The author of the original 1995 Wicked novel has confirmed that the lesbian subtext between Elphaba and Glinda was “intentional”. In an interview with Them, Gregory Maguire discussed the pair’s sexual tension, as well as their kiss in the book, which wasn’t included in the 2024 film.

“(The tension) was intentional, and it was modest and restrained and refined in such a way that one could imagine that one of those two young women had felt more than the other and had not wanted to say it,” the author, who is himself gay, said.

“Or perhaps because a novelist can’t write every scene, perhaps when the lights were out and the novelist was out having a smoke in the back alley, the girls had sex in the bed on the way to the Emerald City. I wanted to propose this possibility, but I did not want to make a declarative statement.”

As well as addressing the lesbian subtext, Maguire also talked about how the AIDS crisis influenced the Wicked book, as well as the possibility of Elphaba being intersex or trans. There are explicit references to her genitalia in the novel, and he explains: “I do sow seeds of possibility there. But I will tell you that the reason I sowed those seeds is that I wanted this book to be an examination about how we think of people as the end result of trauma, and that in fact, we are all larger than our traumas. 

“So, I put right at the very beginning the moment she’s born, there’s a question, does she have both sex organs? Maybe that was just a trick of the light? Well, you could wonder for the rest of her life and yours whether she did or not. But whether she did or not would not change the path that she had to go on,” he continues.

“We are all larger than the sum of the things that happen to us biologically, biochemically, emotionally, experientially, culturally; we are all larger than that. That’s what survival is. Discovering the breadth and scope of your own soul, despite and because of what happens to you.

“So I’m not going to answer the question about whether she is, but I think to ask the question is absolutely pertinent.”

The comments about the lesbian subtext come as the Wicked film, released in November, continues to enchant audiences across the globe. Despite not being explicitly queer, even Ariana Grande herself, who plays Glinda, said “every day in the Emerald City is a Pride parade”. She also suggested that her character “might be a little in the closet”.

Whether she is or not, many LGBTQ+ fans have felt represented in the land of Oz. This may be aided by the fact that a large portion of the cast is queer, including Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James.

However, not all audience members have been as thrilled by the camp quality of Wicked. In fact, the One Million Moms conservative Christian group has called for the film to be boycotted.

The organisation has launched a petition, asking supporters to send a message to Universal Pictures, saying: “I disagree with the LGBTQ agenda you are pushing on families in the film Wicked. My family and I will not watch this film. Universal has left conservative and Christian families with no choice but to avoid Wicked since it goes against our beliefs and values. My family will not support Universal Pictures; you have lost our trust.”

One Million Moms also takes issue with the “tremendous amount of witchcraft and sorcery” in the film, as well as the “not-so-discrete crossdressing and men crushing on men”.

Speaking about the openly LGBTQ+ cast members, the group added: “The queer representation and visibility in Wicked: Part One were important to them… Obviously, this part of the movie is a nod to inclusivity, along with a blatant attempt by Universal to normalize same-sex crushes.”

At the time of writing, the petition has just over 11,500 signatures.