As Pride Month continues, we are constantly thinking about what the future of LGBTQ+ characters will look like in the media. Though television shows have become much better about representation, Love, Victor and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series have been game changers this month.
(Beware of spoilers below!)
Both shows have out gay characters in high school that are navigating relationships and what it is to be proud of who you are. A few years ago, we would not have seen this on highly publicized shows on major streaming platforms, but thanks to Hulu and Disney+, teens are finally getting to see the characters that are like them.
The second season of Love, Victor premiered on Hulu last week and picked up right where season one left off: Victor (Michael Cimino) coming out to his parents. Things do not necessarily go the best, but there is a ton of development over the season with Armando (James Martinez) and Isabel’s (Ana Ortiz) acceptance as well as Victor’s relationship with Benji (George Sear). Adding to the representation, Iranian teen Rahim (Anthony Keyvan) is introduced this season and plays a major role in the second half.
Though Cimino and Sear both identify as straight, they have been open about the need for queer representation. Acting as a continuation of Love, Simon based off Becky Albertalli’s novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the show is also produced and narrated by Nick Robinson – a straight actor who played gay as Simon.
“There’s nothing wrong with being gay,” Cimino told Attitude. “That ignorance is often something that’s been passed on from generations prior. I always approach that [by saying], ‘These are normal people that are struggling and they shouldn’t have to struggle.’”
Meanwhile, fifteen years after the original movie premiered, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is forging on with its second season featuring Carlos (Frankie Rodriguez) and Seb (Joe Serafini) as one of its core couples.
Last week’s episode focused on Carlos getting a quinceañero for his 16th birthday. In a moment that set our hearts aflame, Seb’s birthday gift to Carlos was a beautiful rendition of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb.” After the song, the two characters kissed, and it felt like the first time Disney actually got a gay romance right.
Rodriguez and Serafini are dating in real life as well and know the amount of pressure on the two of them breaking barriers for the company.
“It’s surreal that we get to be the people to tell this story and to be the representation that we didn’t get to see growing up,” Serafini told TooFab. “I feel like it’s necessary and so important and I really loved the way that the show has been handling it.”
In the same interview, Rodriguez mentioned, “I think one common one that I’ve gotten that I have always appreciated is the ones that are just like, ‘[Your] characters gave me the confidence to be myself or to come out to my family.’ And that’s just like, wow. That’s when you sit back and you see the impact of these characters and what the show is doing.”
We love the pride that these shows are featuring and hope it’s just the start of more normalized LGBTQ+ content for younger kids. Love, Victor is fully out on Hulu now and HSMTMTS will air on Disney+ through the end of July.
What’s your favorite teen LGBTQ+ love story? Make us gush by commenting below or tweeting us at @celebsecrets.
