What happens when you combine influences from Tom of Finland, Disney and drag queens, and channel them into art? You get the work of Alfredo Roagui. The graphic designer and illustrator, who hails from Mexico, has been using these elements to create colorful and provocative drawings of beefy men, as well as the queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
A self-described Disney freak, Roagui cites The Little Mermaid as changing his world when he was only ten years old. He recently explained the movie’s impact on his life to Buzzfeed, “Ariel is a bit of a rebel and a dreamer. I felt I could identify with her at that age. A boy identifying with a princess? How about that?”
While Roagui feels that “Disney appeals to gay men because we still believe in fantasy and Prince Charming,” he would like to see some diversity in its prince and princess living happily ever after formula.
“What if we can tell new stories,” he said. “Maybe we’ll see a same-sex animated couple in the future. That would be awesome.”
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Alfredo is so passionate about seeing a same-sex coupling from Disney, he has re-imagined a few of its iconic princesses as men.
Disney has always shown strong support for the LGBT community. Earlier in the summer, one of its theme park stores made a bold statement about gender non-conforming youth by displaying a boy mannequin dressed in Minnie Mouse accessories. However, whether it’s putting a gay twist on a classic movie or introducing some queer characters in a completely new fairy tale, there is no indication that the company will be bringing a same-sex romance to life in an animated feature anytime soon. Hopefully someone who works there is paying attention to Alfredo Roagui’s artwork.
Kangol
Talented artist. I wonder, does he draw any images of men who look like him or like the vast majority of (beautiful) men in Mexico?
Glücklich
@Kangol:
Yes, talented. Not my taste but good work. I want to see the pieces on the wall behind him.
He’s very easy on the eyes.
Patrick J. Ambrosio
<3 <3
Zekester
He should be a Disney prince. That’s one beautiful man.
Esteban1971
There are PLENTY of opportunities for LGBT themes: they did Hercules & Megara in 1997, why not Jupiter & Ganymede? Alexander and Hephaestion? Achilles & Patroclus? And those are just Greece & Rome.
Disney has shown tremendous support for the LGBT world. But they also know their money comes from selling fantasies to young girls and the parents who buy their merchandise to that end.
To support a prince fantasy is to support men and boys, and there’s little money to be made there because boys outgrow their fantasy world when they become men. This is not something girls ever truly do (see “Twilight Moms” for a screaming, glaring example).
Captain Obvious
Why waste your time convincing Disney instead of doing it yourself? There are more tools than ever for artists to do things on their own without a studio.
Waiting for Disney almost seems like an excuse. It’s not their medium and not what’s in their best interest.
Ogre Magi
@Captain Obvious: very well said
Scott Moninger
Love him!!!!
Peter Emmett
Josh Lovell
captainburrito
It could happen but perhaps from one of their subsidiaries as a low budget and niche release. Pretty sure one of them released a gay book before. They got boycotted for gay friendly things a decade ago by christian groups but they eventually gave up.
kidco9
Hopefully one day I can bring my gay fantasy, FMBV, to a theater near you.
Jim DelRae
Why do so many feel the need to keep shoving our lifestyle down everyone’s throat.
Seriously when was the last time as an adult you went to see a Disney cartoon..
Billy Budd
Someone should take the project. Remember that university professor who wrote a book about a fairytale about a prince falling in love for another guy and ignoring the princess?
Tracy Pope
@Jim DelRae: Living in a cabin without running water or a toilet is a lifestyle. Gay is part of who I am.
Also:
Last December. It was called “Big Hero 6”.
Gothrykke
Disney has always shown strong support…
Are you for real? Disney barely acknowledges we exist, and that’s grudging at best. Their go-to humor between guys is still gay-panic, for fuck’s sake.
Chris
@Captain Obvious: My thoughts exactly. Start with a short and move on from there. There are many gay men in the IT, design and illustration fields who would, probably, jump at the chance to do something like this. And with a little bit of crowd-sourced funding, or better yet, funding from some of the many gay men who work in Hollywood, he could produce one fabulous gay-themed cartoon movie.
Chris
@Jim DelRae: Gee, what’s the last Pixar movie? Yeah, I think that’s the last Disney cartoon I went to see.
stranded
Start a go fund me, and strive to do it yourself. Don’t wait for someone else. He looks like he’s more than capable of being the artistic director of the project, find yourself a writer and get to work. It might take 5 or even 10 years, but if it’s a labor of love and passion, you’ll might make it come true.
rickh710
Has Disney really “always shown strong support for the LGBT community?”
http://www.amazon.com/Tinker-Belles-Evil-Queens-Company/dp/0814731236/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440877001&sr=1-1&keywords=9780814731239