Is billy gay? - Billy Elliot (2000) Discussion

[–] KAMalosh 16 years ago

Although I feel it's kind of irrelevant as far as the story or character goes, I think it's important to say: I think that there is not enough evidence either way to make a decision...and I think they did it that way on purpose.

reply

[–] kianabanana 16 years ago

hes NOT gay
yeah we all know that michael is
he said he wasnt a poof
when he went to michaels house he was a bit freaked out to see michael dressing up as a girl lmao
no he had a thing going on with the teachers daughter
i dont think he isnt intersed in girls hes only 11 i wasnt intersted at that age in dudes
ill say it again

hes NOT BOT gay
To quote Jack Black-- "Fat, skinny, who cares. The man is a genius."

reply

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jerseyd1 16 years ago

Of course he is.

reply

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] LillianEgypt 15 years ago

I don't think it could have been any clearer that Billy is straight without being an insult to our intelligence as viewers.

MIT wanted me, you know. Wanted me to rule the world for them.

reply

[–] morningsidemary 15 years ago

Amen! Please get over it everybody.

reply

[–] fallynleaf 13 years ago

I'm certain that it was left ambiguous intentionally.

The point is that Billy's sexuality is entirely irrelevant. He is simply a boy who likes ballet. That's it. He could be heterosexual, he could be homosexual, he could be pansexual, he could even be asexual. Who knows? It's possible to make a case for all of them.

Personally, I thought all of his scenes with Michael were adorable, and I prefer the interpretation that by the end of the film, Billy realized that he harbored romantic feelings for Michael, too, and thus returned Michael's kiss before he left.

But that's merely one interpretation.

I do find the decision to use Matthew Bourne's version of Swan Lake in the epilogue interesting. I see it more as subtext than anything else, however, and still think that it leaves the matter open to interpretation.

A few people discussed Michael's gender earlier in the thread. I don't think that Michael is transgender. He didn't express any desire to identify as a girl, and he seemed to view himself as a boy in love with another boy. Really, self-identity is all that matters. It's possible to enjoy crossdressing without identifying with a different gender than one's biological sex, and I think that that's the case here.

It also possibly seemed (at least to me) that both Michael and his father were using crossdressing as a bit of a coping method.

reply

[–] femaleanimefan 13 years ago

I agree. I think people are missing the point of the film when they vehemently claim that Billy was straight. I'm not saying he's not, but the point of the film wasn't that he was a straight boy who liked ballet; it's that it didn't matter what his sexuality was. He just loved ballet.

Billy might have been straight, he might have been gay, as you said, in the end it's insignificant because we never find out. Your interpretation makes complete sense. I believe it was the filmmakers' intent for Billy's sexuality to be ambiguous, therefore people can believe what they choose to believe. Nobody's opinion is more right or accurate than the other. I think he was straight, but I admit a part of me wanted him to be gay so he'd end up with Michael. Only because I adored Michael and wanted him to be with the person he loved :(.

Also agreed on Michael's gender. I don't know why people assume all crossdressers are transgendered. Michael is quite clearly a boy; he never says, "do you wonder what it'd be like to be a girl?" or anything like that. In fact, he tells Billy he's a poof, as in a gay MALE. Such an idea was never even implied. When Michael appears at the end, he is clearly still male; I believe he was dressed in some funky outfit with a hat and lipstick (all prints of the film I've seen have been rather dark, so when I first saw the ending, I didn't even notice what he was wearing and assumed he was dressed normally XD). So yeah, Michael was a dude and Billy could be gay but it's left ambiguous on purpose.

Also: Billy never says he's not gay. He says, "Just because I like ballet, doesn't mean I'm a poof". He's not saying he's definitely not, just that it's wrong to assume he is automatically, just because he likes to dance. So, uh, yeah xD.

You can't trade magic like *beep* Pokemon cards! - RIP Jesus :(

reply

[–] indigo_heart2004 13 years ago

so many here seem to want to see the movie as ambiguous when it comes to billy being straight/gay. in truth, that usually means they see the character as gay yet feel it needs justification.

in this case, billy is straight. it is clear thru out. he is also sensitive, nonjudgemental and tolerant of those different than himself. all good stuff. when he kisses michael, he is acknowledging michael's feelings towards him and letting him know it is alright.

fantasize all you want. write fan fiction otherwise. but it doesn't change the fact that billy is unambiguously straight.

'God is a kid with an ant farm' Constantine

reply

[–] fallynleaf 13 years ago

It isn't clear in the slightest, hence the reason why a debate like this even exists.

I don't think his sexuality was established at all in the film, and I think that was deliberate. The point was that whatever his sexuality is, it is irrelevant. I think that that, in itself, is a very important point to make.

That has nothing to do with my (or your) personal interpretation.

But why should heterosexuality be the "default?" If the sexuality of a character is never addressed in the text, than why must the character automatically be heterosexual?

An unexamined life is not worth living.

-Socrates

reply

[–] femaleanimefan 13 years ago

But why should heterosexuality be the "default?" If the sexuality of a character is never addressed in the text, than why must the character automatically be heterosexual?

No clue. I think Billy was most likely straight, but unlike Michael, I don't think Billy really thought about it either way, at that point. After all, they were only 11. Michael just happened to realize it early, but hey, some people can. You could say Billy showed interest in Debbie Wilkinson (given the way he stares down at her as she strokes his face), but he also rejects her later, very plainly saying, "Nah" when she asks him if he wants to see her "fanny". You could also say he showed interest in Michael, given the fact that he kisses him before he leaves, but with that one must take in the kind of person Billy was. He could have been kissing him just as a goodbye, to thank him for his friendship, let him know that he will miss him, and most of all, that he accepts him. Billy did look a bit put off when Michael first kissed him, and didn't seem to have romantic feelings for him. So, in the end, it could go either way. I think it was left unaddressed for a reason.

I still think he was straight though.

You can't trade magic like *beep* Pokemon cards! - RIP Jesus :(

reply

[–] youdontknowjacque 12 years ago

He tells Michael in one scene, "just because I like ballet, doesn't make me a puff"
I honestly don't think it's relevant, but consider any kid at that age trying to sort everything out...

reply

[–] MStephenmir 12 years ago

Perhaps because ballet has such a gay association, it's suggested but never confirmed. We don't know. The final scene implies that Billy is successful, Michael has come out, Billy has the support of his family but that's about it. The stage version ends with Billy leaving for the Royal Ballet School but we can only guess at the outcome. As he walks off the stage, Michael comes on and calls to him to say goodbye and Billy returns and gives him a kiss on the cheek and then runs off. Again, no conclusions. Any young man who pursues dancing and especially ballet as a career is going to be held suspect and they need to learn to ignore it. The fear of some is that ballet training will lead to effeminate behavior and homosexuality. It doesn't! For that matter, transvestitism (the red flag with Michael) is practiced by straight people too. People are complex and not that easy to pigeonhole and I suspect that was the author's intent.

reply

[–] Nikon11 11 years ago

He's not gay. He said no to his friend, but was still his friend.

He even says something like, "just because I like ballet doesn't mean I'm a poof."

He also punches the kid in the locker room, after the audition, when he puts his arm around him. I took that as, while he'll reject an advance from his friend, in a nice way, he's not going to put up with it from someone else. I don't necessarily think that the kid was making a pass at him - just that, after the audition, Billy wasn't in the mood for the kid's touchy-feely approach to consoling him.

reply

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]