Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner Backs Off From Saying Lesbian-Drama Freeheld Was ‘De-Gayed’

A few days ago Philadelphia and Freeheld screenwriter Ron Nyswaner made waves with an impassioned speech at an award ceremony calling for gay artists to be brave and insist that LGBT stories aren’t de-fanged, softened and ‘normalized’ by executives worried about mainstream appeal.

He also criticised Freeheld (while not specifically naming the movie), saying, We must be careful — as we become mainstream — that we don’t forget we’re the descendants of outlaws and rebels. We must resist the tendency to be de-gayed. One of my recent gay-themed projects had a lot of potential. But the producers became fearful. The gay characters were idealized. Their edges were smoothed out. The conflict between them was softened. Over my vigorous objections by the way, for the record.

However now he has backed off from that with a statement to THR, which reads, ‘At last week’s Vanguard Awards Gala, in the glare of the spotlight and the excitement of the moment, I made some remarks that need to be corrected and explained. In a speech that was meant to be a reflection on internalized gay-shame and self-censorship, I denigrated the courage and integrity of my colleagues on the movie Freeheld. These comments were inaccurate and unfair. The producers never suggested that the characters should be anything but thoroughly and proudly gay. We disagreed over the amount of conflict that should be present in their relationship; I won some arguments and lost others. The movie is satisfying and beautiful in many ways, particularly in the performances of the leads. The script that made it to the screen is weaker than it ought to have been and for that I must accept responsibility. I apologize to my colleagues for the pain my comments have caused.’

Some will undoubtedly see his backtracking as being the result of pressure being put on him. Those involved with a movie often has contract that forbids them from saying anything negative about the film for a certain amount of time, something that is seen as particularly important for smaller movies like Freeheld, which are chasing award nominations. However, Nyswaner may well be being completely honest in his retraction and he did overstate the case with his awards speech. At the moment it’s difficult to tell.