Arts & Entertainment

‘Stranger Things’ child actor responds to speculation Will is gay

star gives lengthy response on Instagram

Published

8 years ago

October 17, 2016

Mariah Cooper

(Screenshot via YouTube.)

Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Beyers on the hit Netflix show “Stranger Things,” gave a thoughtful response to viewers who have been speculating Will is gay.

While Will’s friends and family try to rescue him from the Upside Down, bullies on the show frequently called Will homophobic slurs. This led to some fans of the show to question Will’s sexuality.

Schnapp, 12, posted his thoughts on the matter on Instagram on Sunday and says he doesn’t think Will’s sexuality should matter.

“I’ve been reading stuff for a while. I think everyone here is missing the point,” Schnapp writes. “An author called Gary Schmidt came to speak at our school this week and he said that good stories aren’t supposed to leave you with answers because then you never question yourself and you forget about it. A good book, or a good show leaves a lot of unanswered questions but makes you think. Which is what you are all doing.”

“For me, Will being gay or not is besides the point. ‘Stranger Things’ is a show about a bunch of kids who are outsiders and find each other because they have been bullied in some way or are different. Does being sensitive, or a loner, or a teenager who likes photography, or a girl with red hair and big glasses, make you gay? I’m only 12 but I do know we all relate to being different. And that’s why I think the Duffers wrote the show the way they did. So you can ask all these questions. I hope the real answer never comes out!” Schnapp continues.

Schnapp returns as a series regular on the second season which premieres in 2017.

So I thought it would be time to jump into the conversation. I’ve been reading stuff for a while. I think everyone here is missing the point. An author called Gary Schmidt came to speak at our school this week and he said that good stories aren’t supposed to leave you with answers because then you never question yourself and you forget about it. A good book, or a good show leaves a lot of unanswered questions but makes you think. Which is what you are all doing. For me, Will being gay or not is besides the point. Stranger Things is a show about a bunch of kids who are outsiders and find each other because they have been bullied in some way or are different. Does being sensitive, or a loner, or a teenager who likes photography, or a girl with red hair and big glasses, make you gay? I’m only 12 but I do know we all relate to being different. And that’s why I think the Duffers wrote the show the way they did. So you can ask all these questions. I hope the real answer never comes out! #dufferbrothers ❤️❤️

A photo posted by ?Noah Schnapp? (@noahschnapp) on Oct 16, 2016 at 9:22am PDT

Related Topics:Netflix Noah Schnapp Stranger Things

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More than 1 million people attend Madonna concert in Rio

Free event took place on Copacabana Beach on Saturday

Published

5 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Michael K. Lavers

Madonna performs on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on May 4, 2024. (Screen capture via Reuters YouTube)

An estimated 1.6 million people on Saturday attended Madonna’s free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach.

The concert, which was the last one as part of Madonna’s Celebration Tour, included a tribute to people lost to AIDS.

Bob the Drag Queen introduced Madonna before the concert began. Pabllo Vittar, a Brazilian drag queen and singer, and Anitta, a bisexual pop star who was born in Rio’s Honório Gurgel neighborhood, also joined Madonna on stage.

Congresswoman Erika Hilton, a Black travesti and former sex worker, and Rio Municipal Councilwoman Mônica Benício, the widow of Marielle Franco, a bisexual Rio Municipal Councilwoman who was assassinated in 2018, are among those who attended the concert.

“Madonna showed that we fight important fights for the human rights of Black (people), young (people), women and LGBTQIA+ people, and against all injustice, discrimination, and violence,” said Associaçao Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals), a Brazilian trans rights group known by the acronym ANTRA, on its X account. “What they call identitarianism’ is our subversion to the retrograde and conservative tackiness that plagues the country.”

The Associated Press reported the concert was Madonna’s biggest ever.

Photos

PHOTOS: Gay Day at the Zoo

Smithsonian observs International Family Equality Day

Published

1 day ago

May 5, 2024

Michael Key

Gay Day at the Zoo (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The DC Center for the LGBTQ Community, SMYAL and Rainbow Families sponsored Gay Day at the Zoo on Sunday at the Smithsonian National Zoo. The Smithsonian observed International Family Equality Day with special exhibits and an event space.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)