LGBTQ+ themes in the Jungle Cruise franchise

The Jungle Cruise franchise has had some incorporation of themes towards LGBTQ+/lesbian (women/non-men who only like women/non-men), gay (men/non-women who only like men/non-women), bisexual (individuals capable of attraction to multiple genders), transgender (those who have a gender different from that expected from their assigned sex), and queer (identifiers not fitting into the previously stated groupings) peoples. These groups of people are historically marginalized and privy to different forms of negative media depictions or having their stories and experiences misconstrued by non-Queer creators. The Jungle Cruise franchise's owner/creator the Walt Disney Company is also known for vocally supporting LGBTQ+ peoples, while also supporting bigoted political movements against said peoples, censoring their creators who include LGBTQ+ text in their stories, and perpetuating various regressive tropes in their films. Many of the Jungle Cruise's queer elements should also be viewed from the broader context of the franchise's issues with representing colonial politics and people of colour.

Jungle Cruise (film)

• MacGregor Houghton: The character of MacGregor Houghton is explicitly gay and has a somber scene explaining his history with being gay and discriminated by his family to Frank Wolff. However, MacGregor is portrayed as being an effeminate, cowardly and posh man with a love for clothes compared to that of a woman's, these generally being traits written in mockery of queer men. MacGregor also functions in an archetype similar to the, "Gay Best Friend" trope through his relationship with Lily. While in the second half of the film he is shown more competently, he also has his stereotyped characteriztics consistently played up for camp comedy by his cisgender heterosexual actor, Jack Whitehall.
• Leading up to the release of the Jungle Cruise, the Sun reported that Whitehall’s character would be gay. Due to this, MacGregor's character has become an extension of the, "Disney's first openly gay character" meme in online-media, a running gag referencing how Disney’s LGBTQ+ characters (usually white cisgender-men) are touted by the media as being their "First openly gay character" only to have their identity referenced briefly in passing. Houghton shares this trait with Specter from Onward, Bobby from Avengers: Endgame, LeFou from the remake of Beauty and the Beast, and Artie in Cruella.

Attractions

A flower art-piece in Alberta Falls' office, gifted by Rosa Soto Dominguez

Jungle Cruise

• Alberta Falls & Rosa Soto Dominguez: The Jungle Navigation Company's president Alberta Falls might be implied to be in a sapphic relationship with artist Rosa Soto Dominguez of the updated lost safari scene. This is mainly due to how in the Walt Disney World version of the attraction, there is a flower art-piece in Alberta's office with a tag identifying it as a gift from Rosa; with the giving of flowers being commonly used symbolism for courting or romantic affection. In Disneyland's Jungle Cruise is another art-piece, depicting a bouquet of smaller flowers, birds, and people being dangled by their feet. Alberta refers to Rosa as her, "Special Friend", and gifts from Rosa to Alberta can also be found in the queue for Disneyland's Jungle Cruise with another sculpture in Alberta's office, and in the Skipper Canteen where Alberta has framed a portrait of herself in-front of Inspiration Falls made by Rosa within her family home.
  • Rosa's character might be influenced by historic woman Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), who was bisexual and had several affairs with women.
• MacGregor Houghton: In the Amazon River Base is a book written by MacGregor Houghton titled, "My Interests Happily Lay Elsewhere", alluding to MacGregor's quote implying his homosexuality from the film.

Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

• In the Pride month of 2023, an LGBTQ pride flag was displayed on one of the bar's shelves.
• Trader Sam & Cap'n Kevin: A photograph and portrait within the Enchanted Tiki Bar comes to Trader Sam from a skipper named Cap'n Kevin and may imply the two to have had some romantic relationship. The message reads, "Sammy- Come by my hut later for a "Miehana". -Cap'n Kevin", identifying Kevin as referring to Trader Sam with a pet-name, and making an implied promiscuous request to spend the night drinking in his hut, while the parantheses around the drink name of Miehana suggest it could be a euphenism. Kevin & Sam are also affiliated with one another by a second post-card in the Enchanted Tiki Bar, and by Skipper Missy making an announcement in the Jungle Cruise that Sam is in possession of Kevin's book, " 101 Jokes about Animals and Plants".

Trivia

• The character of the Orange Bird of Sunshine Tree Terrace is loosely connected to the history of LGBTQ+ politics as he was often paired in promotions for the Florida Citrus Commission with singer Anita Bryant (1940-). In the 1970s, Bryant was an outspoken opponent of gay rights, causing public controversies and boycotts of Florida Citrus Commission products until her affiliation with them was terminated in 1980.  As of 2021, Bryant's granddaughter Sarah Green is engaged to another woman.
• The Jungle Cruise (both the ride and film) was influenced by The African Queen (1951), an action film starring Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) who is also seemingly paid tribute in the names of the Kwango Kate and Kissimmee Kate. Reportedly, Katharine Hepburn well known in old Hollywood to have been a prolific sapphic and it is sometimes asserted that she married her husband Spencer Tracy (1900-1967) as a beard to dodge accusations of lesbianism.