LGBT+ History Month 2025: How Wicked made activism and social change Popular!
To celebrate LGBT+ History Month, members of our Pride Network, Sarah Cosslett, Zachary Stewart and Matt Andrews, explore activism and social change in the recent film adaptation of Wicked, finding that the story offers a poignant exploration of identity, societal labels and the journey toward self-acceptance, particularly resonating with the struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community.
Based on the Gregory Maguire novel and record-breaking West End and Broadway musicals, box office hit Wicked: Part One offers a fresh take on a beloved Ozian story, revitalising audience interest in the LGBTQ+ themes of Wicked and its central characters, Elphaba and Glinda (played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera) who are celebrated as queer icons.
The film follows Elphaba’s journey from misunderstood outsider to the infamous “Wicked Witch of the West”. This transformation serves as a powerful metaphor for how marginalised identities are often labelled by society. Elphaba's evolution unfolds alongside Glinda’s journey on the yellow brick road towards active allyship.
Defying Gravity: Elphaba, “braverism”, and activism
“The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy.” – The Wizard
The story of Wicked centres around the complex relationship between Elphaba and Glinda in their time at Shiz University, with a subtle narrative from the offset that something baaa-d is happening in Oz.
Elphaba, a reserved and grounded witch, born with distinctive green skin, is paired to room with Glinda, whose radiant confidence and feminine taste starkly contrasts Elphaba’s defiance of convention. The differences and tension between the pair mean Elphaba is subjected to isolation and prejudice as she navigates the impenetrable hierarchy at Shiz. Only once Glinda begins to open her mind and understand Elphaba do the pair come together, but more on that later.
As we see Glinda begin to embrace her newfound compassion, the story shifts and begins to focus more centrally on the systemic injustice in Oz and Elphaba’s role in the resistance. In other words, the something baaa-d.
Elphaba develops a friendship with Dr Dillamond, a goat Professor at Shiz University and one of the few remaining animals allowed to teach. He confides in Elphaba about the marginalisation of animals and the discriminatory laws introduced to strip them of their rights and voices.
Elphaba, an outcast herself, is troubled by the animal's experience and begins to question the authority of the Wizard. Like the most influential LGBTQ+ activists in history, she advocates for the voiceless and selflessly disregards the consequences.
After receiving a personal invitation by the Wizard, Elphaba travels to the Emerald City and learns of his sinister plans for the animals, discovering that he is responsible for the deceptive propaganda. Without hesitation, Elphaba revolts, with isolation the price to pay for her impassioned advocacy. The Wizard brands her “The Wicked Witch of the West”, puppeteering a fictious villain to further oppress the people of Oz. Unyielding, with no intention of halting her defiance of the regime, Elphaba takes to the Western Sky and is transformed into a symbol of resistance.
Her unwavering commitment to justice mirrors the importance of active LGBTQ+ activism and the courage it requires. This dedication, and Elphaba’s journey of self-acceptance, has emboldened LGBTQ+ community members. The Wizard’s hatred was inconsequential to Elphaba. The injustice plagued her, but her new name merely bolstered her evolution to her true self, allowing her to “defy gravity”.
The accompanying song “Defying Gravity” is considered a queer anthem. This song and Elphaba’s head-on approach to prejudice, social change, and activism has allowed members of the LGBTQ+ community to find themselves, in the lyrics and in Elphaba.
Reclaiming identity and wickedness
“Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” – Glinda
Branded as wicked not because of any true wrongdoing, but because she challenges authority and resists societal expectations, Elphaba’s story mirrors the experience of LGBTQ+ individuals who have historically been vilified for simply existing outside traditional norms.
Yet, just as Elphaba reclaims her “wickedness” as a source of strength, queer communities have reclaimed once derogatory terms like “queer” to empower themselves, and rewrite the narrative forced upon them.
For much of history, the word “queer” was wielded as an insult, marking LGBTQ+ individuals as deviant, unnatural, or even dangerous. It carried societal scorn, much like the word “wicked” does for Elphaba. She is not born wicked, nor does she commit evil acts; rather, she is labelled as such for refusing to conform.
Elphaba challenges authority, questions the Wizard’s regime and embraces her own power despite others’ fear and misunderstanding. Similarly, LGBTQ+ individuals have been ostracised throughout history, not for evil acts but because their very existence contradicts “rigid” social norms.
But language is not static. Just as Elphaba defiantly claims her identity – wearing her “wickedness” as a badge of honour – LGBTQ+ communities have reclaimed language once meant to harm.
The term “queer”, once a slur, has been embraced as an inclusive, fluid, and defiant marker. It has become a symbol of resistance and of rejecting imposed definitions and instead embracing self-determination. By taking ownership of words meant to oppress, marginalised people disrupt the power structures that once sought to control them.
Elphaba’s journey mirrors this reclamation. She refuses to be defined by the Wizard’s propaganda, or the fear-driven narratives spread about her. Instead, she embraces her identity on her own terms and finds strength in what others see as her greatest flaw.
This is the heart of LGBTQ+ protest: the refusal to be erased or diminished by external narratives. Reclaiming “wickedness” is not about accepting the villainy assigned by society – it’s about Elphaba rewriting her own story entirely.
Otherness at the Ozdust: Glinda as a flawed ally
“Elphaba Thropp, listen to me. You can do this. You can do anything.” – Glinda
Galinda Upland, on the other hand, is portrayed as a vain, superficial, and self-obsessed product of her wealthy upbringing, shaped by her conservative and conventional childhood.
Upon arriving at Shiz, she exudes “main character energy” and flaunts her good looks, often at Elphaba’s expense. Elphaba, who has always been the “other” and subordinate sister tasked with looking after Nessa Rose, is not encouraged to pursue her own talents and attend university. From birth, Elphaba is denigrated by her father, who describes her as a “froggy ferny cabbage”. She is inconsequential to Galinda, who is more interested in preserving her self-image and impressing Fiyero.
Director Jon M. Chu cements Galinda’s prejudices at the outset of the film. As well as positioning herself as the most “popular” student on campus, Galinda openly mocks Elphaba’s verdant looks, fashion sense and mannerisms in the presence of others, mirroring experiences to which many LGBTQ+ individuals can relate.
Galinda is jealous of Elphaba’s innate magical power, particularly when she is selected for private tuition by Madame Morrible. In addition, her sycophant sidekicks Pfannee and Shenshen legitimise Galinda’s cruelty and portray Elphaba as a volatile and distrustful figure, worthy of their fellow students’ disgust. The pair even convince Galinda to give Elphaba an ugly (or “hideodious”) witch’s hat, insidiously setting Elphaba up for the ultimate form of public humiliation at the Ozdust.
A spellbinding night of “dancing through life” in a glittering ballroom, the Ozdust Ball marks a sea change in Galinda’s treatment of Elphaba, after she forces Madam Morrible to accept Galinda as a magic student.
Despite the risks to her image and reputation, Galinda uses her platform to stand with Elphaba after the other students belittle and degrade her. In a poignant, hushed moment where the two dance together, Galinda shows solidarity by accepting Elphaba’s otherness and empowering her peers to follow suit. Reflecting the active advocacy shown by allies to the LGBTQ+ community, Galinda attempts to create social change by setting aside her preconceptions about Elphaba and protecting her from mistreatment by others.
Despite this, and her efforts in making Elphaba her “new project”, Galinda’s allyship ultimately falls short.
Although meaning well, in the song "Popular!" Galinda attempts to make her now best friend Elphie conform to conventional standards of beauty and fashion. In another scene, she appears to side with Elphaba in her concern for the animals by announcing she’s changing her name – dropping the “Ga” that Dr Dillamond struggles to pronounce. Glinda’s performative activism highlights her privilege and undermines her kindness towards Elphaba, showing that while she does care about Elphaba, she is not capable of caring about other marginalised people if doing so challenges her social status.
Indeed, in "Defying Gravity", the final scene, Glinda chooses to abandon Elphaba in favour of staying loyal to the Wizard. Although she initially stands with her – “when we work in tandem, there’s no fight we cannot win” – and joins Elphaba in the hot air balloon, Glinda is complicit in the vilification of Elphaba. Her heartbreaking decision to “grovel in submission to feed her own ambition” shows Glinda’s willingness to conform to the hierarchy of power that turns Elphaba into Oz’s number one enemy.
Glinda's conditional allyship reminds us of the fragility of support for the LGBTQ+ community, which can vanish into thin air when the stakes are high. The dramatic conclusion of Wicked: Part One is a striking example of a choice that many allies face: to speak out or remain silent; to resist or comply; to stay grounded or fly.
This piece was co-authored by Trainee Sarah Cosslett and Solicitors Zachary Stewart and Matt Andrews, members of the Shepherd and Wedderburn Pride Network.