Elsa, the queen of Arendelle, or Elsa, the queer icon? Easy answer – she’s both.
When the first Frozen movie came out in 2013, one of the biggest things viewers noticed is that Elsa did not have a love interest.
Could it be? A Disney princess that doesn’t need to be saved by a man?
While this queen could likely just be an independent woman who has badass magical ice powers, there is evidence that leads to Elsa being gay, or at least not straight, which is about as much as we can ask for from Disney.
Let’s start with the original Frozen.
Elsa is locked in a castle (or closet?) in Arendale, where she is forced by her parents to suppress and hide the powers that she was born with.
This is a tale that individuals with homophobic parents know too well.
Of course, being gay isn’t a superpower (or is it?), and I am not accusing Iduna and Agnarr of being problematic parents, but why couldn’t they just let their daughter express who she is?
My finalizing point from the first movie is the coming out anthem, “Let It Go.” This iconic musical number starts with Elsa feeling isolated and keeping who she really is pent up inside. She had always been told to “conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.”
Throughout the song, she starts to trust herself and her magical abilities and finally, well, lets go. She says, “No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I’m free.” Is this her coming out moment?
It is safe to say that I am not the only one whose gaydar was going off. The internet stormed with #GiveElsaAGirlfriend, hoping to see her with a nice lady in the sequel, which kind of happened?
Seeing members of the LGBTQ+ community represented on screen is a validating experience for queer individuals. It is more common to see queer men in mainstream shows and movies, so women will take what we can. Having an ice queen be the first lesbian Disney princess? Yes, please.
Moving along to Frozen 2, the main plot of the movie is that Elsa constantly gets wrapped up in the beautiful voice of a woman that only she can hear.
She has never been too fond of the perfect fairy tale life that her sister Anna dreams of with Kristoff, so when she hears the voice from the enchanted forest calling her, she has to go find out why that feels more like home. This sounds a little fruity to me.
On her journey, she meets Honeymaren, a female member of the Northuldra. There is a scene of Elsa and Honeymaren sitting by a fire talking about the Northuldra culture in an intimate way and singing a lullaby together. As a queer woman, I can safely say that this scene is indeed very gay.
If Disney did not make the film, this would definitely be their meet-cute moment where their love story begins. Further into the movie, Honeymaren tells Elsa that she belongs in the enchanted forest, where the Northuldra people, including her, live.
This is also one of the only fully positive interactions Elsa has with another character throughout both movies, which again, feels fruity.
“Show Yourself” is another song of self acceptance featured in the second movie. In this number, Elsa finally finds the voice she has been chasing after. She has always held “cold secrets deep inside,” but is telling this voice that they do not have to hide.
When she steps into her full power on this island, the voice says, “You are the one you’ve been waiting for.” At this moment, Elsa is flooded with happiness from gaining the freedom of truly accepting who she is.
At the end of the movie, Elsa ends up moving to the enchanted forest and Anna gets to live her happy little heteronormative life. When Elsa leaves the enchanted forest to go visit her sister, she waves goodbye to Honeymaren.
Does this mean they end up together in the third Frozen film?
Will it ever be confirmed? Unfortunately, that is not likely. Any time Disney has even hinted at an LGBTQ+ character, they receive an excessive amount of backlash. Is this an excuse not to have queer representation in a positive way for children?
Personally, I think if Disney wants to include these types of characters, they need to just go for it. There will always be Karen’s upset about every little thing, so if Disney wants to be an ally, they should do it because there will be a whole community of people that will feel a little bit more seen and valid for who they are.
Can we bring back #GiveElsaAGirlfriend for Frozen 3?
