Just because Pride Month is officially over doesn't mean we won't still celebrate all things gay. In fact, we really want to keep the momentum going at Mr. Man. It's kind of our thing!
What is queer coding? Queer coding refers to subtextually suggesting that characters are gay. It's slightly different from queer-baiting which is meant to entice gay audiences without much gay content.
Queer coding has been used negatively in Hollywood when it comes to villains. Some queer-coded characters include Scar in The Lion King, Captain Hook in Peter Pan, HIM in The Powerpuff Girls, the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, and even The Little Mermaid's Ursula was inspired by Divine.
Wings
1927's Wings was the first ever Oscar winner for Best Picture. It also featured the first male-on-male kiss in cinema history. These guys were just "friends". Richard Arlen and Charles "Buddy" Rogers embrace and have one last smooch before one of them dies. It's just friend stuff!
Spartacus
This 1960 classic is best remembered for its ending in which all kinds of people try to distract the authorities by all yelling out that they are each "Spartacus". But what everyone SHOULD remember is the sexy scene between Tony Curtis and one of the greatest actors to ever live, Laurence Olivier. They have one of my absolute favorite steamy scenes that hint at certain sexual preferences...like REALLY hints.
Tony gives Laurence an ancient Roman bath in this scene. Laurence appears to be enjoying himself because he casually asks Tony whether he prefers oysters or snails. Olivier says that he has a taste for both, alluding to bisexuality. We don't see anything physical, but this is a really suggestive scene!
Road House
Sorry macho men who want to believe this movie is for you: this movie is gay. It is! I'm sorry! Are you really going to try and argue with me that oiled-up and shirtless Patrick Swayze isn't meant for the gaze of people who like to ogle men?
Not to mention the closeup shots of Sam Elliott's cum gutters. This all feels like it's for a certain audience, doesn't it?
Tango and Cash
This buddy comedy seems masculine, but one scene really puts that into question. The stars of this 1989 film, Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone, shower together in one bromantic scene that makes you feel like these two "friends" might be too close. Will anyone drop the soap? I hope!
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2
This is hardly a secret anymore as this film has basically been proven to be a coming-out allegory. Mark Patton, an openly gay actor in real life, plays a young man who has some internal struggles (with his sexuality???). He has a hot male best friend and the two of them do it all together. They work out together, they hang a "no chicks" sign on their door, and they even try out a leather bar together. How gay can you get???
Mark gets possessed by Freddy Krueger and gives in to his darker desires, including slapping the cheeks of Marshall Bell in the shower.
Fight Club
Speaking of the writer acknowledging the gay subtext, the author of Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk was not initially out when he wrote the book...but he is now and he admits that he was writing about wrestling with two sides of your own identity.
In this scene, Edward Norton spies on a shirtless and sexy Brad Pitt.
