(***Special Interest: some shows/films/episodes include scenes in which a gay teen or preteen meets
his adult self in a fantasy sequence, or his adult self is seen by the audience in a cutaway scene,
usually accompanied by narration making the connection clear. It seems to be
acknowledgement that gay youth have had few, if any, role models available to them,
so they become their own.
These are marked with *** below.)
======================================================================
About a Boy (NBC, 2014-2015)
"About a Boy Becoming a Man", 13 January 2015
When Will (David Walton) finds out that his best bud Andy (Al Madrigal) has been invited to a
party with a big music producer, he sees his chance to rekindle his career by promoting the
songs he has been writing since his first (and only) hit. The party is the music producer's son's
bar mitzvah celebration. When Andy awkwardly introduces Will to the hosts, the father, assuming they
are a gay couple, begs them to have a talk with his Joshie (Zach Timson) - the bar mitzvah - whom
the Dad believes is gay, but who has not yet 'come out' to his parents. The parents, who are
completely supportive of their son's assumed lifestyle direction, feel that a loving gay couple
such as Will and Andy (!) will help the young man feel more comfortable about his orientation.
How does the boy respond? Are the parents even right about their assumptions? No spoilers here,
but I should note that the parents spared no expense nor potential embarrassment to their son:
all the waiters at the very big party are dressed as sailors!
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Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros [The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros] (film, 2005)
Maxi/Maximo (12)(Nathan Lopez [Louie Nathanael Buado Lopez]) is a "gay teen
who is torn between his love for a young cop and his loyalty to his family."
[quote from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blossoming_of_Maximo_Oliveros]
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Beautiful People (BBC, 2008-2009)
Simon Doonan (Luke Ward-Wilkinson, played in present-day scenes by adult Samuel
Barnett), is an "effeminate 14-year-old schoolboy who longs to escape 1990s
Reading for the glamour of London."
[quote from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_People_(UK_TV_series)]
Simon's best friend is Kyle Parkinson (Layton Williams), better known as Kylie.
***The series is based on the recollections of Simon Doonan, who grew up in Reading, England,
and now works as a window-dresser (Simon Barnett) in a fashionable store in New York City.
Most episodes begin in New York with scenes of Simon and his companion working in
their windows, then via narration shift to the 1990s in Reading where most of the
action takes place. In this way, we see the teen-age Simon (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) as well as
his adult self, albeit separately. The last episode of Series 1 ("How I Got My Globe",
6 November 2008) ends as adult Simon decorates his store window with a cut-out tableau of
his childhood family and friends at a festive dinner. He walks over to the image of
his teenage self and whispers, "It's going to be all right." As he touches the shoulder
of his cardboard self-image, it comes to life, as does the rest of the family around
the table while the end credits roll.
In the last episode of Series 2 ("How I Got My Gash", 18 December 2009), depressed
about being bullied at school for being gay, Simon takes refuge in the safety of
his bedroom, where his adult self appears to him during a storm, in a vision.
"Who are you?", Teen Simon asks. Adult Simon answers, "I guess you could say I'm the
ghost of homosexual future." Teen Simon expresses his fears about being gay, while
Adult Simon reassures him that, 10 years on, things will be much better. "You can be happy.
And you will. Trust me." "Why should I?" "Simon - I'm you!" Later in the
episode, at a party in Simon's house, Simon's best mate, Kylie (Layton Williams, an early
Billy Elliot on the London stage in 2007-2008) is confronted by Jayeson Jackson (Josh Handley),
the leader of the school bullies tormenting Simon and Kylie throughout the series, who locks
Kylie in a closet. Extending the metaphor, Kylie enters a fantasy sequence in which he sings
"One Day", a defiant song of hope for his future when he will be with "beautiful people
who'll love me for me."
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Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, 2005-2016)
***Billy Elliot (many actors in many stage productions around the world) is a young teen who
decides he would rather learn dancing than boxing. His friend Michael introduces him to
cross-dressing as he gradually becomes more and more free-spirited and nonconformist, even as
he assures Michael, who confesses his own feelings for Billy, that he is not gay.
As for most adolescents, along the way he pays a price for being different, especially in
his father's resistance to him as a dancer, coming to a boiling point in his 'Anger Dance'
which closes Act I. In Act II, Billy gradually overcomes various obstacles to his own future,
and in a pivotal moment in the story, dances - indeed, soars through the air - with his own
older self in a dream sequence. It is a stunning and unforgettable moment in the theatre.
(In the film version [2000, starring Jamie Bell as Billy], the film ends with a postscript,
in which Billy is seen as an adult, dancing professionally, while Michael and Billy's father
watch from the audience. His adult sexual orientation is left quite ambiguous as the film ends.)
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I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (film, 2007)
Eric Valentine (Cole Morgen) is the pre-teen son of (straight) firefighter Larry
Valentine (Kevin James). In order to protect survivor benefits for his
children Valentine (father) pretends to be gay and enters a domestic
partnership with fellow firefighter Chuck Levine (Adam Sandler). Eric is
portrayed as flamboyantly pre-gay, using words like "fabulicious",
auditioning for school musicals more than once, and tap-dancing everywhere
he goes. In one somewhat uncomfortable scene, Chuck (Larry's
firefighter colleague/domestic partner) decides to "test" Eric by
showing him pictures of women in a soft-porn "girly" magazine.
Chuck asks Eric, "What do you think of this?", whereupon the boy
screams in panic -- high falsetto, "like a girl", of course -- and
runs out of the room.
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Ma vie en rose [My Life in Pink](film, 1997)
Ludovic (6)(Georges du Fresne) is regarded by family and community as a boy,
but insists she is a girl.
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Oliver Beene (Fox, 2003-04)
Michael (11)(Taylor Emerson), Joyce (Daveigh Chase) and Oliver Beene (Grant
Rosenmeyer) are best friends in 1962 New York. Michael, without a doubt, is
going to be gay as an adult, confirmed by "flash-forwards" and
underscored by his penchant for fashion (he helps Oliver's older brother
Ted [Andrew Lawrence] choose outfits that will impress Ted's girlfriends),
and his frequent references to stars like Judy Garland.
***Since Michael is too young to be portrayed as openly gay, the show's writers
make it clear that he is headed in that direction by 'insert' scenes in which
we see Michael's adult self in clearly gay situations and activities.
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Ready? OK! (2008)
Joshua Alexander Dowd (10)(Lurie Poston), wants to be on his school's
cheerleading squad, not the wrestling team. One day, students are asked to
come to school dressed as one of their role models. Josh comes dressed
as Maria von Trapp. He and his mother decide to try a different school,
decidedly more "artsy", and they visit the campus. One of the
first people he meets is Anthony (A.J. Foggiano). Josh asks Anthony if
he's into wrestling. Anthony says, "Me? No, I'm a choreographer."
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Roseanne (ABC, 1988=1997)
NOTE: this is not a fait accompli, just a persistent rumor (consider the
source). Roseanne's son, D.J. Connor (Michael Fishman) was going to be revealed as
gay, according to the National Enquirer (undated article from 1994, signed by
Craig Lewis, according to an underground newsletter).
The episode referred to (with pictures) by Lewis was "Punch and Jimmy",
which aired 9 November 1994. The article claimed that Roseanne was adamant
about the plot element, despite anticipated resistance by the network.
Apparently, the network prevailed (?).
In the "December Bride", episode (Season 8 Episode 11, 12 December 1995),
Dan Connor (John Goodman) sees his young teen son D.J. (Michael Fishman) looking
at a pamphlet advertising male strippers.
D.J.: Oh, wow! Cool!
Dan (cringing and using a small voice): Cool? Why would you look at
those pictures and say "cool"?
D.J.: Cuz this one's my math teacher!
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That's What I Am (film, 2011)
Big G/Stanley Minor (Alexander Walters), in the title role, is "different"
and, in the end, is respected for it.
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Ugly Betty (ABC, 2006-2010)
Justin Suarez (Mark Indelicato) is undeniably effeminate. Though not openly gay
in Season 1, he is openly "fashionista". The character is 11, having
been born in 1995. (The actor is 12, born in 1994.)
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A Very Serious Person (film, 2006)
Gil (13)(P.J. Verhoest) is a gay boy who spends the summer with Jan (Charles Busch,
who is also the films director), an unlikely mentor who has been hired to
prepare the boy for a new life with his relatives in Florida after the death of
his beloved grandmother, Mrs A (Polly Bergen). Jan is an itinerant male nurse who
is very reluctant to reveal anything about his own life. Gil and Jan talk and
share, not so much about "gayness", but about "differentness" and self-acceptance.
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The War at Home (Fox, 2005-2007)
While his Dad is continually suspicious that High Schooler Larry Gold (Kyle Sullivan) is gay, he
believes he is straight, and tries to prove it often. His best friend Kenny Al-Bahir (Rami Malek),
however, is gay, and while in Season 1 he hasn't 'come out' to Larry, he keeps hoping his pal will
admit his preference first, so that he can do so as well. Season 2 is a different story.
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Wild Tigers I Have Known (film, 2006)
Logan (13)(Malcolm Stumpf) shows up at the house of his romantic interest,
Rodeo (Patrick White) dressed as his (Logan's) alter-ego, Leah. This kind of
says it all. According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Tigers_I_Have_Known
the release version of the film is missing one of the original scenes, in
which boys at Logan's school call him "faggot".
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Will and Grace (NBC, 1998-2006)
"I Never Promised You an Olive Garden", 14 December 1999
Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) is at an elementary school, accompanying Karen Walker (Megan
Mullally) who has been summoned for a parent-teacher conference, when he notices
Todd (Penn Badgley), a student at the school, being taunted by other boys, apparently
because he is effeminate. Jack chases away the bullies, and he and Todd have a touching
discussion about their shared love of theatre and about self-worth and courage. When Karen
comes out of the principal's office, Todd looks her over, offering his opinion,
"Nice shoes!"
"A Little Christmas Queer", 8 December 2005
Jordy/Jordan Truman (9)(Reed Alexander) is Will Truman's (Eric McCormack) gay and proud
nephew, who wants to put on his own Christmas Pageant, despite Will's discouraging
warning, that Jordy's grandmother, Will's mother Marilyn Truman (Blythe Danner)
sabotaged Will's own Christmas Pageant all those years ago. As it turns out, Marilyn
is now much more liberated, able to accept sons and grandsons who are flamboyant.
"The Mourning Son", 27 April 2006
Jordy/Jordan Truman (9)(Reed Alexander) is among the family and friends gathered
for the funeral of Will's father. Jordy's gayness is not a plot element in the
episode, merely mentioned.
"Grandpa Jack", 19 October 2017
The reboot of the original series (1998-2006) began in 2017, with the same characters and
most of their extended friends and family returning. Jack (Sean Hayes) has not seen his
in-vitro son, Elliot (Michael Angarano) for many years after he married a conservative
woman and moved to ultra-conservative Texas. A knock at the door, completely reminiscent
of the appearance of Elliot himself in Sons and Lovers: Part 2 (2001), introduces Skip
(Jet Jergensmeyer) as Elliot's preteen son, therefore Jack's grandson. Without
much delay, Skip (nonverbally) establishes that he is gay. The diversity battle begins
when Jack and Will (Eric McCormack) learn that Skip is going to Straighten Arrow,
a gay-deprogramming summer camp for kids and teens. They show up at the camp and get
Skip out of the sing-along - the camp, its directors, even the blue or pink t-shirts worn
by everybody to establish their gender, is a fierce satire that should not be missed (no
further spoilers here) - where Jack speaks Truth to naïveté. Before he left for camp,
Skip told Jack and Will that Camp Straighten Arrow was "a camp my parents found
to fix me . . . so I can be normal." Outside the sing-along, now that Jack is alone with Skip,
he simply explains, "This place can't fix you because you're not broken."
"Tex and the City", 18 October 2018
Jack's grandson Skip returns (this time acted by Samuel Faraci) for an episode in which he is
performing in a talent show at his church in Texas. Jack (Sean Hayes) and Will (Eric McCormack)
travel there to see him sing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" in full camp (as
required when a male sings the song).
***The preteen gay characters in this series are clearly defined, and all have various difficulties
in their orientations, from bullying to attemts at conversion at a summer camp for gay kids.
Each time it is Jack who offers assurances to them that there is nothing wrong with them - it
is society that is wrong; they can have a bright future; and 'Things will be all right'.