jayble's stable | Out of the Animated Closet

Out of the Animated Closet

October 1, 2005

I was sitting at Bennigan's with three friends discussing things that any eavesdropper would classify under "80s" or "Dorky." During the conversation I made the statement, "Shipwreck was easily the gayest G.I. Joe." This actually provoked a pretty lively discussion about the sexual orientation of this brave soldier and the question if there was a gayer GI Joe (even if Shipwreck was gay). I thought this was an interesting subject so I looked back at some of the cartoons I watched growing up and it's pretty amazing how each one had at least one stereotypical (in hindsight) gay character.


	"Hmmm, slab of beef or Covergirl? Beef or Covergirl? Beef wins!"

G.I. Joe
I still stand by my initial assessment, Shipwreck is easily the gayest GI Joe. Born, Hector X. Delgado in Chula Visa, CA, Hector decided to enlist in the Navy with his parents' blessing. In 1985 the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy wasn't even a issue; the navy recruiters probably never thought of asking and I'm sure if you asked Hector, he never considering telling. The obvious reason for Shipwreck being gay is his sailor uniform/outfit which screams, "gay." Additionally in 1985, Top Gun was released which a) has major homosexual undertones and b) increased enlistment in the U.S. Navy - both of which laid the foundation to Shipwreck's back-story. The final argument is based on an episode of G.I. Joe itself: There's No Place Like Springfield (read the detailed synopsis of Part 1and Part 2 here). To summarize: A scientist puts a secret code in Shipwreck's subconscious. During battle, Cobra kidnaps Shipwreck and creates a new reality set in the future in hopes of getting Shipwreck to reveal the code. In this Cobra designed future Shipwreck has a wife and kid. Shipwreck senses there is something wrong and finally is rescued by the other Joes (and through his own ingenuity). In the episode, Shipwreck knows that the idea of a story book marriage is not meant for him - he knows this so much that his subconscious rejects this future. Why? Because in 1985 same-sex marriage was not even close to being legalized.


	Shipwreck confesses that he never believed himself to be part of the suburban-two-car-father-type. The idea of a marriage and daughter are so unbelievable to him that his subconscious rejects the idea.


	"Perfect, no one will think I'm gay if I wear purple tights and a pink vest."

He-Man
This one was a little tougher - I think there are actually two people that were gay. First, He-Man/Prince Adam himself. Prince Adam obtains the power of Grayskull and turns into He-man, defender of Eternia. Prince Adam's secret is known only to a few people including Queen Marlena (his mom), She-Ra (his sister), Man-at-Arms (mentor/boyfriend/Teela's dad), and The Sorceress (Man-at-Arm's ex-wife) - obviously Adam wouldn't tell his father about his secret. So here we have Adam, a prince in royal society, who is only truly free when he transforms into the loin-cloth-wearing He-Man and don't forget, neither Adam or He-Man put any moves on Teela. Adam also received his powers (and guidance) from Man-at-Arms, the second gay character. Man-at-Arms finally coming out probably initiated his separation from the Sorceress and her move to Castle Grayskull. For obvious reasons, I also think an argument could be made that Ram Man and Fisto were also gay. If you still have doubts about Adam check out this link.


	Man-at-Arms, Fisto, and Ram-Man paved the way for Ace & Gary


	If Thundera wasn't destroyed, Tigra would be starring in Cats right now.

Thundercats
This is one of my favorite cartoons of the 80s. I loved Thundercats from the moment I saw the first episode. I didn't realize it then but looking back, I think it's clear that Tigra was bicurious. He was always the most proper of the Thundercats and probably the cleanest - I bet he kept his room in Cat's Lair spotless while the rest of them left their rooms a mess. Tigra could use his weapon (an S&M-ish Bolo Whip) to make himself invisible - which probably helped him hide is orientation. I supposed it can be argued that Hammer Hand and some of the mutants were also bi-curious considering they had vehicle named the Fist Pounder.


	Two enemies, yet they shared one great secret.


	Careful Spike, Bumblebee would dump you in a heartbeat if he had a chance at Prime.

Transformers
Similar to GI Joe, Transformers clearly has a gay character: Bumblebee. First of all he's a yellow VW beetle and second, he has this unhealthy obsession with Optimus Prime. I admit, Optimus Prime was the greatest transformer ever, and his charismatic leadership was easy to succumb to, but Bumblebee always seemed to want more from Optimus. I imagine Bumblebee's notebook plastered with "Bumblebee Prime" or a big heart with "B+OP" in the center. Finally, one of the most glaring reason, Bumblebee was the only transformer that always had a human driver/passenger, Spike. If Spike ever went anywhere, he went in Bumblebee. Bumblebee just felt comfortable with a boy inside him. I am glad Spike ended up getting married because I bet Bumblebee would have broken up with Spike if he felt he had a chance with OP.

I looked back at some of the rest of the cartoons I grew up with (e.g. Alvin & The Chipmunks, Care Bears, Duck Tales, Dungeons & Dragons, Flintstones, Heathcliff, Inspector Gadget, Jetsons, Muppet Babies, Scooby Doo, Snorks) and there really wasn't a stand out gay character in most of these. I really don't think that every cartoon had one, or even a majority, In fact, some of these cartoons had characters that you may have thought were gay but actually were not. There are four that stand out in particular.


	"Fuck you Dungeon Master!"

Dungeons & Dragons
It's easy to think that Presto (the Magician) was gay. Presto's awkwardness stemmed first from his adolescence and second from his role. He was an awkward smart kid that was probably picked on by his other friends before the roller coaster transported him to the land of dungeons and dragons; he was the Anthony Michael Hall of the group. On top of this Dungeon Master made him a magician - easily the most challenging of all the abilities he granted. The rest of the group got weapons that were pretty easy to use. I don't think Sheila had problems with her cloak or Bobby had problems with his club or Hank with his light arrows. Furthermore Dungeon Master was kind a of a prick to Presto and didn't teach him anything. It's easy to see how he could be so awkward given his situation. Awkward yes, gay no.


	Oh yeah, Freddy, that's what I'm talking about.

Scooby Doo
Freddy is not gay. I will agree with you that the scarf does not help matters. Neither does the lack of Freddy macking on Daphne and Velma air-time, but that's the point: Freddy did mack on the two girls which is why he always went off with one (or both) of them and left Scooby and Shaggy together. It didn't help matters that Freddy Prinze Jr. was cast as Freddy in the live action movie. Prinze is one of the most overrated actors in Hollywood and he really isn't rated that highly to begin with. Prinze is the original Kevin Federline.


	On second thought, maybe Vanity is gay.

Smurfs
You may think that the Gay Smurf was obviously Vanity. That is not true - Vanity just loved himself - he was not gay, straight, or even bi; Vanity was asexual. He didn't care about anything but himself but don't confuse this as gay.

Thundercats
When you first think of Thundercats, you may initially think that Panthro was gay but you are being deceived by his S&M uniform. Make no mistake, Panthro loved the ladies. He built the Thundertank specifically so he could cruise around with Cheetara and in later years, Wily Kit. Panthro designed the Thundertank primarily as a chick mobile; luckily it could also be used for defense against Mumm-Ra and the mutants.

	+ =
	Panthro knew that the way to Cheetara's heart was the Thundertank.

Ask you can you see, gay characters were on cartoons that I watched growing up. I don't think I ever realized it at the time, but watching these cartoons now it's pretty clear. Who knows, in 10 years some could be writing about gay cartoon characters that are on cartoons airing now. Although gay characters exist on live action sitcoms and dramas maybe one day animators will feel comfortable with an openly gay cartoon character...and yes, I am not counting Simpsons, Family Guy or other prime time animated shows.