When I made my way past the introductory paragraphs and finally got to the thesis of the essay, I almost laughed out loud. Sweeney argues that Timon and Pumbaa are "obviously a same-sex couple" (131). Apparently two best male friends who live together and take in an orphaned child are homosexuals...
I was honestly quite enraged at the sweeping generalizations and stereotypes Sweeney put forth as evidence to support her claim. She contends that Timon and Pumbaa are shunned from society because of their sexual orientation and their alternative lifestyle is a way for Disney to subtly depict gay-identified characters because the family-friendly Disney image will not allow it to openly portray homosexuality. Sweeney's far-fetched claim is offensive because it assumes that anyone who is not accepted in society is automatically gay.
Furthermore, she attributes Timon and Pumbaa's cross-dressing as substantial evidence that they are homosexuals. While dressing in drag may be an indicator of sexual preference, in this case it was to create a diversion and lure the hyenas away. In Mulan, a similar tactic was used where the male warriors disguised themselves as females in order to distract the men. One instance of cross-dressing is not sufficient evidence to prove that Timon and Pumbaa are homosexual characters.
Overall, I was disappointed by Gael Sweeney's piece because I felt that she used impertinent events in the film as evidence to assert her point. I was not once convinced by her arguments and this piece was my least favorite to read thus far.
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