Adam has a full transformation sequence and a flare for the dramatic. The intro sequence describes He-Man’s powers as “fabulous” and “secret.” The word fabulous has been associated with LGBT folk for a while, and so has the general concept of camp and flamboyance in television. Adam wears lavender spandex, and lavender happens to be strongly associated with queer history and was even an open symbol worn to show Pride. His mother eventually learns, but she is supportive, if a little worried about the kinds of things Adam is doing and where he’s swinging his sword. Prince Adam has a secret identity he can only tell to his closest companions. To break down what makes He-Man a gay icon, we can just list some completely true features of the character. He-Man is a gay icon, and let’s look at why because this show is very, very queer. But then He-Man and the Masters of the Universe debuted, and wowzers not one second of that show was straight. The characters that were allowed to be somewhat relatable to queer folk were, for the most part, portrayed as villains, degenerates, or that weird guy standing near the playground with a jazz cigarette.
Even cartoons were rampantly heterosexual. For a long time, queer kids had virtually nothing in terms of relatable, deliberate role models on tv.
