At this weekend’s GLAAD Awards ceremony, actor Andrew Garfield wore a pin bearing the colors of the transgender Pride flag while presenting an award to transgender actress Michaela Jaé Rodriguez for her work toward eliminating queerphobia in media.
Garfield’s pin-wearing gained applause from most Twitter users, though some criticized him for not doing more for trans rights. Indeed, his entire career has been punctuated by earnest but uneven attempts at showing his LGBTQ allyship. Here are five such moments:
1) Asking why Spider-Man can’t be gay
While speaking about his turn as the web-slinging superhero in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Garfield said that he had talked with the film’s producer about exploring the character’s sexuality on film.
“I was kind of joking, but kind of not joking about MJ (Spider-Man’s love interest),” he told Entertainment Weekly. “What if MJ is a dude? Why can’t we discover that Peter is exploring his sexuality? It’s hardly even groundbreaking! So why can’t he be gay? Why can’t he be into boys.”
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But while Garfield’s subsequent comment that Spider-Man should represent everybody got him a standing ovation at a Comic-Con panel, he also said that “it wouldn’t make sense” to suddenly make the superhero gay. Some were disappointed at the latter comment, especially since internal memos from Sony Studios said that Spider-Man is definitely “not a homosexual.”
2) Playing a trans woman in a music video
In 2014, Garfield played a trans woman in the music video for Arcade Fire’s song “We Exist,” a song about a child coming out to their father.
In the video, Garfield’s character uncertainly dons a bra, makeup and cowgirl duds before walking to a rural dive bar. When transphobic patrons assault her, she breaks into an emotional spotlight dance that ends with her blissfully rocking out with the band at Coachella.
The video’s director said he chose Garfield because of his passion for the project, and thought that it would be “pretty damn powerful” for queer kids to see the Spider-Man actor in a queer role. However, trans punk rocker Laura Jane Grace criticized the video for not choosing an actual trans woman to play the role.
3) Playing a gay AIDS survivor in Angels in America
In 2017, Garfield played Prior Walter, a man with AIDS living in 1985 New York City, in a London production of Tony Kushner’s theatrical masterpiece Angels in America. Garfield acted alongside out actors Russell Tovey and Nathan Lane.
But while some praised Garfield for playing a quasi-tragic role part in such an important social issues play, others criticized him for possibly taking the role from a gay actor while others took issue with his admission that he prepared for the role by watching RuPaul’s Drag Race.
4) Coming out as gay… sort of, not really
While giving interviews for Angels in America, Garfield seemed to come out, stating, “I am a gay man right now just without the physical act.”
“As far as I know, I am not a gay man,” he added. “Maybe I’ll have an awakening later in my life, which I’m sure will be wonderful and I’ll get to explore that part of the garden, but right now I’m secluded to my area, which is wonderful as well. I adore it.”
His comments were largely criticized by Twitter users who said he was over-simplifying what it means to be gay.
He later clarified, “The intention [in my comments] was to … speak to my desire to play this part to the best of my ability and to fully immerse myself in a culture that I adore.”
5) Dedicating his Best Actor 2018 Tony award to the LGBTQ community
Garfield ended up winning a Tony Award for Angels in America. While accepting the award, he said his character “represents the purest spirit of humanity and especially that of the LGBTQ community,” adding, “I dedicate this award to the countless LGBTQ who have fought and died to protect that spirit.”
"We are all sacred and we all belong." – #AndrewGarfield #AngelsInAmerica #TonyAwards pic.twitter.com/wWTz8inPv0
— Angels in America (@angelsbway) June 11, 2018
DarkZephyr
So not really that many “stumbles”. Personally I have never been on board with the idea that only gay should play gay and trans should play trans when actual gay and trans actors’ careers would fail if they were stuck ONLY playing gay/cis. If we push the issue too hard it will get to the point where gay will play gay and trans will play trans but also straight will play straight and cis will play cis.
As for “Not good enough, you should do MOAR for us!!” I am so sick of hearing about LGBT people attacking our ALLIES instead of the people who are ACTUALLY trying to hurt us. Who is going to want to BE our ally if they fear the risk of getting attacked for not doing enough? Or having a piece written about them about how they have “stumbled”?
Donston
It’s not 2014. This idea of “ally-ship” is basic and dated. Andrew has said some rather cringe-y and borderline “problematic” stuff throughout the years. And there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that. I’m not here for kissing these guys’ asses just because they attach to “queerness” or want to be “allies”. If you’re a public figure who wants to be unabashedly out and promote that or wants to be an “ally” there is a responsibility and some research to do.
I do find it odd that this site is calling out Andrew Garfield of all people. He’s said a few “eh” things. But this site has glossed over a lot of “queers” and “allies” who have said/done far more egregious or harmful stuff throughout the years.
Me2
I liked him as Jim Bakker in the Tammy Fay movie. I just assumed he was gay.
Yooper
Applauding the guy’s allyship then complaining it isn’t enough or he wasn’t always spot on is disheartening. Some in our community demand strict allegiance to their brand of LGBTQ, anything less is treated as an offense, they need to get their heads out of their holes.
Donston
The one thing they definitely should have left off this list was him talking about his dimensions. There is nothing wrong saying “I want this right now, but maybe I’ll want something else in the future”. That’s the whole point of people understanding fluidity, preferences, dimensions, the spectrum. He shouldn’t be shamed for that. However, the dude did sincerely reduce the life of a “gay man” to hanging out with “gays” and watching RuPaul’s Drag Race. A percentage of queers have put all this effort into trying to get folks to understand sexuality and its variance, respect people’s identities and preferences and lifestyle, understand the gender, sexual, affection, affirmation, romantic attachment, emotional investment, relationship comfort, commitment spectrum. “Straight presenting” people sincerely saying shit like that has to be called out. It reminded a bit of when Nico Tortorella said that they aren’t “gay” because they mostly hang out with females (one of the many ignorant, insecure, cringe-y, “problematic” things Nico has said or done). Andrew has said a couple of questionable things. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that.
If you’re looking to be a genuine “ally” (and profiting off of it and winning awards for it as Andrew is) or looking to own your queerdom and use it for clout and promo, then you are expected to do better. Some of y’all set the standards incredibly low, especially when it comes to conventionally good-looking, “straight presenting” guys. No, he shouldn’t be badgered or “cancelled”, and I don’t even think this article should exist. If they wanted to call out Andrew they should have done it a while ago. But there’s nothing wrong with saying do a bit better next time as opposed to always glossing over everything because someone’s an “ally”.
50 50
The guy is a mensch. He’s delivered some great performances, he is sensitive to gay issues, and is on record “I have an openness to any impulses that may arise within me at any time.”.
Short of going through and measuring each personal interaction on the gay/straight scale, he’s a great ally.
We need to stop insisting on people defining themselves on the sexual spectrum at any given point in their lives, and be grateful we live in a world that is generally becoming more inclusive and more tolerant.
bachy
I think he’s cool. He’s clearly trying to understand and support diversity.
IvanPH
He’s an ally.
Could we stop nitpicking on our allies and focus our attention on defeating our enemies instead.