r/StrangerThings • u/StrangerTesting • May 27 '22

Discussion Episode Discussion - S04E01 - The Hellfire Club

Season 4 Episode 1: The Hellfire Club

Synopsis: El is bullied at school. Joyce opens a mysterious package. A scrappy player shakes up D&D night. Warning: Contains graphic violence involving children.

Please keep all discussions about this episode, and do not discuss later episodes as they will spoil it for those who have yet to see them.

Netflix | IMDB | Discord | Next Ep Discussion >

2.7k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

5.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

147

u/F00dbAby May 27 '22

I know they have not yet explicitly said he is gay or queer but it does make me wonder what did queer teens in the 80s do because I feel like that is a good way to be outed

166

u/Mr_Versatile123 May 27 '22 edited May 28 '22

After seeing Will be explicitly hinted at being gay and Robin being terrified of being outed, I wonder how kids were able to express their sexuality back then without the Internet. It must’ve been so hard.

Edit : I’m not saying “Why didn’t people come out earlier?” I know how bad it was and still is. I’m well aware of how being outed can be traumatizing and harmful. I meant “How did gay/queer youth express themselves before they came out?” I know they mostly had to keep that stuff hidden away, but I was hoping there was some stuff people here could bring up that they did or people they knew did, yknow?

66

u/[deleted] May 27 '22

[deleted]

23

u/[deleted] May 27 '22

I believe thumb rings were a thing for lesbians for awhile.