’s being made very clear what the people want here. They’ve allowed for LGBT interpretations of some of their animated characters in their ABC show Once Upon A Time, but that barrier still hasn’t been broken in animation. Regardless of Disney’s response, it’s unlikely that fans will *ahem* let it go any time soon.
(Via The Independent)
