Queer coding explained

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

In 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 to have an androgynous and even feminine design. The 1966 short "Jerry-Go-Round" has been interpreted as containing a coded lesbian relationship between Jerry and a female elephant.[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 observed in the Bugs Bunny cartoon.[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.

Villains

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.[8] Thus, villains became noted in particular to have effeminate characteristics, behaviors or gestures that could be perceived as LGBTQ.[9] [10] Disney characters have attracted attention because their films are popular among children.[11] [12] Examples include:

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:

Impact

Queer 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.[18]

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,[19] 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.[20] [21] [22]

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. In 2011, Deja told news.com.au 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."[23] However, critics regarded such queer-coded villains as contributing to "homophobic discourse" and equating queerness with evil itself.[24] [25] Other critics have claimed that this attribution can lead to a negative association between queerness and immoral, licentious behavior.[26] [27]

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 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.[28]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Piluso . Francesco . 2023-11-27 . Above the heteronormative narrative: looking up the place of Disney's villains . Semiotica . en . 2023 . 255 . 131–148 . 10.1515/sem-2023-0168 . 0037-1998.
  2. Book: Billheimer . John . Hitchcock and the Censors . University Press of Kentucky . 2019 . 9780813177427 . 9–23 . Origins of the Code . 10.2307/j.ctvfjcx5v.4 . j.ctvfjcx5v.4 . 214143884.
  3. Book: Johnson, Jo . Queers in American Popular Culture Volume 1: Film and television . Praeger . 2010 . 9780313354571 . Elledge . Jim . 1 . Santa Barbara, California . 256–257 . "We'll Have A Gay Old Time!": Queer Representation in American Prime-Time Television from the Cartoon Short to the Family Sitcom . September 23, 2021 . https://archive.org/details/queersinamerican0000unse/page/246/mode/2up . registration.
  4. Web site: Tom and Jerry: Performative Queerness in Action . Olmstead . Cade M. . 2018 . Undergraduate Student Work . . September 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200318122855/https://scholarworks.uni.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=ugswork . March 18, 2020 . 1–8 . live.
  5. 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 . . 52 . 3–4 . 167–168 . 10.1300/J082v52n03_08 . 17594976 . 2000838 .
  6. Web site: Snyder. Chris. Desiderio. Kyle. The evolution of queer characters in children's animation. Insider. June 29, 2021. July 1, 2021. https://archive.today/20210701050407/https://www.insider.com/the-evolution-of-queer-characters-in-kids-animated-tv-shows-2021-6. July 1, 2021. live.
  7. Book: 10.3366/j.ctt1bgzbtn.12. Youth, Realism and Form. Pullen. Christopher. Straight Girls and Queer Guys. 2016. 147–168. 9780748694846.
  8. From Sissies to Secrecy: The Evolution of the Hays Code Queer . Filmic Magazine . en . 1 August 2015.
  9. O vilão desviante: Uma leitura sociocultural pela perspectiva de gênero de Scar em O Rei Leão . Revista de Educação e Letras . pt . 2014. 16 . 32 . Santos . Caynnã de Camargo .
  10. La problemática del villano afeminado . Gaymer . es . 13 October 2018.
  11. Wait a second, are all Disney villains gay? . The Tempest . en . 4 June 2020.
  12. Los villanos de Disney salen del armario . El País . es . 28 May 2021.
  13. Web site: 2022-01-12 . 'Scream' Screenwriter Kevin Williamson Confirms Billy and Stu's Queer-Coded Relationship Was Based on Real Gay Killers . 2023-12-05 . Pride Source . en.
  14. Web site: 039 – Mark Hamill on Talkin Toons with Rob Paulsen – Weekly Voice Acting and Voice Over Tips . https://web.archive.org/web/20200319040214/http://techjives.net/2012/05/04/039-mark-hamill-on-talkin-toons-with-rob-paulsen-weekly-voice-acting-and-voice-over-tips/ . 2020-03-19 . 18 March 2020 . Tech Jives Network.
  15. Web site: Hamill . Mark . Love Unique Deadpan No-Nonsense #Skips but #Larry3000 of #TimeSquad was Fierce-Flamboyant & more Crazy-Fun to play! . https://archive.today/20200319034956/https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/733579727215042560 . March 19, 2020 . March 18, 2020 . Twitter.
  16. Web site: 2021-12-06 . Kevin Williamson interview: 'The Scream movies are coded in gay survival' . 2023-12-05 . The Independent . en.
  17. Web site: 2022-01-10 . A Survivor to Scream About: Neve Campbell on 'Scream' Queer Theories (Yes, Billy and Stu), and How Sidney Still Inspires the LGBTQ+ Community . 2023-12-05 . Pride Source . en.
  18. Web site: Martinez . Ren . Fabulously Fiendish: Disney Villains and Queer-Coding . Margins Magazine . https://web.archive.org/web/20170312175257/http://www.marginsmagazine.com/2015/12/18/fabulously-fiendish-disney-villains-and-queer-coding/ . March 12, 2017 . December 18, 2015.
  19. Craig . Seymour . Yep, They're Gay . 6 October 2000 . Entertainment Weekly. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20111110135751/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,277857_2,00.html. November 10, 2011.
  20. Book: Gail . Dines . Jean . McMahon Humez . Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-reader . 209 . August 2002 . Sage Publications . 978-0-7619-2261-2 .
  21. Book: Schweizer, Peter . The Mouse Betrayed . 148 . Regnery Publishing . September 1998 . 0-89526-387-4 .
  22. Tom . Provenzano . The Lion in Summer . The Advocate . 66 . 28 June 1994.
  23. Daniela . Elser . Gay families in Disney movies only a matter of time, says Lion King animator Andreas Deja . March 4, 2011 . news.com.au. https://web.archive.org/web/20110807101046/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/mickey-has-two-dads/story-e6frfmvr-1226015944009. August 7, 2011. live. September 27, 2011.
  24. Web site: Gates . Meggie . Once Again, Disney Attempts to Co-opt Pride Month . . September 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210712054914/https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/disney-rebrands-pride-no-lgbtq-support . July 12, 2021 . July 18, 2021 . live . mdy-all .
  25. Web site: Weir . John . FILM; Gay-Bashing, Villainy and the Oscars . . September 29, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122220051/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/29/movies/film-gay-bashing-villainy-and-the-oscars.html . January 22, 2021 . March 29, 1992 . live . mdy-all .
  26. Web site: Inés. Mendoza-Pérez. Queer-Coding and Horror Films. Control Forever. October 26, 2018.
  27. Web site: 10 Queer-Coded, Gay Villains from Our Childhood. February 5, 2020. www.pride.com.
  28. Web site: Wolfe. Jennifer. 'The Proud Family' Returns to Screens Louder, Prouder & Even More Authentic!. Animation Magazine. February 4, 2022. February 4, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220204183522/https://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/the-proud-family-returns-to-screens-louder-prouder-even-more-authentic/. February 4, 2022. live.

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