Most would think that Rebel Without a Cause would be one of the most significant films in the queer film canon simply because it stars gay/bi icon James Dean, but in actuality, the film - which serves as a representation for the restlessness of teen youth - is significant for featuring the first gay teen in cinema, John "Plato" Crawford (Sal Mineo). Under the Motion Picture Production Code (aka The Hays Code), films were restricted from depicting homosexuals. Director Nicholas Ray - also bisexual - had every intention of making the Plato character gay, and while it isn't expressly outlined, the hints are there in the way Plato and James Dean's character Jim Stark interact with one another. It has even been noted by Rayin that Dean instructed Mineo to "look at the way looks at Natalie ." Also, not to sound stereotypical, but Plato also rides a Vespa and has a photo of Alan Ladd hanging up in his school locker. Just saying. Mineo - who later came out as bisexual himself (and is rumoured to have had an affair with Ray on-set when he was sixteen), even credited his character for being the first gay teen in film. All that notwithstanding, Plato places second on our list because he completely shatters the stereotypes that currently plague gay/bi men in movies. He's not living with a fatal disease, he's not a hustler, he's not obsessed with sex, he's not particularly stylish, and while small in stature and boyishly good-looking, he's not overly-manicured or effeminate. Additionally, his desire to make Natalie Wood and Dean's characters his surrogate family resonates strongly in the LGBT community as gays carry on the tradition of choosing their families based on more than shared DNA.
Tommy Bobby Watanabe is an aspiring American novelist, stage actor, playwright, former LGBT rights activist, and has three years of independent professional wrestling experience and has been a big fan since 1998. An avid horror movie buff and comic book aficionado, TBW is honored to be featured on WhatCulture with some of the Internet's most talented writers and looks to spread his own knowledge and wit to WhatCulture's loyal readers.
