Lycée Musical: The Musical: The Series made history in his July 16 episode, “The Transformation”, when he presented his very first gay ballad titled “In A Heartbeat”.
The gay love song from the Disney + show is sung by Carlos played by Frankie A. Rodriguez to boyfriend Seb played by Joe Serafini after the couple first got into a fight. In June 2021, the actors have revealed that they are also dating in real life.
Make history
Frankie was the first openly gay character to Lycée Musical: The Musical: The Series since its premiere in 2019. The song marks a milestone for Disney. The song is catalyzed by Seb who wonders if Carlos likes it for himself or because he’s the only other LBGTQ + boy in school. In the song, Seb assures him that he loves Carlos for him.
“So proud of Frankie A. Rodriguez writing the story with Disney’s very first lgbtq + love song performed by our fairy godmother Joanna Kerns, ”Serafini posted on Instagram.
The original song is written by Los Angeles musician Will Jay, who thanked Rodriquez for bringing it to life.
I was so excited to share this for months, but I co-wrote “In a Heartbeat” for #HSMTMTS and he’s coming out tonight !! @MrFrankieAR you have completely brought this to life and @joshuatbassett killed the choirs 🤟 https://t.co/MMuMFaYssR
– Will Jay (@willjaymusic) July 15, 2021
Series creator and showrunner Tim federle, told The Huffington Post that he chose to avoid bullying or steer clear of the show’s storylines, making the LGBTQI + experience a part of everyday life, not a storyline.
Praise for the song
Public feedback has been positive, praising the normalization of LGBTQI + adolescents. Many users wish they had this representation when they were growing up.
“If I had seen ‘In a heartbeat’ when I was a kid, I think my coming out would be more normal and I’m so glad kids could see that and see themselves in characters,” one user said. social networks.
if I had seen in the blink of an eye when I was a kid I think my coming out would be more normal and I’m so happy that kids can see that and see themselves in characters.
– mo 🐄 hsmtmts spoilers (@goodeplace) July 16, 2021
Others have pointed out that Disney does not utter the word “gay.”
The authors of HSMTMTS went so far to avoid using the word “gay” that they literally said “boy watching Drag Race Canada” instead
– Eric (@twitteric_) July 19, 2021
The backlash for the show was swift. Washington state Institute for Family Policy, one Christian group posted: “The pagan awakening crowd continues to push the radical LGBT agenda down our children’s throats at every opportunity. “
