Why ‘A League Of Their Own’ has always been a queer story, from the field to the screen
A League Of Their Own is one of those movies the gays have always adored.There are, of course, the obvious reasons for this: namely, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, Geena Davis, Lori Petty… we could go on.But fabulous casting aside, there’s a deeper reason why Penny Marshall’s 1992 film has endured for LGBTQ audiences despite not having any explicitly gay characters in it.
It’s because the story of A League Of Their Own—a fictionalized account of the very real All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL)—has always been queer.It’s a fact that’s only recently come to light, as 95 year-old former AAGPBL player Maybelle Blair—who consulted on both the film and the Amazon series—publicly came out for the first time in her life and shared that she was not alone.
In fact, she estimates about 70% of the AAGPBL was queer.At an Outfest screening of the new episodes moderated by O’Donnell, Blair said she always felt that element was missing from the movie, though she understands why. (For her part, O’Donnell revealed that she thought of her character, Doris Murphy, as gay—and played her as such!)Related: Rosie O’Donnell shares her son’s hilarious reaction to seeing ‘A League Of Their Own,’ 30 years laterBut the reimagining of A League Of Their Own 30 years later presents an opportunity to depict a more authentic version of Blair’s life and the lives of her teammates.
