Noah: "Stranger Things never addressing if Will is gay is the beauty of it"

[Future Lovers 6,750]

35 minutes ago, gypsy101 said:

yeah i want a source on that it sounds wrong sorry, i thought it was usually a puberty thing so “most” not being aware of it til way after that doesn’t make sense

I will provide a link at the bottom, but summarize here.

The claim I made is that most people do not know their sexuality until they are in their mid to late teens. You think that is false and that I made that up. 

A study by San Diego State University found that from a large sample size, of thousands of kids across the nation that 1% of kids ages 9-10 identified as gay, bisexual, or trans. 24% answered that they didn’t understand the question regarding sexual orientation. That would leave 75% identifying as straight. 

Looking older, a survey from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US found that 48% of gay or bisexual college students knew their sexuality in high school. Based upon the study in younger kids, it would then be reasonable to say this knowledge was found after the age of 10 but before the age of 18. 

A research survey from the Pew Research center found that among the three surveyed sectors of the community (gay, lesbian, and bisexual), 41% responded that they got first inclination that they may not be straight between the age of 10-14. 19% said 15-19, and 11% said 20 or older. The median age of this first inclination (not a realization of an identity, not putting a word on their identity, merely becoming aware that maybe they’re not straight) was 12. 

This same survey then went onto explore when each sector surveyed knew for sure: gay men’s median age was 15, lesbian women was 18, and bisexual men and women was 17. The median age for telling the first person was 18 for gay men, 21 for lesbian women, and 20 for bisexual men and women. 

This happening after 20 is indeed less common, and I won’t sit here and say knowing that late is common. I said in my original message that SOME experience this later, as this date does show outliers. That also of course means SOME experience this earlier, which I also acknowledged in my original message. My response to you was that most don’t know until their mid to late teens. 

15-18, the age with which the majority said they became sure of their sexuality, is most certainly mid to late teens. 

https://familyresourcesinc.org/2021/05/at-what-age-do-kids-identify-as-gay/

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/06/13/chapter-3-the-coming-out-experience/

[Dr Fudge 8,625]

13 minutes ago, holy scheisse said:

Well, not only is Will is deeply traumatized but if i recall, his dad actually calls him some derogatory terms in one of the earlier seasons.... 


Receipts from google:

“Joyce: 'He’s a sensitive kid. Lonnie used to say he was queer. Called him a ***.'

Hopper: '...Is he?'

Joyce: 'He’s missing, is what he is!'”

— Joyce Byers, Stranger Things, Stranger Things Season 1: Chapter One

 

 

So... homophobic father, check.

 

Also, stranger things takes place in the 80s, during the HIV/AIDS epidemic so... strong societal homophobia was an influence as well.

 

Lol im analyzing tf out of a fictional story right now

It’s been sooo many years since I’ve seen the first season so THANK YOU for mentioning this. Considering how carefully crafted the show is, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least bit if this small conversation speaks largely to how they’re potentially addressing his sexuality.

[holy scheisse 22,170]

4 minutes ago, Dr Fudge said:

It’s been sooo many years since I’ve seen the first season so THANK YOU for mentioning this. Considering how carefully crafted the show is, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least bit if this small conversation speaks largely to how they’re potentially addressing his sexuality.

For sure! This thread reminded me that the topic definitely came up at some point—couldn’t remember where.

Such a well crafted show indeed 

[thatfoxyfeeling 12,961]

They did Will dirty since season 2 like how does he still not have a connection to Down Under/Mindflayer makes no sense. He was literally a third wheel in Season 4 and the weakest character out of the main cast.

[lasagna 2,812]

I have mixed feelings about this

Representation is good if its done correctly. Saying it's good that his sexuality is not mentioned isn't really true. It reminds me of JK Transphobe Rowling saying Dumbledore was gay all along when interviewed, but not once mentioning it in the books. If you really were trying to do the right thing, the character would be gay in the book/film/tv show, etc. Not just when its convenient/most profitable for you. Saying its not enough of a big deal to mention is a nice idea, but its just not reality. It's important that people are exposed to all types of LGBT characters because it demystifies it, makes it normal, and actually makes it not a big deal.

Buttt I also don't really understand people trying to force a sexuality on a character whos obviously a different sexuality cuz I feel like that's just pointless and counterproductive. (i havent seen the show in ages so idk if this applies here)

Idk if its happening but people should absolutely not attack him for this view. He's still a minor and he doesn't need to be bullied online for mayyybeee not having the best viewpoint

[SharGaga 2,906]

This is is a horror show. Do I care about some random side plot if he's gay? Not really. 

[SwissMonster 29,118]

Well I have my opinion on this but lets not discuss that.

I wonder much more… didn’t the producers say we will learn more about his sexuality? Its so confusing that just days after this Statement Noah say we will not learn about it??

What is the truth? 

[LUCARTPOP 5,924]

2 hours ago, gypsy101 said:

it’s a meme calm down

It's not a meme if it made her delete all of her Twitter and TikTok accounts because people kept bashing her, it's literal bullying and if you decide to joke around with it you're one of them as well. It's not that hard to be respectful and make memes out of other things. 

[vanna shintuyu 10,544]

30 minutes ago, LUCARTPOP said:

It's not a meme if it made her delete all of her Twitter and TikTok accounts because people kept bashing her, it's literal bullying and if you decide to joke around with it you're one of them as well. It's not that hard to be respectful and make memes out of other things. 

Seriously tho. It started out as 30 year old gay men joking about a teenage girl being violently homophobic when she's never shown any tendencies as such. It's disgusting that it's still going on and that people are still actively defending it.

[CatelynnMarie 4,406]

i feel like as a whole, everyone should just sit back and wait, watch what happens. we don't know what's going to happen in volume 2/ ST5. my take is if anything, will is in an extremely awkward phase. it's puberty, it's all awkward af. as far as sexuality, everyone is different. some knew immediately, some it took some time to figure out/ accept it. i'm 31, going to be 32 in september for context. this is my personal story, so i'm not sharing because this is the blueprint of what everyone experiences, i'm sharing for insight. i always knew i was different. i didn't know/ understand what gay/lesbian/straight/bi even was. the way i grew up, i was in a bubble. however, my first crush ever was a boy in my class (kindergarten), shortly followed by a girl (first grade). in my mind i remember thinking it wasn't a bad thing. that it was normal. i didn't know that i was bi/ ace (the ace realization came later on, like a lot later on. still trying to accept it). it just felt normal when i was a girl/ young teen, at least the bi part of my sexuality. then i became embarrassed. i didn't talk about it because i was always an outcast/ loner/ awkward, especially regarding "crushes" and things. like, i didn't fully even start opening up to my family about relationships even until i was in one shortly after i turned 19 and they had to know. my parents went through a very messy, traumatic divorce that lasted from when i was around 10-14/15, which made things more difficult to open up, especially with a side of my family who was extremely religious. even friends, like i didn't fully open up to the friends i had about it either until way later. so for me, there were a lot of facets to my personal situation where i wasn't able to understand or pinpoint. i mean, even now, there's parts of me that either can't "grow up" from certain things, so that argument that i've seen people make as well, it factors in. i can tell you from personal experience that i've been in will's situation, obviously not horrors like in the upsidedown, different ones, but as far as his awkwardness and different tells that we see on the show. with will, he's been through traumatic s**t. while i don't think it's being properly presented that we know of yet in the show, it's obviously clear he's been through traumatic things. i feel like they are building a story, whether people see it or not. everyone kinda seems like they want everything done a specific way where it's rushed and just out there, more heavily implied, but honestly what is happening i think is the best way to represent his character going through puberty in the 80's. i feel like there's a lot of myself in will honestly based on my experiences with being a queer woman who is very much into seemingly "childish", nerdy things (video games/ board games/ dnd/ disney/ harry potter/ anime/ comics/ etc), had jealousy issues (still trying to fix those), not wanting to part with those "childish" things, and just felt entirely alone/ abandoned. with robin, i think people should do their research on her character if they just jumped into ST4. as a whole, we really need to just watch, see what happens before jumping at eachother's throats as well as the writers. idk it's just my two cents. let the show/ the creative team do their thing. they're creating entertainment for us. by creating drama in general over a freshman kid in a show going through puberty in a decade where it wasn't exactly anywhere near as accepting or anything remotely close as it can be now, it just creates more conflict. maybe we need someone like will to represent those in this awkward phase. whether it's individuals learning and understanding their sexuality now, or for those who have lived their whole lives in confusion/ fear/ sadness over their sexuality that they weren't able to be themselves. not to mention those who are stuck and don't want to grow up and out of nostalgic, non harmful things that made them happy as a kid/ teen regardless of generation. things in the world are very tumultuous in 2022, have been for some time now. lots of terrible things are happening still, but there is without a doubt a hell of a lot more acceptance/ representation than there was in the 80's. same situation with the theory that will is having a hard time giving up his childhood. there is representation there, i just feel like it needs to give time for it to be developed. we shouldn't be pressuring it or else it could create pressure on the creative team. let it happen organically and whoever can relate to the characters as they turn out to be, be happy for those who can relate to exactly what they are going through. there's also so much going on in the show aside from all this, just so many facets to all the things. there's a lot of moving parts to film & tv. i'm not excusing things either, but it's just the facts of being a creative in a world where people want things instantly, it has to be done * perfectly * to please everyone, like it's a lot you know? i hope this makes sense and is understood. i have a hard time articulating 

[Ziggy 11,561]

7 hours ago, River said:

He’s a very complicated character and most of the times he’s just dealing with the trauma of the past.

And maybe he’s not ready to accept that he’s LGBTQ+? So is there a reason to come out to the audience?

I believe that the “never” that Noah meant here is right now and not for the future, we still have 2ep left for this season and a whole new season later, so anything is possible.

Oh I don’t even need his acceptance of it! Like I said, I think the way they’ve done it; I just don’t want the cast and crew being like, “we don’t need to label it!” Like girls, he’s gay or at least struggling with his sexuality on some level lmao

[ItWasntLaauv 6,392]

***POTENTIAL VAGUE SPOILERS***

I think people are trying to twist his intention of what he’s saying so they can be offended. Of course hiding who you are because of potential backlash isn’t a beautiful thing, but I think he’s saying that it’s beautiful that the character of Will (a 15 year old kid in the 80s) as of rn doesn’t have to be defined by who or what he’s interested in if he doesn’t want to explicitly express that yet. I know many gay people weren’t super out about their orientation when they were kids, let alone kids in the 80s or earlier. Just let the story unfold naturally.

[Damon 10,904]

wait ia there a discussion on his characters' gender?

what

why

[tomsches 17,383]

I partially agree with everyone.

on the one hand, yes it’s important to be in the closet with him. We have to understand that being gay in the 80s was practically impossible for a teenager. I was a teenager in the 2000s in a conservative village in Central Europe and coming out as gay was just simply not an option for us. Now me and me classmates are entering our 30s and I can see on Instagram that so many people I knew are part of the lgbtqia+ community. So I get that Will couldn’t say he was gay.

however, they shouldn’t call that „beautiful“, cause it’s just not. If anything the beauty of it is to show how far we’ve come. I work as a teacher in an even smaller village in Central Europe now and I have a bunch of students in my school that are openly gay. And they have that option now because of all the representation we have. 
 

so, I understand the creative choice with regards to the plot and wills character development. But don’t go out to the public and call it the beauty of it all that he has to stay in the closet. 

[Levine 23,538]

It's impossible they won't address the topic because of what happened in the first part (the painting, the way he looks at Mike, what he said to him, the fear when that girl in his class touches his foot).  I mean they didn't need him to say "I'm gay" because it's pretty obvious, so I think Noah prhased it wrongly.

If nothing above it's showed then I'm afraid Noah spoilered something