Editor’s Note: Veronica Wernicke is a freshman at UNCW majoring in Communication Studies and is the Assistant Opinion Editor for The Seahawk. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Veronica Wernicke may be found on Twitter @itsveronica98. All suggestions and inquiries may be sent via email to [email protected].

“Let it go…Let it go…” a song we can all agree was on repeat in 2013 when the hit Disney princess movie “Frozen” hit theaters. One thing fans of the popular Disney movie are not letting go of are the fan theories and wishes that Elsa would have a girlfriend in any new Frozen sequel or short feature.  

In an interview with the Huffington Post writer and co-director Jennifer Lee said, “I love everything people are saying [and] people are thinking about with our film ― that it’s creating dialogue, that Elsa is this wonderful character that speaks to so many people,” Lee said. “It means the world to us that we’re part of these conversations.” 

I love that people are having these conversations and it would be incredibly cool and progressive if Elsa had a girlfriend in any new Frozen project. This is especially something we need in our times where the push for the LGBTQIA rights movement is prevalent.  

“Frozen” is already centered around accepting yourself which is clearly seen in the lyrics of “Let it Go” ― many fans have been quick to point this out and see it as a metaphor for Elsa coming out. So, by giving Elsa a girlfriend, Disney would only be adding to the wonderful and important message of acceptance.  

This certainly would not be the first time Disney has hinted at LGBTQIA themes in their projects. Some might recall in the 2017 live-action “Beauty and the Beast” where LeFou pines over Gaston and even dances with another man in one scene. Disney also featured a lesbian couple in a short scene in 2016’s “Finding Dory.” Of course, who could forget the 2016 Disney animated movie “Zootopia” which in addition to addressing many societal issues featured a same-sex couple.  

While the above three examples are small and do not feature bigger main characters ― in comparison to this Frozen petition ― these are still great messages to be sharing with children at an early age. Letting these children know that it is okay to be a part of the LGBTIA community instead of ashamed, not to bully people who are LGBTQIA and even become more familiar with this community is so important. Having a lesbian Elsa would only add to that with having a huge main character being in the LGBTQIA community. 

I am 19 and have seen my fair share of Disney movies and I cannot even think of an example growing up of a children’s film that featured an LGBTIA character or themes — I may be wrong though. 

Alexis Isabel Moncada created the #GiveElsaAGirlfriend back in 2016 and in an open letter she posted on MTV she brought up a great point about types of relationships we have seen in preceding Disney movies. 

“Growing up, I never saw a princess fall in love with another princess—and neither have girls growing up right now,” she explained. “The entertainment industry has given us girls who have fallen in love with beasts, ogres who fall for humans, and even grown women who love bees. But we’ve never been able to see the purity in a queer relationship.” 

This is a wonderful point that I never really considered until I came across her open letter. She is completely right. We grow up watching relationships between humans and animals and are basically told that is okay, but until recently we never saw same-sex relationships. I find this quite odd and I wonder why no one questioned it and we were all okay with it?   

I hope by the time that I have children that they have even more examples of LGBTQIA characters that they can look up to. It is very important to have a variety of role models to look up to, whether it be different races, genders, sexual orientations, sizes and so on.  

Elsa having a girlfriend would be a great addition to the Disney universe and would only help push more children shows to include characters of the LGBTQIA community. I am 100 percent rooting for this and I really hope Disney can make this happen.  So, keep those fan theories and petitions alive because Lee is listening. Here’s to the possibility of a lesbian Elsa and of course a more progressive Disney.