“Let It Go” and Come Out Already!
Most sources estimate that around 15–23% of the world’s population identifies as gay or is at least attracted to their own gender. We can’t even begin to wonder how many of these people are still in the closet or haven’t otherwise come to terms with their orientation yet.
And not that we’d ever try and out anyone, but we took a good hard look back at some of our favorite fictional characters from our childhood and started wondering… who among them grew up to be gay?
We hope these beloved characters have grown up to accept themselves and are living their gay lives to the fullest! Don’t forget to SHARE after reading!
Source: Twitter @threadless
Start the slideshow below to see some of your favorite characters that you just knew were hiding something!
1. Sebastian
Credit: Buena Vista Pictures/ Photofest
Everything’s gayer with this crab music player under the sea. Think about it, with a name like Horatio Thelonius Ignatius Crustaceus Sebastian and an uptight demeanor like his, it’s pretty obvious that Sebastian is just another closeted crab in Atlantica. He may have orchestrated “Kiss de Girl,” but methinks Sebastian wanted Prince Eric all for himself.
2. Rabbit
Source: flickr.com
Statistically, the Hundred Acre Wood is bound to have at least one gay resident, and Rabbit is our pick. He’s often bossy and uptight, focused on “fixing” his friends’ “problems,” which makes us wonder: what is Rabbit trying to hide? If he would stop projecting his need to be “fixed” and addressed his own issues, we think he’d be a whole lot happier. Although he’s a dedicated friend and his intentions are good, Rabbit’s good side is often overlooked because he’s a control freak about his garden, and let’s face it, carrots are pretty phallic. Who knows what’s going on inside that rabbit hole?
3. Elsa
Credit: Walt Disney/ Photofest
Frozen was a worldwide sensation following its release, but there’s one thing all of us (or many of us) missed: Elsa is clearly a lesbian. Physically closeted in her bedroom for most of her childhood (WE CAN SEE THROUGH THAT METAPHOR), the last thing Elsa is interested in upon her parents’ deaths is finding a man. We know her heart only feels cold and icy because she hasn’t warmed up to the idea of loving a woman yet, but we’re pretty sure her journey in the movie was proof that she’s well on her way.
“The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside/ Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I tried!/ Don’t let them in, don’t let them see/ Be the good girl you always have to be/ Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know/ Well, now they know!/ Let it go!”
“Let It Go” should honestly be the coming out anthem. Yass [Ice] Kween!
4. Tobias
Source: Twitter @LibEBook
Animorphs was a series all about puberty and teenage exploration set amongst a subplot of alien invasion. Out of the small group of teenagers we read about and looked to to save the Earth from the Yeerks, we all knew there was something different about Tobias, the shy loner of the group. Despite his on-again, off-again relationship with the beautiful Rachel, we’re convinced that Tobias was struggling to deal with the pressures of the dominant heterosexual patriarchy, not to mention his broken home and presumed orphanhood. After morphing for too long and getting stuck as a hawk, Tobias ultimately becomes a notholit, which we’re pretty sure is just a metaphor for being bi.
5. Tin Man
Source: wikipedia.org
Sure, there’s this whole complex backstory of the Tin Woodman’s tragic love life—which ultimately ended when his body became entirely replaced by tin parts and he was left without a heart—but we don’t buy that. Does the Tin Man actually not have a heart, or is he just unsure of whom to love? Let’s not forget that Tin Man often gets overly sensitive to all kinds of issues, which really makes us think that he’s harboring a bigger secret inside of that studly tin body.
6. Peppermint Patty
Source: Twitter @threadless
There’s really nothing to hide her folks. Not even her “unrequited love” for Charlie Brown can fools us for one second. Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz specifically stated that his character concept for Peppermint Patty came from the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s, which caused him to make his first female character that wore shorts and sandals instead of a dress and shoes. Patty also comes from just a single-parent household, where he father loves her dearly but works late on weeknights, which causes Patty to have anxiety and poor sleeping habits. This tomboy of the Peanuts gang is devoted to athletics, calls Charlie Brown “Chuck,” and has her best friend refer to her as “Sir.” You’re not fooling anyone, Peppermint Patty, and we love you for it.
7. Waldo
Source: Twitter @JesseTommassen
If you’ve seen The Little Rascals, you remember just how dastardly rich kid Waldo was. From his maniacally coiffed hair, the stylish clothes, that talent show performance…this was a pretty obvious one. We know that all the fussing over Darla was just for show, probably to impress his oil tycoon dad (played by Donald Trump.)
8. Salem
Source: Twitter @BrisMonstrosity
Salem Saberhagen is easily the sassiest cat ever to have appeared on television. We’re not exactly sure how old this witch-turned-cat is, but banished into cat form for a love-related crime we’re not totally sure about—the backstory changes depending on the version—Salem filled our days with one-liners, short quips, and a general gayness that anybody could have detected. Coming from a home dominated by his mother and once set on world domination, it looks like Salem still has a lot of soul-searching to do.
9. Ferguson W. Darling
Source: Twitter @krockjosh
A money-obsessed Young Republican, Ferguson doesn’t fit the typical mold of a gay man, but we’re pretty sure that by the time he grew up and was able to move out of the Darling household, this kid went full-on gay. We’re sure Clarissa could help him explain that one to their parents.
10. Ken Doll
Source: flickr.com
We knew Barbie was basic but come on, there’s no way she could possibly think things between her and Ken could ever work out. With his enviable California physique and what’s described as a “fantastically fashionable line of clothing and accessories,” Ken isn’t fooling anybody. Lest we forget that the best-selling Ken doll of all time is Earring Magic Ken, who was criticized after his release as being a stereotypical representation of a gay man at the time. Busted!
11. Calvin
Source: racheledare.deviantart.com
One has to wonder if Calvin’s endless imaginary adventures with Hobbes are the result of him not wanting to face reality. This little boy is afraid of girls and his babysitter, and he often breaks societal rules such as going to school, playing organized sports, or interacting with other real characters. Most Calvin and Hobbes comics depict Calvin debating some deep philosophical debate, but we’re pretty sure that if he just accepted himself and his orientation, he’d be much happier.
12. Egon Spengler
Credit: Columbia Pictures/ Photofest
Out of all the guys in Ghostbusters, Spengler is our resident closet case. A brilliant doctor driven by his passion for science, we know that Spengler is a big nerd with little or no interest in women; he’s nearly oblivious to secretary Janine’s love for him. We know that Egon had a lonely and sad childhood that was rarely filled with pleasure and that he comes from a home where his mother is the dominant figure. A sugar junkie who doesn’t sleep much, we wonder if Spengler’s exploration of the parapsychological might just be an escape from a reality he’s unwilling to confront.
13. Lil DeVille
Source: Twitter @samm_keeton
Even Lil’s parents (and let’s face it, Betty wrote the book on lesbianism) are unable to tell Lil apart from her brother Phil. This toddler spends her days eating dirt, drinking toilet water, and playing in the mud, such a tomboy is she. When we see her again in All Grown Up!, we pretty much receive all the affirmation we ever needed.
14. Thackery Binx
Source: Twitter @JasonMarsden
The second cat on our list (there’s just something about boy-turned-cat that screams “gay”), Binx is Salem’s resident queer, left to spent hundreds of years and nine lives in denial. Guilt-ridden over the kidnapping of his sister Emily, Thackery’s masculinity undergoes some serious scrutiny. We interpret the plot as Dani falling for him helping him realize that he’s gay, and that his self-acceptance sets his soul free.
15. IRL Casper
Source: Twitter @dhoper11
Casper was a funny yet hauntingly beautiful movie about teenagers throwing a party in a dead kid’s house. Throughout the film, we’re just using to seeing Casper in his ghost form, seemingly aloof to Kat’s feelings for him, but when he appears briefly in a handsomely ’90s human form, we know what his deal is. Remember “Can I keep you?” All ’90s girls melted at that, but to no avail. Too bad Kat wasn’t a Kurt!