‘Power Rangers’ Makes Blockbuster History With First Gay Superhero
Warning: This story contains minor spoilers for the “Power Rangers” movie.
Winks and nods to LGBT movie fans are growing into louder whispers every day.
Lionsgate’s “Power Rangers,” which opened over the weekend, featured a small moment acknowledging a lead character’s same sex relationship, marking the first LGBT protagonist of a big-budget superhero film. The moment occurs midway through the film, when one character asks yellow power ranger Trini (Becky G) if she’s having “boyfriend problems.” She shakes her head, and the character amends their question: “Girlfriend problems?” And the scene moves on.
“She’s questioning a lot about who she is,” director Dean Israelite told The Hollywood Reporter. “She hasn’t fully figured it out yet. I think what’s great about that scene and what that scene propels for the rest of the movie is, ‘That’s OK.’ The movie is saying, ‘That’s OK,’ and all of the kids have to own who they are and find their tribe.”
The movie promotes multiple kinds of inclusion: One character has at lengthy speech about being on the autism spectrum.
Superhero television shows have been quicker with LGBT representation: The CW’s “Supergirl” has an in depth lesbian storyline. That show is produced by out producer Greg Berlanti, whose shows “Arrow” and “Legends of Tomorrow” also feature LGBT characters. LGBT characters in big budget movies are few and far between: Last year’s “Star Trek Beyond” revealed that Sulu (John Cho) was gay, in another brief moment.
The move comes on the heels of Disney’s adding a gay storyline to “Beauty and the Beast,” in another short moment that nonetheless ruffled enough feathers it get it banned in a few countries.
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