Column: Disney's First Gay Character Amounts to Very Little

At the time of its release in March, “Beauty and the Beast” sparked controversy over the inclusion of what is effectively Disney’s first gay character, but no matter what side of the issue they’re on, viewers are bound to be disappointed by the brief moment everyone thought would be so important.

 After much deliberation, Russia released the film with a 16+ rating, though ruling party MP Vitaly Milonov called the movie "obvious, barefaced, unscrupulous propaganda of sin and perverted sexual relations" and called for a countrywide ban.

In addition, a drive-in theater in Alabama flat-out refused to screen it, and Malaysian censors locked horns with Disney after the film company refused to edit out the scene for their audiences.

And yet the character in question, Gaston’s soft-spoken manservant Lefou, does little more than trail after Gaston and giving him longing looks. Aside from one point in a musical number when he twirls into Gaston’s arms and swoons a little, anything gay about the character remains only hinted at until a small, incredibly insignificant moment at the end.

In an interview with Attitude magazine, director Bill Condon described Lefou as “somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston, He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realizing that he has these feelings,” but said all this build-up “has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.”

The Payoff? There’s a ball in which all the characters dance one of those renaissance dances where they change partners. Whether intentionally or by accident, a male background character twirls into Lefou’s arms and...they sort of smile at each other. And that’s it.

Condon has since expressed regret that this little moment blew up the way it did, but the whole thing almost felt like Disney tooting its own horn. With themes of not fitting in and of self-discovery throughout their movies, and songs like “Reflection” and “Let it Go,” these movies have always resonated with an LGBT+ audience. They’ve arguably gotten close to real representation with characters like The Lion King’s Timone and Pumba, Aladin’s Jafar, and Hercules’s Hades, but these are all explained away with “they’re just friends,” or “he’s just weird.” LGBT+ audiences have not made it a secret that they want more.

This proves problematic for a company like Disney, because much of their fan base also consists of conservative viewers who watch Disney movies because they teach wholesome family values. It’s this demographic that doesn’t want their children to see positive representations of gay people in media.

Disney’s solution was apparently one of compromise. They gave the LGBT+ audience the representation they asked for, but only in the form of a brief moment at the end and a sniveling, spineless character who ends up reinforcing more negative stereotypes than he breaks down.

Perhaps that’s unfair to say--Lefou does get a nice little redemption arc, and the little moment during the dance seems to indicate that he was afforded a happy ending. Though he’s a little stereotypical he still seems very human, very genuine, and very sympathetic. And hey, they could have made him evil. Lefou’s villainy stems less from malice and more from insecurity, as the only thing he’s guilty of is not stopping Gaston from trying to kill people--but it’s not as though he had any sway over Gaston’s actions anyway. Gaston is a dangerous, violent man. Perhaps he’s right to be afraid.

But that’s the biggest take away. Lefou is non-threatening, his femininity is played for laughs, and though he switches sides at the end, he never actually affects the plot one way or another. He might as well have not been there. If Disney really wants to appease their LGBT+ audience, they simply have to do more. Though the backlash over this character didn't seem to make a dent in the film's revenue (it still made over $1 billion worldwide), let's hope it wasn't enough to scare Disney away from trying something like this again.

Profile: Sheri McIntyre

If you’re a student at LBCC, chances are you’ve heard of, if not visited, the Learning Center already. The atmosphere of productivity can be almost overwhelming at first, everyone hustling around and getting things done. The Learning Center offers a variety of services to students, including math and writing help, college skill counseling, testing, and tutoring.

Tutoring subjects offered vary each year, ranging from Biology and Computor Science to Music and History. But with the constantly changing needs of the students and the tutors available, perhaps the most important job goes to Sheri McIntyre, the Tutor Coordinator, who won the Classified Excellence award in April for “her professionalism, her ability to engage student tutors to be the best they can be,” Bruce Clemetsen, Vice President of Student Affairs, reported.

McIntyre’s responsibilities are many, and her days are constantly busy. She coordinates students who need help to the tutors who can provide it, supervises the staff and the support students are recieving, as well as making herself available for any students have any questions. Her office is tucked into a corner of the Learning center in the math help area. Unassuming in its location yet perfectly organized, the office gives off an acedemic, professional vibe, much like McIntyre herself.

With her small stature and stylish, professional attire, she gives off a very approachable feel, a necessity for anyone dealing with students every day who may be anxious about asking for help. “She really seemed like she cared about her job, and that she was passionate about it,” said Zoe Hans, who worked as a student amassador in the New Student Center during winter term.

She must be passionate--she’s been teaching students how to teach for almost 20 years. After teaching early childhood development for eight years, teaching students how to be teachers in a classroom, McIntyre was promoted to Tutor Coordinator in 2011. “Working with adults on study skills was a very different direction, and I found it to be really rewarding, in a different way,” she said, “a lot of times in life, there are a lot of curves and bends in the road. I kinda followed it to this.”

Sheri McIntyre is someone who does her job well and takes it seriously. She found her calling right out of the blue, but the fast-paced lifestyle of Tutor Coordinator really is perfect for her. “I could never imagine not being in an acedemic lifestyle,” she said.



At a Glance:

• Sheri McIntyre
• Tutor coordinator at the LBCC learning center, negotiations team leader
• Hired in 2004 as an early childhood teacher in the Periwinkle Child Development Center on campus, now Head Start
• Promoted to Learning Center Tutor Coordinator in 2011
• Winner of the 2017 Classified Excellence Award
• Office: WH 229
• Email:  mcintys@linnbenton.edu