How queer was ‘The Full Monty’ really? Let’s discuss.
Beautiful Thing (1996) and Kinky Boots (2005) dealt with, to varying degrees, the intersection of queerness with the British working class.Some entries in this mini cannon were more focused on the LGBTQ+ experience than others.
Director Hettie MacDonald’s Beautiful Thing, for instance, told the story of two teenage boys coming out and falling in love against the backdrop of a South London council estate—public housing for low-income individuals.
A much later addition, 2014’s Pride, was based on the true story of gay and lesbian activists who aligned themselves with British miners during their 1984–1985 strike, a powerful coalition that ultimately built support for LGBTQ+ rights among the country’s working class and Labour Party.
Other films, like Billy Elliot (2000), touched on queer themes less directly via issues around masculinity and gender expectations in working class communities, while featuring gay supporting characters.The Full Monty (1997) is arguably the least queer of these films, focused primarily on straight cis characters.
