Is billy gay?
i was kida wondering this beacuse in the movie there is that one flirting secne with that and then the kissing a warming hands with the boy.
im kinda confused.
i was kida wondering this beacuse in the movie there is that one flirting secne with that and then the kissing a warming hands with the boy.
im kinda confused.
No. That's made pretty clear. His friend, Michael, is gay however, and does come on to Billy. In the closing scene, Michael is there in the theatre with his (presumably) boyfriend, the black man next to him - you can tell they're together as he is leaning over to greet Billy's dad and brother too.
shareI don't think it is clear at all. Billy's sexuality isn't even addressed in the film. He certainly does not have any girlfriend in the film. Michael and a friend are in the theatre at the end when Billy's family comes in, but it is not clear that Michael's friend is Michael's lover. Billy is open to his experiences and that is why he allows Michael to kiss him. He kisses him back before leaving for school, out of friendship.
shareNot all eleven year olds are interested in their sexuality. That would probably explain why Billy's sexuality isn't addressed in this film.
shareBilly is not gay. It is never explicitly mentioned, but his relationship with Michael is enough evidence to support his heterosexuality. Clearly the notion of homosexuality was in Lee Hall's mind when he wrote it, and therefore, Michael is the gay character. The subtext of this film makes it clear that Billy is straight. People tend to read "gay" into things lately, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't (I'm allowed to say that, because I'm gay).
Billy's straight. Don't try to tell me he's not.
There's no information given to definitively know if Billy is gay or straight. He is shown dancing in the gay version of "Swan Lake" by Matthew Bourne at the end, but still all we reallt know is that Billy is either gay or a gay-friendly het. I don't see how you can say his relationship with Michael means he was straight. I had identical friendships with other gay kids when I was Billy's age and I am gay.
In the end, it doesn't matter if he was gay or straight.
This, exactly. Girls tend to mature earlier than boys, which could be why Debbie was interested but Billy wasn't. There isn't ever any clear declaration around Billy's sexuality, and frankly I like it SO much better that way. If he was shown to be gay, it would have been "well, of course, because all male dancers must be gay", and if he was shown to be straight then it would have been "look, this film is ALL about sexuality and how straight guys dance!". Frankly, Billy's sexuality has NOTHING to do with the story this film is telling, and I am ecstatic that the filmmakers chose to leave it ambiguous.
shareWell put. I liked that the film stayed away from the subject and chose instead to focus on the story of a boy finding his passion. I find it supremely annoying when people smugly make assumptions about someone's sexual orientation merely based on their interests.
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"People either loved us or they hated us...or they thought we were okay."
very well put, I completely agree.
shareIt was pretty clear to me he wasn't gay and I don't know how it is where you're from but 11 is pretty young to have a girlfriend and is not an indication of his gayness.
shareI think they left it open because the movie isn't about Billy's sexuality. It's about his dancing, whether he's straight/gay/bi, etc. Of course the question of his sexuality is inevitably going to come up in his life as a ballet dancer (which, in my opinion, is why it was included in the movie) but the answer just really isn't important (which is, in my opinion, why it WASN'T included in the movie).
shareHe told Michael he wasn't during that scene with the snowman. "Just because I like ballet doesn't mean I'm a puff, you know." (Or something like that, a slang term I wasn't familiar with, but his meaning was clear.) Michael than asks Billy not to tell anyone else.
sharePoof. Slang for gay male. Which would suggest that Billy is not gay. However Michael blatantly is.
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STEPH ¤§º
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When I first watched this film, I was about 13 years old. It was pretty clear from the beginning that Michael had romantic feelings for Billy. Billy on the other hand, appeared to have no interest in girls, or boys for that matter. He is supposed to be 11 in the movie right? Well, that's very young and lots of kids that age don't care about love and stuff like that.
I always assumed he was straight, he just wasn't interested in girls yet. And the more intimate scenes with Michael shows that Billy is really comfortable with himself, he knows he's not gay but he has nothing against gay people. I mean, you can't be homophobic and do what he does, cause people will always question your sexuality. I love the scene where Billy kisses Michael before he leaves. It's like he wants to give something back to him, since Michael was always so supportive of him, "I love you for being such a good friend."
Yeah, even as a gay man who tends to search out homosexuality in characters I was fairly convinced Billy wasn't gay. Not even questioning. He even has a bit of a girl friend (his teacher's daughter), even though she's really the agressor in that relationship (which I thought was adorable by the way, portraying the girl as the interested one). Billy is just a warm, funny kid, doesn't mean he's gay.
shareI guess EVERYONE here needs to remember the scene where Billy is pillow fighting with his teacher's daughter... it looked like they were going to kiss for a minute, but then they didn't. I agree that this movie doesn't make "sexuality" a priority since it is about family and dancing more than anything else. However, I had to point that part out since all anyone else here seems to remember is the stuff with Michael.
shareMaxmc:
One does not have to look very far to learn if Billy Elliot is gay or not. Paying close attention only confuses that question. Step away and observe what the character does and you can acertain the answer easilly.
A single question will allow anyone to see where Billy's affliations lay. He is like so many boys his own age when they decided that participating in physical games is not where they feel comfortable. Therein lies the answer.
Text books dating back some fifty years will allow educational and emotional advocates to conclued that Billy is confused enough and that forcing him to do the "boy things" will only serve to allienate him further. Allowing him to continue with his ballet lessons will make him feel that he is doing what he wants, yet it is these same decisions which will haunt him all his life, especially when he seek relationships with the opposite sex.
To answer your question, is he or is Billy Gay? The answer is in his choice. Others may defend his choice and they too are as confused as he is. Being gay is not confusing. Being unable to disprove it, . . . is.
"If you make the world your enemy, you'll never run out of reasons to be miserable" LC
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DamienWasHere:
"not only are all your posts moronic -- you try to sound educated or erudite but you spell everything wrong -- you're liberal politics preordain your stupidity, but I thought you should be told.
"Billy Elliot is gay. Billy Ellliot is not gay. Who gives a *beep* It's a good movie and that's all you need to know -- what a bunch of azz wholes."
Dear DamienWasHere,
Responding to your post is completely pointless, but in some random chance that you check this thread again, I wanted to point out your stupidity. In the same sentence (If you really want to call it that) that you are criticizing others attempts to sound educated or spell, you have a misspelling of your own. Apparantly you do not know the difference between 'your' and 'you're.' "You are liberal politics preordain your stupidity." Hmmm... that sounds more moronic than educated to me. I just thought you should be told.
However, to follow the theme of the post and quit ranting about grammar, I do not think Billy is gay. I agree with others that he is young and sexuality is not yet a major concern to him. I think it is a legitimate question to ask given that it does play a role in the film with his friend.
I agree this is a great movie and who cares... but the movie does establish that NO billy is not a homosexual, but his friend is( although I think he's transgender )
sharehe tells his friend michale that he's not a "poof" otherwise known as gay!
watch it again with subs n u'll see! (love his friend makes me laugh, so cute!)
Oh, geez. . . .
Ballet is about your spirit, your soul, your mind. Not your pecker.
(And I'm not, either)