In a time where accepting all sexual orientations is typical, you may not be surprised to find something like this.
However, I don’t know how many people would think about this when it comes to the genie in “Aladdin.”
Why I came up with this theory
Okay, okay – you may wonder why I thought about this. The first Disney adaptation of “Aladdin” came out in 1992, when LGBTQ was considered wrong. Sadly, it seemed to have stayed that way through the 00’s (2000 – 2009, and even 2010).
But when I watched the “Prince Ali” number from the animated version of “Aladdin” on YouTube, I noticed that the genie “became” a female.
What do I mean by this? If you remember, the genie goes behind the three girls on the balcony, crossdressed with a wig, female clothes, and even a female body.
Other hints
While it’s unlikely that the genie is trans or a member of the LGBTQ community, he did dress as a woman other times.
One includes when he wore a female flight attendant outfit when he, Aladdin, and Abu arrived at the island in the middle of the desert. The other is when he dresses as a cheerleader (and had clones) when Aladdin battled Jafar during the climax.
Now, I am aware that crossdressing doesn’t necessarily mean someone is trans or part of the LGBTQ crowd. In fact, it has been going on since the early 20th century. Or even before that.
But the part that stands out to me most about the genie and his crossdressing is during the “Prince Ali” number, when he looked like he went under gender reassignment – not that he did, of course.
There is also that moment when Aladdin kisses a young woman that the genie conjured, and then the genie takes her place (with thick eyelashes), which startles him.
And then there is the scene where the genie explains the 3 types of wishes that he can’t grant – one of them being able to make others fall in love. When he states that that, he kisses Aladdin with big lips.
Overall
I know the genie isn’t gay (nor bisexual) since he has a female love interest after the main film named Eden. In the live-action remake, he falls in love with Dahlia, Jasmine’s BFF or companion or peer assistant.
But the same scene from the cartoon where he dresses as a lady does return in the live-action adaptation, with some changes.
So, could Genie support the LGBTQ community?
Robin Williams, the actor who voiced Genie in the 1992 animated film did star in a movie a few years later about a gay man, called “The Birdcage.” The main character, unfortunately, has to hide his sexual orientation due to the general public’s views on it.
We all know that Robin Williams died in 2014, a year before gay marriage become legal for the whole US. I imagine that he would have been happy for the nationwide gay marriage legalization.
What do you think about the idea of Genie supporting the LGBTQ community?