Why Will Doesn't Say He's Gay In His 'Stranger Things' Coming Out Scene

Netflix

Spoiler alert: This post discusses plot details from Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 7.

Stranger Things fans have waited years for Will Byers to finally open up about his sexuality, and although that moment came in the penultimate episode of the series, it still managed to be pretty unexpected. Most notably, Will never used the word “gay” when telling all of his loved ones that he doesn’t “like girls” and is “different” from them. Showrunners Ross and Matt Duffer explained this was an intentional choice in their script.

“For us, it was just trying to make sure that the scene felt unique to both Will and unique for a coming out scene,” Ross said in a Dec. 25 Variety interview. “For us, it was about the fears — because that’s what Vecna does. He preys on the fears, which allows us to explore whether it’s someone like Max, who’s ...