How did you know you were gay? Maybe it was walking through the underwear aisle and seeing the models on the packaging. Maybe it was your first crush on a boy in school. Or maybe it was seeing a heartthrob on TV — on, say, the Disney Channel — and thinking, “Yep! That confirms it.”
Disney’s track record with gay representation is… questionable, to say the least. It’s taken the company a painfully long time to embrace queerness in its media, with the first character on Disney Channel to say the words “I’m gay” being as recent as 2019 on the prematurely canceled Andi Mack.
Then there’s the impossibly high number of “first openly gay character”s in Disney movies, most recently and explicitly the teenage Ethan Cade in Strange World, whose story revolves around his crush on another boy.
But even with Disney taking its sweet time making queer characters, they couldn’t help us little gay boys from crushing on their casts. From Disney Channel Original Movies (aka DCOMs) like High School Musical and Camp Rock to sitcoms like Wizards of Waverly Place and Good Luck Charlie, the Disney Channel had no shortage of material to inspire us to discover our true selves.
Now, take a trip down memory lane with these Disney Channel actors who did more for the gay community than they’ll ever know…
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What about some of the older heartthrobs? Tim Considine — Spin & Marty?? Tommy Sands – Babes in Toyland? Tommy Kirk — Mickey Mouse Club, Old Yeller’, The Shaggy Dog? (Disney fired him for being gay!); Paul Peterson (a Mouseketeer & the Donna Reed Show); Don Grady (Mickey Mouse Club; My Three Sons)?
I’m sure there are others, but not coming to mind just now.
JeffBaker
I agree about Tommy Kirk! I first noticed him in Jnr. High in the 70s and didn’t quite realize what these stirrings I felt were! And I was in my 40s when I saw the hot Raviv “Ricky” Ullman in “Phil of the Future.” Also a fine actor: I bought his movie “Driftwood” because he’s good in it and he’s drool-worthy!
Karlis
I’m old. For me it was Burt Ward playing Robin on the “Batman” show. Later I learned that the guy couldn’t act his way out of a paper sack, but man, he looked good in those tights!