Little Miss Sunshine: Queer Analysis

In the movie Little Miss Sunshine there is a scene where the whole family is at the dinner table and Uncle Frank opens up about his recent suicide attempt. The family is rather hesitant about him explaining the situation because seven year old Olive is asking him the questions. Uncle Frank explains that he fell in love with a student in his class and explains that it was a boy. This shocks Olive because it is a boy; even though she is very young she already knows the roles of gender in society. The rest of the family becomes very uncomfortable with the situation, and the grandpa is making jokes to lighten up the situation. Olive's father is extremely uncomfortable with the situation and does not even want to talk about it. Uncle Frank is very comfortable with explaining his sexuality and how he is homosexual. Olive asks Frank to continue with the story. Frank explains that it was losing his job, apartment and losing a grant to a hated colleague that pushed him to attempt suicide -- and not him losing the student he loved. Uncle Frank does not fit the normal stereotype of the overly flamboyant homosexual or the hidden in the closet type; he is just a normal, educated and caring man who happens to also like men.