Why Will's sexuality matters in the new season of 'Stranger Things'
The actor's belief that it's 'up to interpretation' is disappointing to some viewers.

The new season of "Stranger Things" is here, and there is debate around Will's sexuality.
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Season 4 of "Stranger Things."
Season 4 of the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things” premiered at the end of May and has already caused quite a stir. It’s been several years since the last season, and with Season 4 being broken up into two volumes, there’s quite a lot to be excited about.
Of course, there are a lot of things to talk about regarding the plot of the show, but one surprising topic is Will (played by Noah Schnapp) and his potential sexuality. In an interview with Variety, Schnapp and his co-star Millie Bobby Brown offered their thoughts on the subject, and while they’re entitled to their opinions, those opinions can actually be quite damaging.
The Variety article mentions (and many fans on social media will agree) that the show has kind of been dropping hints about Will’s sexuality for a long time, and the current season really makes that theory more obvious. I admit, I have not watched the show much, but as someone who identifies as queer, LGBTQIA+ representation on television is something that’s important to me. In Season 4 volume 1 of “Stranger Things,” Will’s budding queerness is bubbling just under the surface. For example, when he has to write about a hero he looks up to, he chooses Alan Turing, the gay mathematician forced to undergo chemical castration in the 1950s. (The show takes place in the 1980s, well before the movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch was released.)
Will also appears to have a crush on his friend Mike, as evidenced by some jealousy of Eleven and Mike’s relationship. When Mike confides in Will about his relationship with El, this is what he says in response.
“Sometimes, I think it’s just scary, to open up like that — to say how you really feel, especially to people you care about the most,” he starts. “Because what if — what if they don’t like the truth?”
Variety asked Schnapp what he believes to be true about Will’s sexuality and, to be quite honest, his reply is disappointing.
“I feel like they never really address it or blatantly say how Will is,” Schnapp begins. “I think that’s the beauty of it, that it’s just up to the audience’s interpretation, if it’s Will kind of just refusing to grow up and growing up slower than his friends, or if he is really gay.”
Brown added: “I think what’s really nice about Will’s character is that he’s just a human being going through his own personal demons and issues. So many kids out there don’t know, and that’s OK. That’s OK to not know. And that’s OK not to label things.”
Both Schnapp and Brown are failing to see why leaving Will’s sexuality ambiguous can actually be quite harmful. We’re living in a time where the powers that be are trying to remove the agency of the LGBTQIA+ community. “Don’t Say Gay” and anti-trans bills are popping up all over the country, and that would make it really easy for some people to hide behind the cape of sexual ambiguity for safety. But so many of us can’t or don’t want to hide. As long as we live in a world that will define us by our queerness to do us harm, there is very little space for being purposely vague. (Of course, this doesn’t apply to those who have to stay in the closet for safety reasons.)
“It’s such an amazing role for Noah to play,” Brown also said. “And to be that role model for kids out there who don’t know what they’re going through growing up.”
“It’s just nice to see that and have that shown on ‘Stranger Things’ for fans to connect to and be able to relate to,” Schnapp added. “Because so many of our viewers are young kids who are at that stage in their life.”
It is important to note: there is an openly lesbian character on the show, Robin (played by Maya Hawke.) By giving her a coming out arc in Season 3, it's clear the show understands the need for LBGQTIA+ representation. It also makes the ambiguity around Will's sexuality that much more frustrating.
It's true that kids today are more fluid in their queer identities. But it’s also true that having their queerness affirmed changes their lives. It feels like a cop-out to say that Will’s sexual ambiguity is being used purposely to give space to the kids who don’t quite have it figured out. Seeing a character who takes the journey through understanding their feelings to coming out could be really affirming to them. Everyone wants to feel seen, and having a character come out in such a manner would allow those kids (or even adults) the space to see themselves and know it will be OK.
On Twitter, fans are accusing the show’s writers of queerbaiting, and after this response, it’s not hard to see why they would land on that conclusion. For those who may not be familiar with the concept, Ricky Hill, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a faculty member of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, told Health it’s “'a marketing ploy' that nods at queerness but never actually delivers queerness.”
By even remotely hinting at Will being anything other than heterosexual (from what I can understand, people say his character has always given off gay vibes) you’re setting your audience up to make certain assumptions and assessments. And while we live in a time where there are record numbers of LGBTQIA+ characters on television, representation is still lacking. Queer viewers who are desperate for any nugget of queerness on a mainstream show like “Stranger Things” will most certainly attach to those potential hints about Will. That’s why Schnapp’s comment feels dismissive of queer existence.
There is still another volume to “Stranger Things” Season 4, which means there is still time for the writers to take out the ambiguity of Will’s sexuality. It’s 2022—while it’s nice to believe that labels don’t matter, for an abundance of reasons, they still do.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.