Conservatives seem to agree that queer people are public enemy No. 1. So far, they’ve come for drag story hour, trans people in sports and now they’re dealing one of their lowest blows: Trying to ban high school theater productions that contain mildly gay themes.
This past January, a school in Ohio halted its production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” partly because one of the characters has two fathers, The Washington Post reported. Other high school productions with LGBTQ+ characters have been pulled all over the country — including the production of “Indecent” at a Florida school and “The Addams Family” in Pennsylvania.
Of course, banning school theater productions because of homophobia isn’t a new concept. In the early 2010s, “Rent” caused a moral panic all over the country, and high school productions of the play were canceled left and right. This time, though, the haters are being extra petty and going after plays with any sliver of queerness. This all feels like part of a larger and more concentrated push for queer erasure and an effort to blot out a space for young LGBTQ+ people.
In many places that do not accept LGBTQ+ people, high school theater programs can serve as the only space where they’re welcome and able to express themselves authentically and safely. To rob queer students of that community because of tangential characters who might or might not be gay is not only an unnecessary reach — it’s evil.
Frankly, I don’t think this is a bone conservatives want to pick. They will never get to erase queerness in the entertainment world. There are so many characters in Disney movies that are queer-coded, from Ursula in ”The Little Mermaid” to Scar in ”The Lion King” and Pleakley in ”Lilo and Stitch.” Let’s not even broach the fact that Mulan was in drag for most of that movie.
So have a seat and just let us live. Queer and trans people will find a way to learn about their identities no matter what. Taking them away from a community of peers will do nothing but likely contribute to the already high levels of anxiety and depression among LGBTQ+ youth.
Sometimes I wonder if I did have the type of safety net in high school that some queer people currently get through musical theater, would I have been a happier teen. Instead, I found myself in genuinely unsafe situations by meeting strangers I met on internet chatrooms and apps to try and foster community. I hate the thought that in 2023, conservatives are hell-bent on turning back the clock and driving our lives underground again.
All this is to say: Please go and find the true source of your unhappiness and keep your greasy, queerphobic hands off these joyful school musicals.