Is

Well, the character isn't lesbian in the book and then decides to identify as pansexual, as I understand it. The character in the musical is lesbian. The character in the book is pansexual. And the character in the Netflix movie will be... whatever they decide, but someone who still wants to take a same-sex date to the prom?

As for people going crazy over things online, that's sort of just what people do now?

Well, she's still portraying a female/female romantic relationship in the novel. And while I don't have stats in front of me, Pansexual people probably have less representation than Lesbian women in media and literature. This creates more of a learning opportunity for young people to be discussing various types of sexuality within the context of this novel (and a novel allows more nuance and backstory than a stage musical). To me, that's a great thing.

Once again, it sounds like people are bored and looking to create chaos out of nothing...

Is Alyssa specified as a POC with white parents in the novel? When Ariana's casting was rumored, there was some mind-numbing internet rioting about how it was "racist," because the Broadway actress happens to be a POC (even though there's no script reference to the character's ethnicity).

Updated On: 7/9/19 at 10:53 AM

Why was the title of the post erased?



Anyway, to the topic, I don't think it is erasure so much as what Ermengarde wrote. YA novels, typically coming of age stories or coming out novels, tend to paint with broad brushes. Perhaps Mitchell is trying to explore different sexualities in the novel to present to her audience? Whether I find this disingenuous or not, I won't comment on here.

A Part of It All said: "Many fans of "The Prom", like myself, have called out this hateful action and labeled it as a very dangerous one and I would like to discuss it on here. Sexuality is not fluid and by changing a characters sexuality, there is an implication that it is."

How is it dangerous? I get if this was a real person who wanted to be labeled as a lesbian, this outrage would make sense, but this is a character. Whether she is gay or pan doesn't effect the story of her having to come out, she still have to come out of the closet. Also I have no idea what you mean by sexuality is not fluid or that this could have implications. Like... it really can be fluid and idk how changing a character like this would change anything? It's not like this means when people rewrite a book about a gay person, they are going to make them straight. I have no idea what else you mean by implications there.

A Part of It All said: "Is this a hateful action? <<edited by BWW staff>>? Why are fans going so crazy over this?"

Also that middle part, yikes

If the dialogue/stage directions don't specify it, it ain't canon for subsidiary works/productions.

These children should manage their aggression by volunteering for a presidential campaign. And they should be grateful they're even getting a YA novel inspired by a show that underperformed at the box office, closed early, and lost millions and millions of dollars.

Updated On: 7/9/19 at 11:12 AM

Sexuality is not fluid and by changing a characters sexuality, there is an implication that it is.

Um, of course it is, who told you that? People need to bitch about everything these days, outrage culture is amusing for those of us who can still take a joke and don't need to go on social media to share every tiny feeling. Ridiculous.

The exact story of The Prom played out in my real life just over 20 years ago, only with a tragic ending. I would've given anything for this fairytale to have been available during that time to at least lift my spirits and prove all of humanity wasn't against me (just think how low my therapy bills would be today!). This issue affects any kid with an alternative sexuality during a time when they're first discovering themselves. It doesn't matter so much the specifics and if it could help create a tale more relatable to today's youth then I'm game. I remember many who began fluid before defining themselves - many of my peers were bisexual and later came out as gay when they began to further discover themselves. Who's to say the character may not originally define as pansexual and then further define themselves later in the events of The Prom 2: Alyssa's Revenge?