The World of Film & TV Can be Colorful
Gay
Relationships
in Film & TV
Good Representation:
Wynonna Earp
Moonlight
Orange is the New Black
The Fosters
Steven Universe
Bad Representation:
GBF
Blue is the Warmest Color
Pitch Perfect
The 100
Stonewall
Love, Simon: The Same Movie Like You’ve Never Seen It Before
It takes place at a high school in the wealthy suburbs. It has the jock, the so-pretty-it-hurts girl friend, and the insecure best friend. The story revolves around a teen finding himself, and of course, finding love along the way. The recently released film Love, Simon has all the qualities of a typical coming-of-age romantic comedy… except for the fact that the main character is gay.
Based on Becky Albertalli’s young adult novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Love, Simon tells the story of Simon Spier, a closeted teenage boy who embarks on a life-changing and nerve-wracking journey as he struggles to maintain the relationships he has with his friends, family, and the anonymous boy he has fallen in love with over the internet without truly expressing himself.
Containing a whirlwind of strained relationships, blackmailing, and near-heartbreak as a result of the secret Simon feels pressured to keep, the movie seeks to represent the similar stories of members of the LGBT+ community across the globe in an approachable way.
Love, Simon has been especially touching to the members of the LGBT+ community at Las Lomas. “I liked it. It made me feel represented and I heard a lot of stories about parents seeing it with their teens and finally understanding what their kids were going through,” said senior Andrew Westhafer. “I really appreciated that aspect of it.”
Sophomore Joshua James is another big fan of the movie. Upon its first few days of advertisement, James shares that he was overjoyed. “I screamed. I was very excited because I’ve never really seen a movie in national media that the star role was a normal kid who was gay [and] very relatable,” said James.
Emerging from a history of films that portray gay people in stereotypical or exclusive ways, Love, Simon has turned the tables for gay representation in film.
For one, Simon’s character does not represent the typical gay stereotypes oftentimes seen in film and many people were happily surprised by this, including Westhafer. “I was worried that Simon would be a stereotypical, effeminate white teen and that he wouldn’t have emotional depth, since that’s how gay men are presented in movies.”
James expressed something similar, even describing the movie as “normal.” “There’s no difference in between the movies where the gay characters are flamboyant and gay and have AIDS, but this one’s a normal movie,” said James.
Compared to Call Me By Your Name, another recently released Oscar-nominated film that also revolves around a gay relationship, Love, Simon could be seen as more approachable due to it being considered a family-friendly movie and a not-so-typical-but-familiar romantic comedy. Simon is a normal teenage boy that many can relate to or at least empathize with; there are no explicit scenes; it’s honest and more true-to-life; and it has a very important message to convey: everyone is entitled to their own love story, no matter their sexuality.
After being asked whether or not he thought the movie was realistic, Westhafer said, “I’d say it was realistic. The most realistic part for me is that when he was outed, he didn’t show grief over the fact that people knowing that he was gay because he wasn’t ashamed of being gay, but he showed grief over losing the ability to control his coming out.”
In these ways, Love, Simon is the first of its kind.
Although highly praised, there are criticisms of the movie. Westhafer shares that although “there was representation for people of color in smaller minority roles, it still was a pretty stereotypical individual representing Simon and not necessarily an accurate representation of the intersectionality in the community.”
Despite this, Love, Simon has succeeded in giving every person who watches it the chance to place themselves in the shoes of a fictional character that represents the similar experiences of members of the LGBT+ community. The movie did this effectively by being powerful yet approachable and feel-good.
Love, Simon has made a major contribution to the movement for better LGBTQ+ representation in film but also has demonstrated just how far the world must go to strengthen their platform.
