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I Don’t Think Richie from Stephen King’s IT Is Gay
Is It Okay, Though, If He Is?
I was sitting in a movie theater, relaxing to the tale of a murderous, otherwordly clown who eats kids like Cheetos— you know the one — when my son Jace leaned over and whispered,
“It’s pretty cool how they made Richie a coded gay man.”
It took a second for his words to register, distracted as I was by blood exploding out of an on-screen chest. I whispered back that, though I could see how a person might reach that conclusion, Gay Richie (not to be confused with British director Guy Ritchie) probably wasn’t a thing.
Boy, was I wrong.
Google “richie tozier gay,” and you’ll find hundreds of comments, tweets, and subreddits opining on the character’s orientation. Not to mention articles in Variety. Hollywood Reporter. Interviews with Andy Muschietti, who directed both parts of It, and Bill Hader, who played adult Richie. The freaking New York Times:
[W]e learn that Richie Tozier, the fast-talking, foul-mouthed teenager (played by Finn Wolfhard) who grew up to be a popular stand-up comedian (Bill Hader) is gay and has been secretly in love with his friend and fellow club member Eddie Kaspbrak.
