Who doesn’t remember The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? With
its premier appearance in 1993 and its original cast, including the character
Billy as the blue power ranger, it was the new sensation every little boy and
girl was watching and talking about. Growing up as an LGBTQ member, one can
face several of obstacles and problems in life. Television was an escape for
many, shows like The Mighty Morphin Power
Rangers gave us a new world to explore and fuel for our imaginations. One
thing many of us never took the time to notice, either because we were too
young to notice or even care, was the story behind the actors on the show.
David Yost’s, the original blue ranger called Billy Cranston, career path for
example, was not an easy one. As a member of the gay community, David faced a
lot of unnecessary ridicule both on and off The
Might Morphin Power Ranger set. This kind of bullying has been known to
affect its victims physically and emotionally throughout years. In his
interview at the Anime Festival at Orlando in 2010, he discussed behind the
scenes of the show, his cast members and why he ultimately left the show.
David
explains why he left the show and how one day he basically walked off the set
during lunch because he was called a “faggot” one too many times. Creators,
producers, writers and even directors all partook in this scrutinizing
behavior. With no one to help him out and offer support against his ever-growing
aches possibly leading to suicide, he felt like he had no other option but to
leave the show. These types of hate crimes have been known to occur through out
time against LGBTQ members. With the show trying to teach good morals towards
its viewers, it was somewhat hypocritical for those associated with the hate
crimes to be trying and push ideas of right vs. wrong to others. David explains
how he was told he was not worthy of where he was in his career since he was gay;
he was told there was no such thing as a gay actor or superhero. This type of
compulsory heterosexuality where they say that superheroes are only straight
and as a result it ends up with someone who is gay being harassed in the work
place, can be tied into Adrienne Rich’s article “Compulsory Heterosexuality and
Lesbian existence”. Rich explains how “women have learned to accept male
violation of our physic and physical boundaries as a price of survival” (Rich
187) since the workplace is a place where women are subordinated. The same can
be said for David, not fitting into the heterosexual social stratosphere, has
led the end of his career in the show as well as to a point in his life where
he simply just hated himself.
This type
of thinking where compulsory heterosexuality steps in can be tied to how people
were raised and taught. David was experiencing a type of bullying. He explains
how he’s been spit on, had food thrown at him and even had his life threaten
for whom he was. Having been at his lowest point after a nervous breakdown,
David was able to reclaim himself and give an example of how things can turn
around. One has to step back and think how this form of bullying can be
stopped. I believe we have to start at the source, when everyone is young. With
David facing issues that are similar to issues younger teens face while in
school, one can say that there is a connection. Implementing new forms of
anti-bullying procedures to schools can very well help this cause and help put
a stop to gay bashing and LGBTQ discrimination. Since it has been found that
“one third of teens report that students are harassed due to perceived or
actual sexual orientation” (Stein 32) it is apparent that something has to be
done while individuals are still young and developing. Nan Stein develops some
steps that can be taken to avoid such threats, such as training all the staff at
schools, designating a variety of ombudspeople, and involving parents.
Developing such precautionary steps can help set forth a new and safe future
for individuals. This way we can all
have that power ranger we all decide to look up to.
Rich,
Adrienne. "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" from
Professions of Desire: Lesbian and Gay Studies in Literature. ed. George
Haggerty and Bonnie Zimmermann. New York: Modern Language Association, 1995
Stein, Nan. “Bullying, Harassment and Violence Among Students” Radical Teacher 2007.
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