Elsa from Disney’s Frozen series has been very symbolic towards the LGBTQ+ community ever since Frozen first got released in 2013. Her storyline of having a secret about herself that forces her to hide, then coming to terms with it and being proud of who she is, is a metaphor for the queer experience. The message of “conceal don’t feel” that convinces Elsa to hide her magical ice powers is very much the same message that queer and trans people face in our world where being straight and cisgender is the norm. Later in the story, Elsa learns to “let it go” and embrace who she is. This embracing of her true self is what causes her to feel most at peace with who she is and allows her to explore herself. This is what the “coming out” experience is like for a lot of LGBTQ+ people. However, Elsa’s ice powers are still very much feared by the mainstream society, just like how so much of the world still holds a negative view against queer and trans people. Eventually, Elsa and everyone in the kingdom learns that “love will thaw”—a message very similar to “love wins” which has been symbolic for the LGBTQ+ community. Frozen II further explores Elsa’s queerness by allowing her to truly come to terms with who she is and live in her full magical capability.

     LGBTQ+ people face so much stigma, discrimination, and structural oppression in a world which expects us to adhere to Euro-colonial notions of cisgender heterosexuality. There are 64 countries in the world where it is illegal to be in love with someone of the same gender, 12 of which impose the death penalty for queer people. Most of these laws originate from the era of European colonialism. 

     Lately, Disney has made great strides in representing marginalized people. The Owl House, for example, features an openly bisexual Latina protagonist who is in a queer relationship. However, in many places, portrayals of LGBTQ+ relationships are censored and not allowed to be shown to children, while content centering the cisgender heterosexual experience is very much allowed. This means that queer kids do not see themselves represented in the media, which further sends the message that LGBTQ+ people must “conceal” and “not feel” who we are. 

     Frozen III, the next movie installment in Disney’s Frozen franchise, provides an excellent opportunity for the directors to further send the message that “love will thaw” and tell LGBTQ+ children that fairytale happy endings apply to them as well. Frozen II makes the very important argument that countries must do what they can to repeal legacies of settler colonialism, and one of these legacies is the expectation that all people must be cisgender and heterosexual. Given that Elsa is already symbolically queer, giving her a girlfriend and confirming her to be a lesbian, an idea that many in the LGBTQ+ community strongly believe in, would break barriers and move milestones in queer representation. In addition, many interpreted Elsa’s interactions with the character Honeymaren in Frozen II to be romantic and exploring this possibility would truly bring so much joy to those in the queer community who love the Frozen franchise, as well as to LGBTQ+ kids who rarely see themselves represented in media.

            We hope Disney will take this historic step.