The following contains spoilers for Better Nate Than Ever, streaming now on Disney+.
Disney has gotten into some controversy lately over its flip-flopping stance on Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, but despite that, it still released its movie Better Nate Than Ever—a film directly about a gay teenager finding his place in the world—without any character ever once uttering the word "gay." This would be the second time in recent history where Disney boasted of having an LGBTQ+ leading character, but the promises of representation fell short of what viewers were expecting.
It was a big deal when word got out that Disney's Jungle Cruise would be its first major motion picture to feature a leading gay character. It felt like the start of a big change for a company in which the LGBTQIA+ community has felt little representation on the small screen and even less on the big screen, where the only other major gay character was LeFou from its live-action Beauty and the Beast. However, despite all the boasting and reaching for its proverbial pat on the back for doing good deeds, the way Disney has addressed its LGBTQ+ characters thus far has been through stereotyping, very awkward conversations in which the characters talk around the issue, and certainly by never outright saying that they are gay.
Essentially, Disney appears to be either queerbaiting or just doing the bare minimum to try to appease its LGBTQIA+ audiences, but it's coming off much more like a company trying to subdue racial issues by hiring one POC on their staff and then parading that person around while loudly proclaiming, "See? We don't have a problem!" It's Disney's way of trying to show it is inclusive while also trying to maintain good relationships with foreign audiences and bigoted ones who may otherwise reject a film solely because of proper LGBTQ representation.
It's not something Disney will ever admit, though. In the case of Jungle Cruise, they can use the excuse that between the time and location of the film, McGregor would be afraid to come right out and say that he was gay, as it could've been punishable by actual jail time. But if they were going to take the time to include a big coming-out scene in which McGregor feels comfortable admitting his orientation to Dwayne Johnson's Frank in the middle of a secluded jungle, they could've done better than his muttered, "My interests lie elsewhere," and Frank's somewhat awkward and seemingly forced generic response of love whoever you want. The whole scene felt out of place like they were trying too hard.
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Similarly, in Better Nate, there is an equally out-of-place scene between Nate and his best friend Libby where she admits to liking him, and he has to turn her down because he's not "...like that," as Nate haltingly points out. Writer and creator Tim Federle says they intentionally never used the word gay because he felt at 13 that kids would know they were different but not be ready to say the word out loud yet. He was using his own experiences as a kid for reference, seemingly forgetting that Gen Z today is more aware, open and accepting than ever.
Not to mention the fact that Libby, who has been Nate's best friend for years, should've already suspected his interests 'lay elsewhere,' considering how generally flamboyant Nate is. He wasn't hiding anything like Simon was in Love, Simon, which made it feel that much more obvious that Disney was possibly just trying to cram in the sort-of coming-out scene wherever it could. If it was going to happen, it should've been with someone else who wasn't supposed to know him best, like possibly with the school bully, who Nate catches singing show tunes at the end of the film.
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In general, while Disney gets some points for trying, it still has a long way to go before it can be considered an LGBTQIA+ ally. Netflix has been including members of the community for years and it hasn't hurt its viewership enough to stop doing it. In fact, it probably increased the service's numbers considering LGBTQ+ audiences had very few other options to turn to.
That said, no one is asking Disney to be the next Netflix. There doesn't need to be a flood of representation, just more representation done in such a way where it doesn't feel forced, awkward or generally something to be hidden. Let characters be gay, let them say it without shame, and don't parade it around like it's some sort of new trend to be rewarded. Until Disney can figure out how to do that, the studio will continue to be a disappointment to the LGBTQIA+ community and its friends, families and allies.
Want to form your own opinion on the issue? Watch Better Nate than Ever now on Disney+.