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class is in session

Miss Frizzle, Sue Sylvester & more: Our fave queer-coded teachers from film & TV

By Carson Mlnarik September 2, 2024 at 11:00am
Four-panel image. On the left, Bianca Del Rio stands in a classroom in a scene from "Hurricane Bianca." Next, Chris Lilley as drama teacher Mr. G in "Summer Heights High." Following, an image of Brian Jordan Alvarez in "The English Teacher."On the right, the red-haired and zanily dressed Miss Frizzle sits in the driver's seat in a scene from animated series "The Magic School Bus."

Class is in session!

Brian Jordan Alvarez is ready to serve the students in his new series English Teacher, which just landed on FX and Hulu.

Alvarez portrays Evan Marquez, an English teacher in Austin, Texas, who “often finds himself at the intersection of the personal, professional and political aspects of working at a high school,” according to its synopsis.

As an openly gay educator living in highly politicized times, it seems that his character will not only challenge students with homework but also through more abstract lessons about life, acceptance, and self-discovery.

But Mr. Marquez is hardly the first teacher who’s spoken to generations of LGBTQ+ students and viewers. After all, there’s no bond like the connection between a closeted gay and his theater teacher!

Furthermore, airy and mind-expanding educators from The Magic School Bus and Mean Girls have always modeled fulfilling adult lifestyles beyond societal norms. (You know, when they’re not giving us detention or shrinking to a microscopic level.)

See how Brian Jordan Alvarez navigates the halls of high school when English Teacher premieres on FX on September 2.

Until then, we’ve rounded up 7 other teachers from film and TV who have spoken to generations of LGBTQ+ students.

1. Miss Honey from Matilda

Embeth Davidtz smiles softly in an kindergarten classroom as Miss Honey in 1996 film "Matilda."

Miss Jennifer Honey — portrayed by Embeth Davidtz in the 1996 film — is a ray of light at the military-esque Crunchem Hall Elementary School in Matilda.

With a sweet name, a tragic past, and a dedication to kindness, she encourages Matilda’s passions and helps the six-year-old harness her psychokinetic abilities to take down the tyrannical principal, Miss Trunchbull. (Oh, Roald Dahl! What an imaginative storyteller.) On an unrelated note, she served “twee” before “twee” was even a thing.

While the story does not address Miss Honey’s romantic life, the good-natured schoolteacher is often cited as a queer awakening in the LGBTQ+ community. As Lashana Lynch (who played Miss Honey in Netflix‘s Matilda the Musical) told Entertainment Weekly, there’s something uniquely resonant about her.

“When there’s a character that is beloved, that represents everything to you and can speak to all people, all races, all sexes, all walks of life … you don’t have to do anything else apart from just being, and every community is going to get what they need from this one person,” she said.

2. Mr. Martinez (a.k.a. Bianca Del Rio) from Hurricane Bianca

Drag queen Bianca Del Rio blows an airhorn in front of a blackboard in a scene from "Hurricane Bianca."

OK, Ms. Bianca Del Rio might not be the sweetest science teacher, but she is the most deliciously catty.

In 2016’s criminally underrated Hurricane Bianca, the snarky RuPaul’s Drag Race alum portrays Mr. Richard Martinez, a dedicated educator who gets outed and fired from his job in small-town Texas. On a mission for revenge, he’s rehired under the guise of his drag alter-ego and strikes back against snotty pupils and the bigoted staff while helping the school’s community of misfits.

Queer teachers in media are few and far between. Hurricane Bianca showed gays can handle a classroom, impact learners, and grasp the concept of chemistry, too.

3. Mrs. Tingle from Teaching Mrs. Tingle

Helen Mirren glares at students while standing in the middle of her classroom as Mrs. Tingle in 1999 movie "Teaching Mrs. Tingle."

Helen Mirren plays Mrs. Tingle — a “teacher from hell” — in this 1999 dark comedy written and directed by Scream‘s queer horror king Kevin Williamson.

The oft-overlooked and campy flick follows brainy high schooler Leigh Ann (Kate Holmes, randomly), whose scholarship dreams are threatened by an unfair grade in history class from the spiteful and titular Mrs. Tingle.

Long story short, she visits Tingle’s house hoping to fix things, which quickly devolves into a hostage situation. With a surprising amount of B-plot hookup scenes. No one appreciates a villain like the gays, and watching Mrs. Tingle’s demise is surprisingly gratifying. Thank the lord, we never had a teacher this bad. But to quote the completely unrelated Chicago: “She had it coming!”

4. Mr. G from Summer Heights High

Chris Lilley’s hilariously cringy character Mr. G, whose exploits appeared in Australian mockumentary series Summer Heights High, is the best drama teacher we never had.

Between experimental methods, dictator-like direction, and ridiculously selfish motivations, Hellen “Greg” Gregson — yes, that’s his full name. LOL — was an effeminate hot mess we couldn’t stop watching. Most importantly, he demonstrated that queerness and a weaponized BFA shouldn’t be the only prerequisites for teaching theater.

Perhaps there’s a delusional Mr. G inside every gay, dying to say, “I’m better than all of you.” (And “Shove it up your arse, Margaret!”)

5. Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus

Miss Frizzle wears a purple collared dressed with a green lizard on her lap and beckons to students from the driver's seat of a yellow school bus in a scene from animated series "The Magic School Bus."

Has any animated series matched the ubiquitous belovedness of The Magic School Bus?!

The ’90s cartoon followed the eccentric Miss Frizzle, who challenged her students with sense-defying field trips via one enchanted vehicle. There was an undeniable queer-codedness to a quirkily dressed teacher who expanded her class’ minds through journeys into bodies, outer space, and even the Cretaceous period. (A voice provided by queer actress Lily Tomlin certainly helped.)

For many young gays, she represented an inspiring example of an adult thriving outside societal norms. And while Fizzle’s sexuality was undiscussed, we’d assume her bus would be as practical as a U-Haul in a hypothetical WLW relationship.

Thankfully, her queer-friendly energy lives on in Netflix‘s The Magic School Bus Rides Again, where her sister Fiona (voiced by gay actress Kate McKinnon) takes over the reins.

6. Ms. Norbury from Mean Girls

If there’s any Mean Girls teacher we’d come out to, it’s Ms. Norbury, the self-proclaimed “pusher” and sardonic mathlete advisor portrayed by Tina Fey. Her biting wit and refreshingly honest approach with students were authentic examples of adulthood—flawed, dedicated, and confident in who she was.

Regardless of those sexually charged moments with Tim Meadows’ Principal Duvall — don’t tell HR! — her role in helping Cady (Lindsay Lohan) navigate friendship, crushes, and mathematical limits seemingly implied a wizened and accepting energy. And judging by the vest she wore bartending at the mall, it’s probable that she had a bi-phase in college.

7. Sue Sylvester from Glee

There’s no teacher as beloved by the LGBTQ+ community (despite her Ryan Murphy-scripted hatred for them) as Coach Sue Sylvester. Glee would not be the same without the cheerleading coach’s biting wit, evil hijinx, patented track-suits, or actress Jane Lynch, who scored Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild awards for the role.

It’s a toss-up whether Coach Sylvester would help us seek revenge on our bullies or insult us for looking too fruity. Still, we’d volunteer for a roasting any day of the week.

And we may not have seen the last of her. In a recent interview, Lynch told People she’d “absolutely” revisit Sylvester one day. “The character was a big deal,” the queer actress added. “All the characters were a big deal. It kind of hit the psyche of America, and it still lives, which is really nice.”

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