Moonlight Social Identity Theory

The Detriment of Heteronormativity on Black-Gay Intersectionality

Moonlight, a coming of age story set in Liberty City, an ethnically black enclave in Miami, Florida, portrays a young black male grappling with his desire to fit into a world that is unaccepting of his sexual orientation. His life is presented in three stanzas: Little, Chiron, and Black. Just as his nickname changes notably at three points in time, his personality is met with equally as much unrecognizability. Unrecognizable because of the strife he faces in a world that is intolerant of his attraction toward men. Chiron attempts to adapt to a society that upholds these standards, but struggles because of the incongruence of reality and expectation. While under the pressure of an upbringing

Moonlight firstly, allows a gay black man to be the protagonist. Secondly, it allows this protagonist to express traditionally feminine characteristics: to cry, feel emotion, be honest, and be vulnerable, however, not without the harsh reality of disapproval from his peers.
This is evident in the first scene, in which a shaky camera follows a young Chiron, nicknamed Little (Alex R Hibbert) as he runs from a group of bullies that have called him a “faggot.” Little is found by Juan (Mahershala Ali) who, struggling with his own identity as a Cuban man who is perceived as black, identifies with and makes Little feel accepted. Juan acts as a mentor to Little in more ways than one. In one especially profound scene, Juan teaches Little to float in the ocean; literally and perhaps metaphorically to float and to survive in the world. Juan also embodies the strongest representation of authority and masculinity of the film, and simultaneously is an example of gay acceptance when