What Hollywood can gain by placing the 'queer gaze' in the spotlight

When Greg Berlanti first read the script for "Love, Simon" he found the teenage coming-of-age dramedy at once "heartfelt and smart and funny."

The story of a high school teen struggling with coming out as gay to his community was something Berlanti was familiar with. It was an experience he once lived.

"I connected a lot with the lead character and the switch just went off," he said during a visit to the film's Atlanta set early last year. "A: I have to be really a part of this. And B: even if I don't end up getting the job, I have to let them know what I think so they can make the best version of this movie possible."

Berlanti didn't have a movie that aimed to capture that experience when he was younger: "I felt like I had to make it my priority and be