'Frozen' Fans Used #GiveElsaAGirlfriend to Ask for LGBT Representation in Kids' Movies

Impact

People want an LGBT Disney hero so much, they're just not going to "let it go." 

Twitter user Alexis Isabel, founder of blog Feminist Culture, tweeted a one-sentence plea Saturday evening that started an online movement. It read, "Dear @Disney, #GiveElsaAGirlfriend." 

After Isabel, who identifies as a bisexual Latina, tweeted out that hashtag, it began to trend and users shared reasons they'd love to see everyone's favorite queen in love with another woman. Some passionate fans even crafted some great fictional partners for Elsa. 

Frozen is already considered one of Disney's more LGBT-friendly properties. Some viewers have read Elsa's powers, and her necessity to hide them, as a metaphor for queer identity and coming out. Actor Jonathan Groff is the first out gay man to play a Disney prince and the movie features a subtle gay-friendly moment (2:12 in the video below) when a character named Oaken points to his family — an older man and four children. 

Gay youth have also adopted the film's ubiquitous anthem "Let It Go" as a coming out anthem.

Since the hashtag started, Isabel has been fending off Twitter users who think giving Elsa a girlfriend is inappropriate for a children's movie. 

While there are plenty of television shows with queer characters — Adventure Time, Steven's Universe — few mainstream animated features depict out gay characters. Animated film Paranorman snuck in an out gay character at the end of the film, and even that outing angered moviegoing parents

But hey, if non-human snowman character Olaf can get a girlfriend, a rumored plot development in Frozen 2, surely it's OK if Elsa can get a girlfriend. And if you think that's a problem, well, maybe your heart is a tad too cold.