The Christian conservative One Million Moms is calling for a boycott of Disney’s latest Marvel film, Thor: Love & Thunder, due to what the conservative organization calls “blatant LGBTQ content.”
“One Million Moms needs your help to make sure as many people as possible are aware that Marvel Studios is pushing the LGBTQ agenda on families in their newest superhero movie,” the project of the anti-LGBTQ American Family Association said in its online petition. “Rated PG-13, Thor: Love and Thunder includes many LGBTQ innuendos and an abundance of euphemisms, but a few scenes are not downplayed at all.”
Natalie Portman, who co-stars in the film alongside Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, made headlines earlier this month when she proclaimed that Thor: Love & Thunder is “so gay” during a Q&A at the film’s London premiere.
someone asked natalie portman how gay the new thor movie is and this was her response: #ThorLoveandThunder pic.twitter.com/lxRdQzCP9Z
— Zac⚡️ (@zacidk) July 5, 2022
Critics and fans took issue with Portman’s description, backed up by director Taika Waititi, asserting that, contrary to OMM’s characterization, the film’s “gay” content in fact consists mostly of hints and innuendos rather than fully realized, explicitly out LGBTQ characters.
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“I’d call it mildly-moderately gay. A soupçon of gay. GayISH,” tweeted The Ringer’s Joanna Robinson, going on to describe the film as “less gay than Eternals.”
If you saw Natalie and Taika and Tessa call #ThorLoveAndThunder “SUPER gay” at the London premiere and ESPECIALLY if you’ve been rocking w/ Taika on #OurFlagMeansDeath, I would lower my expectations for Thor.
I’d call it mildly-moderately gay. A soupçon of gay. GayISH.
— Joanna Robinson (@jowrotethis) July 7, 2022
Before the THOR 4 screening last night Natalie Portman called it "so gay". Devastated to report — and really, you won't believe this — that she lied
— Jack King (@jackarking) July 6, 2022
Meanwhile, Vanity Fair’s Chris Murphy described Valkyrie, played by openly bisexual actor Thompson, as intentionally confusing in terms of her sexuality.
None of this coverage seems to have dissuaded OMM from its position. The org detailed several instances of queer content in the film which it finds objectionable.
“The alien character named Korg mentions having two dads, and he has hand sex with another member of his species. The bisexual goddess, King Valkyrie, kisses another woman’s hand to show interest. An Asgardian kid insists on going by a gender-neutral name. And the gay romantic tension between Thor and Star-Lord is apparent but played off as a gag.”
While Disney, which produces the Marvel films, has faced conservative backlash recently over LGBTQ content in its films and streaming series, OMM is so far the only anti-LGBTQ organization calling for a boycott of the latest Thor movie.
