In 1934, Hollywood was hit with the introduction of the Hays Code. The Hays Code was a set of rules that films between 1934 and 1968 were made to follow in order to be shown. These rules included a ban on nudity, displaying alcohol use, scenes of childbirth, and most famously, censorship of homosexual relationships. This censorship caused many to display any LGBT relationships through subtext. Although we are now allowed to depict LGBT individuals and couples outright, showing relationships within subtext is still common and seen today. Ocean Waves directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, The Rocky Horror Picture Show directed by Jim Sharman, The Wizard of OZ directed by Victor Fleming, and Sailor Moon S directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara all follow the theme of depicting the LGBT+ community within the subtext.
The Rocky Horror Picture show directed by Jim Sharman was and still is known for how it displays the theme of depicting the LGBT community within the subtext. The theme is most clearly shown in the scene where characters - Brad and Janet - enter Frank-N-Furter’s castle while the song “Let’s Do The Time Warp” is sung. In this scene, we are essentially seeing the two straight characters entering the party life and the open life of the LGBT+ community for the first time. Brad and Janet are visibly uncomfortable with the party guests similar to how many outside of the LGBT+ community felt about the community. Rocky Horror was released six years after the famous Stonewall Riots which began the protests against police brutality, lack of LGBT+ rights, and inequality. Those who weren’t from the community were uncomfortable with this sudden free-living despite what others thought (wow, I wonder what that reminds you of). As the movie proceeds, Brad and Janet become more comfortable with those in the castle and eventually completely let go and enjoy themselves. Director Jim Sharman did this to mirror the events of the time and give hope to members of the community that one day, those who are at first uncomfortable with us at first, will accept us. Showcasing the LGBT community within subtext by reflecting the wishes that many within the community wish for is similar to how the theme is shown in The Wizard of OZ.
The Wizard of OZ directed by Victor Fleming similarly follows the theme of depicting the LGBT+ community within the subtext. The film does this throughout the film, however, we can most clearly see this in the iconic scene in which Dorothy enters OZ. In this scene, Dorothy “wakes up” from her nap, opens the door, and, instead of stepping out onto her family’s black and white farm, she enters the bright colorful world of Oz. This mirrors the dreams of LGBT individuals stuck in bible belt states, such as Kansas, and their want to enter a more accepting, colorful place with less black and white thinking. This is supported by the Philadelphia Gay News article talking about The Wizard of Oz’s impact and contribution to the LGBT community*. Throughout time, bible belt states have been known to be quite religious and conservative states throughout history. This has meant that LGBT people growing up in bible belt states struggled and often dreamed of leaving their state and moving to one of the bigger cities such as New York or San Francisco. The Rocky Horror Picture Show shows the theme by having characters represent communities, director Fleming has done something similar with Dorothy and OZ. Dorothy represents LGBT individuals trapped in the bible belt states, and her dream of Oz representing the more accepting cities of NY or SanFran. The Wizard of OZ can subtly give voice to those dreams of leaving the black and white thinking of the south and find an accepting community.
Unlike how The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Wizard of OZ show the representation of LGBT communities on a large scale, Sailor Moon S, directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, shows the more personal relationships within the community. During the ‘90s anime boom, it wasn’t uncommon to see queercoded characters in animes such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Ocean Waves. Sailor Moon S also follows this trend. The theme of depicting the LGBT community within subtext is best shown through the two characters Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru throughout the series, however, to narrow it down we’ll focus on Sailor Moon S. Throughout the series we see still shots of Haruka and Michiru accompanied with romantic music and rose petals framing the still. This shows the theme of depicting the LGBT community within subtext as no other character receives these romantic standstills, not even the show’s main couple Mamoru and Usagi. Director Ikuhara did this to frame the two characters as romantic. Paired with romantic music, Ikuhara has paired two devices associated with romance and the audience can identify the romantic relationship between the two characters without being told straight out. This is similar to how Ocean Waves uses romantic synth during a love confession theme between the two principal characters and how the confession will be between the two men. Throughout the series, we get other inklings Haruka and Michiru are in a romantic relationship which eventually breaks from subtext. However, the U.S dubbed version tried to hide this subtext by censoring the two’s relationship by calling the two "cousins'', which failed miserably. The censorship of the relationship wasn’t a choice of director Ikuhara, instead DiC - the company hired to dub the anime - decided to do this to appeal to the American public.
The ’90s saw a rise in homophobia which can be credited to the AIDs crisis seen in America and the way it was painted. AIDs in the U.S and all around the world was painted as a disease that was easily passable and was typically associated with gay men. Although the latter is mostly true (not entirely, just mostly), this image of AIDs that was marketed to the world caused paranoia and a rise in homophobia. We can see this homophobia in the nicknames given to which included the gay disease, GRID (gay-related immune deficiency), and even gay cancer. Michiru and Haruka weren’t the only LGBT individuals censored, there was also Fish Eye, a villain who was a man dressed as a woman (no one could figure out whether they were transgender or a drag queen), and two characters known as Zoisite and Kunzite. Zoisite and Kunzite were originally a gay couple, however, the dub changed Zoisite into a straight woman to hide their relationship. Unlike these three characters, viewers in America were able to pick up on the inerasable romantic subtext between the “cousins' ' Michiru and Haruka and were many viewers realized later in life that the two were very clearly romantically involved.
Ocean Waves directed by Tomomi Mochizuki is one of Studio Ghibli’s least celebrated films. This is most likely due to the way it is drawn out that causes many to quit halfway through. However, if one were to stick through it and finish the entire thing, we can see the theme of depicting the LGBT community within subtext throughout the film. Even though we can see it throughout, the theme doesn’t hit us until the very end. Taku and his old high school friend Yutaka are strolling along a pier reflecting on their school years while the sun sets. In the background, ‘80s synth and slow saxophone play, giving this scene the quintessential, early ‘90s love confession setting. This love confession, however, is one-sided and about an old high school crush which fits in with the scene following where, at the high school reunion that is taking place, classmates are confessing to having old crushes on others. Director Mochizuki did this on purpose to frame the scene as a love confession between the two now-men. Mochizuki further emphasized this by the way he created the dynamic between the two characters throughout the film. Throughout the film, Taku is shown as willing to drop anything to visit his friend Yutaka, even in the middle of work. Taku also is shown as caring deeply about what Yutaka thinks. We see this when he learns the forced female love interest spreads a rumor about her and Taku. Once learning how this has negatively affected Yutaka’s feelings about him, Taku takes it upon himself to fix the situation. The director has also framed Taku as having a crush on Yutaka by having the former show little interest in girls and caring the most about what Yutaka thinks about him. Of course, a teenage boy showing little interest in girls doesn’t automatically make them gay, however, this detail along with the context of their relationship, plus the romantic setting of their walk frames this scene as a love confession. This is similar to how Sailor Moon S uses romantic devices such as rose petals and slow, soft music to frame the two characters Haruka and Michiru as a couple. By doing this Ocean Waves is able to depict the LGBT community within subtext in a ‘90s anime produced by a large company with very few realizing.
Although it has been years since the enforcement of the Hays Code has stopped, the theme of depicting the LGBT community within subtext still occurs today. Visual texts such as Sailor Moon S directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, Ocean Waves directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, The Wizard of OZ directed by Victor Fleming, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show directed by Jim Sharman show how they have shown the theme in different yet similar ways. Nowadays, shows such as She-Ra: Princesses of Power, Wynonna Earp, and The Handmaiden can freely show depictions of the LGBT community without the use of subtext, depicting the LGBT within subtext will continue to remain a theme throughout LGBT media for years to come.
