UPDATE: Vote in the EqualityMySpace poll… Did you see the gay undertones in High School Musical 2?
A guest post at AOL’s QueerSighted goes through a gay-lensed analysis of Disney Channel’s High School Musical 2.
Pictured right: High School Musical star Zac Efron, who will turn 20 in October.
Almost 1000 comments later (and I’m sure they’ll be more than 1000, in about an hour or two), most of the comments are bashing the guest poster for “criticizing” the film or by calling it names.
And from the looks of most of the comments – and the language used in them – I’d make a fair bet that most were written by pretty little tween girls who most often associate the word “gay” with the word “stupid.”
I think our education system is definitely failed us now, especially when 12 or 13 year old kids can’t even understand the concept of “analysis” or “subtext” or “undertones.”
See, the good thing about art is that any person, no matter who they are, is able to look at it and take from it various meanings that pertain to their lives, their life experiences or their identities. That is the good thing about art. The fact that gay people, and specifically, gay teenagers, are taking High School Musical and seeing in it things which may reflect their life experience isn’t a bad thing. And it sure isn’t a “criticism” of the film.
A lot of the comments focus on the fact that the film is geared toward 12 and 13 year old girls who couldn’t care less about gay people. I’m sure that is true, but I can also guarantee (without a doubt in my mind) that High School Musical and its sequel have a whole slew of gay 12 and 13 year old boys following it and drooling all over the guys in the movie, too.
Hey… when I was 13, I was drooling over the same guys all my girl friends were. I doubt much has changed in eight years.
UPDATE: Vote in the EqualityMySpace poll… Did you see the gay undertones in High School Musical 2?
Technorati Tags: High School Musical, Disney, gay
August 21st, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Finally! A post I can relate to!
I watched it. I’m not ashamed that I’m basically madly in love with the character who is CLEARLY gay.
You have to keep in mind, though, that when these little tweenies hear “gay”, it’s not necessarily that they think “stupid”. Despite everything, a LOT of people still think gay=bad. A lot of parents, I’m sure, if the subject is brough up, say that it’s sinful or whatever. So someone suggesting that “dreamy” Zac Efron (ew, by the way) could be involved in something like that would put any teenybopper’s panties into a twist.
Oh, and just because you know how I am. When you say, “A lot of the comments focus on the fact that the film is geared toward 12 and 13 year old girls who could care less about gay people”, it should actually be that they COULDN’T care less.
That’s just one of things that gets under my skin.
August 21st, 2007 at 6:36 pm
LOL Thanks Sarah. Yeah, I’ll fix the “could care less” thing and when I’m in the NC House or Senate, you get to be my speech writer.
CORRECTION: One of my many speech writers… I think I’ve promised it to a lot of people. Ya’ll better hope I’m rich, ‘cuz I’ll have to be paying all your salaries out of my pocket. lol
August 21st, 2007 at 7:45 pm
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