Thanks for the detailed write up on this. It makes a lot of sense, but I can also see why they might have downplayed it for the show. Stranger Things is so often acclaimed for its accurate representation of the 80s, and had they depicted Will as more openly gay it would have forced them to display some of the other characters in ways that would have made modern audiences dislike them; like Hopper using the bundle of sticks term so casually in the script. Hopper was a hero, and heroes in the 21st Century do not call children bundles of sticks (I'm glad they didn't have him say that). The likelihood of a 12 year old coming out in the 80s was also pretty low, so maybe the subtle hints were more appropriate, and not actually downplaying it?