Putting the G-A-Y in H-S-M

Sooner than expected, I'm ready to talk more about High School Musical.

As someone who was involved in music and theatre (and musical theatre) from junior high musicals to professional productions in my 20s, I'm fairly certain that if this movie were released 25 years ago, I would have been a HUGE fan. And I guess that compared to most other 38-year-old women, I might be considered a HUGE fan of HSM today. But that's too weird and sad to discuss, so let's move on.

In junior high and high school, a lot of kids are involved in music and theatre because of the social opportunities it provides -- choir tours, band trips, cast parties -- and because of that warm and fuzzy headrush so many of us get from collaborating on a performance that we think is totally awesome (even if, in reality, it was incredibly weak and lame). Also, being a part of the artsy crowd has a cool, counter-cultural vibe to it. We complained about the athletes getting all the school's money and attention when we were the ones with so much more to offer, but we sometimes secretly wished we were them.

So the HSM movies, in bringing together the athletes, the music and drama geeks, and the science nerds, basically plays out every non-athlete's high school dream -- that we all get along, appreciate each other's talents, and spontaneously perform big musical numbers in the gymnasium.

To tell this story in an entertaining way, you need to throw in some cheerleaders, a marching band, a shy suspender-wearing accompanist, an uppity drama teacher, a macho basketball coach, and various other students, teachers, and parents.

But there's one other character in the HSM movies who is very essential to a story about musical theatre, yet rarely mentioned in any of the HSM coverage -- the gay kid.




Lucas Grabeel plays Ryan Evans in the HSM movies, and delivers one of the strongest performances overall. While it's never spoken aloud, Ryan is portrayed as the gay, musical-theatre-loving teenage boy who shows up in nearly every high school drama program. Somehow, most of the parents and other adults who have discussed and written about the HSM movies have carefully avoided the topic of Ryan's apparent queerness. Who has been talking about it? The gay community, primarily. The site FakeGayNews discussed HSM and Ryan's character last year, proclaiming HSM the winner of the "Gay Subtext Emmy":

Although none of the characters is openly gay, the flames burn bright across the screen throughout the movie. The reigning school star is a triple threat who sings romantic duets with his despotic sister, and who has a tendency towards tight pants and colorful hats that accent his stylish wardrobe. In the gayest onscreen occurrence, he shares a brief moment with a sensitive athlete who has been mocked by his peers for his love of baking.

The movie features countless other ambiguously gay characters, including a reclusive composer who mysteriously dons a tuxedo and bowler hat that would make any drag king proud, and a basketball team that is suspiciously agreeable to choreography.

And last month, the blog QueerSighted declared HSM2 "Chock Full of Gay":

On a scale of one to gay, Disney's made-for-TV High School Musical was off the freaking charts. The gay subtext, conveniently ignored by mainstream America, smacked every homosexual in the head who happened to be within the vicinity of the movie.

....Then there's the strange case of Ryan Evans, played by Lucas Grabeel. He is the film's only overtly gay character, though they avoid making verbal references to his sexuality. Instead, he wears a pink shirt and pink beret at the movie's start; he enjoys making curiously fey gestures; he does yoga with his mother; he pouts when he doesn't get to wear his "tiki warrior outfit"; and he gets taunted into playing baseball. His position? Pitcher! So gay.

The only time I've seen the mainstream media go near this discussion was in a NY Times piece about the stage production of HSM, which the author described as "more forthright in its hints that Sharpay’s brother and pet leading man, Ryan (the perky Bobby List), is gay." I have yet to see any parent-targeted media or website address Ryan's sexuality from either a positive (hooray! an openly gay character in a wildly popular movie for tweens!) or negative (boo! what kind of agenda is Disney trying to push on us? What about the children?!) standpoint.

My reaction has been mixed. On one hand, I felt that any movie about a high school musical could never have succeeded without the ultra-stylish, musically and dramatically talented Ryan. But on the other hand, I was disappointed that Disney went with an over-the-top stereotype in order to avoid any kind of thoughtful treatment of this character.

The "show us, don't tell us" Ryan character is the latest example of Disney walking right up to the edge of something, but not taking the leap. (Earlier examples include anti-establishment subtexts in cartoons like Teamo Supremo; or the anti-corporate, pro-environmental messages in certain episodes of PB&J Otter.) By portraying Ryan as flamboyant and fabulous, but never making any direct reference to his sexuality, Disney is able to keep everyone happy, or at least satisfied. Those who want to acknowledge or even celebrate the presence of a gay character in HSM can do so. And those who want to ignore it can also do so. I've been amazed at how many parents I know seem to have gone this route. Personally, I think it's a bit too blatant to ignore -- but some people prefer to keep blinders on when it comes to this matter.



The conservative media, including Focus on the Family's site Plugged In, praised HSM for its lack of bad language and kissing. Never mind the screaming queen with all the cool hats. And its review of HSM2 goes quite in-depth on swimwear and physical contact, yet never mentions the boy playing a pink baby grand piano over the pool while his sister and her friends rock out to the song "Fabulous." Gay? WhatWhereWho?

But if we're left to talking about how rubbing a shoulder or arm amounts to a sexual uptick, it only helps illustrate how relatively prim HSM2 is. The choreography is full of glee and glam, not sex and sleaze. Even at the pool, guys wear typical baggy trunks while girls reliably lounge in one-piece suits or tankinis.

Another item of note is that at the end of HSM, everyone is happily paired up (albeit in a chaste, Disneyfied, “over-the-sweater” way). Even Ryan is subtly paired with the basketball player who, earlier in the movie, confessed his love of baking. Throughout HSM2, I was curious how they would pair Ryan in the big musical finale. With another guy? No. With the sexually ambiguous, cute as a button accompanist? No. He was paired with the chubby brunette girl from the supporting cast. They gave him a hag. (Based on my high school and college experience, I predict she will go on to be his date for a number of important dances, and possibly for a family wedding or two.)

Maybe HSM3 (the theatrical release) will take this further than the made-for-TV movies have taken it. Looking back on the musical theatre obsession of my youth, Fame, I recall that the movie (which actually came first) was much more realistic and adult than the TV series. But it also carried an R rating, which I can't quite imagine for High School Musical 3.

So for those of you who are parents, did any of this register with you? Did it lead to any discussions with your kids? Would you have liked to see Disney go further and acknowledge Ryan as gay? Or were you wishing they hadn't gone as far as they did?


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The Perfect Post awards are up today. I nominated Hausfrau, for this fabulous open letter to her son's first grade teacher. Be sure to check it out, and take a look at the rest of the nominees over at Suburban Turmoil and Petroville.