The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special Makes The Yuletide Gay ... Literally
This post contains mild spoilers for "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special."
There are few places in America more sacred than a gay bar. Throughout history, gay bars have been crucial locations for gay culture and politics, because they are often one of the few places where LGBTQIA+ people from all backgrounds can safely gather. Gay bars are so much more than drag shows, dancing, and snazzy drinks; they're a place where people who are marginalized by society can exist authentically, express love freely, and build community. Gay bars often double as sanctuaries that provide solace, and during the holiday season, are often one of the only places LGBTQIA+ people have to go.
While the literal word "gay" just meant "joyful," "carefree," and "bright and showy" during the era that gave us song lyrics like "don we now our gay apparel," it doesn't change the fact that the winter holiday season is now, in its current form, gay as hell. It's always been ironic that the holiest time of the calendar year for those who treat queerness as a damning sin is also one of the gayest times of the year. Call it "Jesus' birthday" all you want, but dressing a tree in gaudy jewelry and completely redecorating the outside of your home with flamboyant decor is just America dressing in drag for a whole month.
In an unexpected delight, "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" marries these two truths together and sends Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) on an adventure to secure the ultimate Christmas present for Peter "Star-Lord" Quill (Chris Pratt) that sees them getting drunk in a gay bar. Make the yuletide gay, indeed.
All outsiders are welcome
Drax and Mantis are on a mission to find Kevin Bacon, and end up in Los Angeles. The two decide to investigate a place with lively music and lots of people in the hope that they'll find the actor inside, but instead end up dancing, doing shots, and being served by the muscle-tank and Santa hat-wearing bartender played by Flula Borg ("The Suicide Squad," "Bumper in Berlin"). Drax and Mantis, despite their otherworldly appearances, are welcomed without question. Of course, we could argue that humans are a bit desensitized to alien characteristics after living in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but given how many humans absolutely hate mutants like the X-Men, there's no guarantee the pair are safe wherever they go.
But they are safe at the gay bar.
Even if Mantis breathes smoke after taking a shot — and even if Drax is covered head to toe in scars and ink — these outsiders are welcome no questions asked. For those who have never spent a Christmas holiday at a gay bar, trust me when I say that James Gunn absolutely nailed the energy, excitement, and immediate camaraderie. A few years back, I tricked my own, Joe Pesci-looking father, into joining me at a gay bar for Christmas. Despite his Midwestern, sports-loving, exclusively Budweiser-drinking existence — he had the time of his life. Honestly, he looked a lot like Drax, taking back shots with old gay men who are now friends he's only known for five minutes.
The real-life importance
There's obviously no way James Gunn could have predicted the horrific act of bigotry-fueled domestic terrorism that would occur just a week prior, where the lives of Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, and Ashley Paugh were stolen at Club Q in Colorado Springs during a mass shooting inside a gay bar. The LGBTQIA+ community has been in a collective state of mourning, with many terrified to go back into a gay bar, knowing that emboldened, heavily armed fascists are willing to invade our safe spaces and do the unthinkable.
Now, I'm not going to be one of those hyperbolic weirdos who say things like "Marvel showed a gay scene in a Disney+ special and now homophobia is cured," but when Disney and Marvel are the biggest companies in the entertainment game — and therefore have massive influence on public perception — a scene celebrating the pure, unadulterated joy of a gay bar on Christmas is a wonderful feeling. The fact the two also beat the hell out of cops toward the end of the episode feels emblematic of the "cops don't protect us, we protect us" motto that has been given a resurgence in the wake of Club Q and learning that a trans woman and ally subdued the shooter.
Christmas is a difficult time for a lot of LGBTQIA+ people, either because it's a reminder of feeling alone on the holidays or a month-long celebration rooted in a religion that is often used as a justification to bring us harm. "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" isn't going to change legislation or start a revolution, but it's certainly given a lot of people a reason to smile a little bigger this holiday season.