I had been looking forward to Disney / ABC writing in a gay romance on its hit Once Upon A Time. As I watched the drama unfold live last night, I was very happy at how they developed the pairing. Before going to bed, I shared the video with you all, read some of the comments from our readers, and went over to read the cheers and jeers on the OUAT Facebook page. The negative comments all seemed to boil down to ABC ruining a family show by introducing a gay romance and showing a gay kiss. And what a kiss it was! Mothers watched the show with their kids and stated they would never watch again, since the show is now broken. Sane people responded with follow up statements like, broken? If your child tells you that s/he is gay, would you call that child broken? Others LGBTers commented that moms were okay for Red to kill her boyfriend by eating him, but it was not okay to kiss a girl? I went to bed thinking, BRAVO ABC / Disney, but then I was like WTF did they just do? Did they take the easy, predictible, conservative way out?
There were no right or wrong characters that should have been written to be gay, but did the creators pick sides on the Nature vs. Nurture debate? Throughout the episode, we learn of Dorothy’s demise at home in Kansas. People not believing her Oz stories and wanting her committed. Everyone she loved disowned her for what she supposedly lived through. Aunt Em was the only one that believed her crazy accounts of what was on the other side of the rainbow. When Zelena puts Dorothy under the sleeping curse, which could only be broken by true love’s kiss, she stresses that Dorothy will never be loved, because everyone that she loved has disowned her or is dead. Dorothy ends up leaving home and finding herself in Oz.
So does Dorothy become a lesbian because her family, namely her mother, the one that stressed Dorothy being committed, does not love her? Was Dorothy LGBT because she was looking for motherly love? Feminine acceptance? And of course there is the obvious “friends of Dorothy” and Rainbow correlation. But Dorothy has a dog. Why didn’t they rewrite Toto to be a cat?
Red is a shape shifter, werewolf, not what you expect, something different under the surface. Like Dorothy, Red was driven away from her family and her city and lost her pack. She as well has the support of her grandmother, someone wise from a previous generation, and like Dorothy’s Aunt Em, Grandmother runs a diner, full of comfort food, a place that makes you feel like you’re at home when home is not available.
As for that kiss and Red’s love for Dorothy. A kiss, true love, that saves a reckless Dorothy from death, dare we say an almost suicidal Dorothy with her recklessness? Maybe that was a stretch.
Everyone on OUAT is broken, from mixed up families and shattered pasts. Did OUAT writers pick the correct unloved and discarded characters to wave the rainbow flag? Did they jump past the Nature of being gay and tried to pair up two ladies that Nurture, or lack thereof, make gay?
Going back to some of the comments from the OUAT Facebook page, many said ABC ruined a family show by introducing these gay characters. I was quick to point out to them that families do have gay members. But OUAT chose two characters that really didn’t have any family left. They chose two that were discarded by their families and their hometown. They were instead two ladies that had found lands of misfits to live with.
I am not sure if any character being gay would have been the right one for gay or straight viewers. And whomever they chose, I am sure arguments against and supporting the writers’ creativity would be had. Were the two lovebirds the right ones or the wrong ones to come out last night? Like the ideal parents, we need to just say okay Dorothy and Red are gay and we’re happy for them.
Cluephone: +50% of the
Cluephone: +50% of the population is selectively BIsexual. Red previously had a BOYfriend. The fact that she has a GIRLfriend has a statistical term associated with it: "NORMAL". That's reality people. And last time I checked, +50% wasn't a "minority". Really want to have your minds blown? The word for the day is "g0ys" -spelled w. a zer0. G00GLE g0ys … I dare ya.
what year are you all living
what year are you all living in? whether or not you like it is not the issue, it is acceptance of a black and white couple, a lesbian or gay couple and now let's throw in transgender. your children should grow up knowing what is going on in our world and not the fairy tales of years gone by. let's be adults and teach our children what is happening in 2016 not 1950.
I’m sick and tired of every
I'm sick and tired of every show having straight characters! This one I won't watch again. It's a family show! How dare they have straight couples!
Too bad – Once upon a fan is
Too bad – Once upon a fan is gone gone gone. Thought this was a family show. How dare they take known characters and twist them. And no, 99% of families do not have homo-sexuals. It still takes 1 man and 1 woman to create human life. No matter what humans have done with the knowledge they were gifted with. Go forth and sin know more. All of us.
It takes a man and a women to
It takes a man and a women to make a gay person
I’m sick and tired of every
I'm sick and tired of every show on tv having gay characters. This is one more I won't watch again
   The plot felt like
The plot felt like something to please gay audience. What is the point if it is rushed? Honestly that what makes me feel like they wasted Lil Red. There was a nice level of writing her story that made Ruby into an amzign person, but they couldnt keep it up. There was no real chemistry to feel from this.
There goal sounds like: lets force two sad stories to make a ship between two people.
I hate when characters dont have a real bond when creating their stories.(Regardless of Gay theme) It doesn't do Red any service. It is like them popping a random older version of Dorothy to hurry up and formed a random gay relationship .
I am disappointed in potential of Ruby tale. I really like her as a character. She has alot to offer to this season. Writing doesn't even feel like that was their original intention. I feel like they let pressure control the story instead of letting it flow naturally. Empire (series about Black family that runs a music business ) does a better job than this. All I saw was that they mess up Ruby.I would of let it slide if it was one of those new characters.
I really hope they make better episodes without letting pressure take root. True art is done better when it comes from the heart and when it is develop by time. Sadly i guess there no turning back when you screw a great story. I feel saw that my expectation was not met. Ruby needs a better connection that that short thing.
However, the Disney-owned ABC
However, the Disney-owned ABC is the ONLY network,to my knowledge to FINALLY have a show on the air with a LEAD gay MALE Teenage character this season,on The Real O'Neals. So there's that.
You could make the argument that the lead is stereotypical, flamboyant, kind of effeminate and non-threatening, of course, not saying that's fair or accurate but he could be perceived that way. However, if they had cast some macho super masculine guy on the show, then people would have criticized he wasn't "gay" enough, so you can't really win.
Knew it would be a female
Knew it would be a female couple l. Hollywood still thinks that lesbians are titillating and male couples are offensive.