Beauty and the Beast got a lot of flack when they revealed that the character of LeFou would have "an exclusively gay moment." But now, the new Power Rangers movie is following in Gaston's sidekick's footsteps and debuting its first gay ranger.
Director Dean Israelite confirmed that the Yellow Ranger Trini (played by Becky G) will still be dealing with her sexuality. The scene in question will show one of the other characters assuming she is having "boyfriend problems." However, the character will come to the realization it could actually be "girlfriend problems," as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Israelite pointed out that while the scene is small, it is a "pivotal" moment for audiences to see. "She hasn't fully figured it out yet. I think what's great about that scene and what that scene propels for the rest of the movie is, 'That's OK.' The movie is saying, 'That's OK' and all of the kids have to own who they are and find their tribe."
The original Blue Ranger actor David Yost, who was openly gay while playing the role and even left the show in 1990 after facing harassment over his sexuality, applauded the film's choice to include Trini's story. "They really stepped up to the plate. I think so many people in the LGBTQI community are going to be excited to see that representation."
The news marks one of the first movie superheroes to address their sexuality. Catwoman, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn are some LGBT characters in comic books; however, when the characters hit the big screen, they were portrayed as heterosexual. Deadpool is the only superhero who is not straight in the movies. Deadpool identifies as pansexual, though he never addresseed it in the movie, as reported by E! News.
Power Rangers opens in theaters on Friday, March 24.