LGBT representation in children's television

Rebecca Sugar, a creator devoted to creating LGBT children's media, speaking at New York Comic Con 2014

Early children's programming addressing LGBT-related subject matter includes two episodes of CBS Schoolbreak Special. "What If I'm Gay?" originally aired on March 31, 1987. The episode told the story of a teenage boy struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. It was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Direction in Children's Programming. The 1993 episode "Other Mothers" featured a boy who was afraid that his friends would think he was gay because he has two mothers. The episode was nominated for five Daytime Emmys, winning for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Special, Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special (Justin Whalin) and Outstanding Sound Mixing in a Children's Special. In 1986, HBO broadcast The Truth About Alex, which told the story of a high school athlete who discovers that his best friend Alex is gay.

LGBT representation on Nickelodeon

On June 18, 2002, children's cable network Nickelodeon ran a program entitled Nick News Special Edition: My Family Is Different. Produced by Linda Ellerbee's Lucky Duck Productions and hosted by Ellerbee, My Family Is Different featured children of gay and lesbian parents talking with children from households that oppose equal rights for gay and lesbian families. This program was subject to much criticism from Christian organizations, such as the Washington-based Traditional Values Coalition, who believed the program pushed a "pro-homosexual agenda" and was not suitable for children.Another organization that opposed this episode was the Parents Television Council who claimed they had no problem with same-sex parents but did not think it was appropriate for Nickelodeon's young target audience.

Nickelodeon followed a similar path. On December 19, 2014, The Legend of Korra, another Nickelodeon show, aired their season finale, which showed Korra and Asami holding hands, showing they are in a relationship. As such, the show became one of the first western children's animation series to not only feature major LGBT characters, but also a lead LGBT character. In the aftermath of series finale, which aired on Nickelodeon and Nick.com, there were debates about "queer representation in children's media." Some noted that while the relationship between two bisexual characters, Korra and Asami, was built up during the course of the series, the words "I love you" were never uttered, nor did the characters kiss. Similarly, Kya of Legend of Korra was shown to be lesbian in the graphic novel following the series finale.

On June 2, 2015, gay drag queen RuPaul guest starred as a snail in the episode "Costume Boxing!" of series Bubble Guppies. The next year, Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! was confirmed to have two gay characters. Eugene Horowitz and Mr. Robert Simmons were confirmed as gay in July 2016 by the show's creator show's creator Craig Bartlett, but not explicitly stated in the series.

On July 20, 2016, an interracial gay couple, Howard and Harold McBride, was introduced in an episode of The Loud House titled "Overnight Success." This couple was described by Michael Rubiner, executive producer of the show from 2018 to present, as only natural, Even so, the latter was censored by a South African broadcaster, DStv, despite the fact that it was met with "overwhelmingly positive reaction." They would be the first pair of married male characters to be depicted on a Nickelodeon series. In later years, Luna Loud would be revealed as a bisexual girl who sent a love letter to a girl named Sam Sharp in the September 2017 episode "L is for Love". Later on, Sam seems to feel similarly about Luna and appears to reciprocate Luna's feelings in that episode and others, with Lori describing them as beginning to date in the episode "Racing Hearts," though neither character calls their excursion a date throughout the episode. Apart from this, in August 2019, the voice actor for Dana Dufresne, Maddie Taylor, revealed that the character had transitioned from a man to a trans woman, like herself, and said that the character would return in another episode within season 4. However, Season 4 concluded on July 23, 2020 and no such episode or even appearance of Dana was shown. Additionally, the show featured two lesbian characters. In a February 2020 episode, Lainey, one of Lynn's roller derby team, is dating a girl named Alice.

In October 2017 it was reported that a kiss between two female characters, Zarya Moonwolf and Kitty Boon, on the Nickelodeon show, Mysticons, was in danger of being cut. Despite this, the show showed the "development of a female-female romance," between Zarya, a main character, and her childhood friend, Kitty, known as "MoonBoon," culminating in romantic moments. Months later, on August 2018, the show's creator, Sean Jara, confirmed the two as a couple, noting that only one version of the episode was created and that the show's creative team fought for a kiss, but lost even though they managed "to keep the integrity of the love story." In later tweets, Jara said there is a "beautiful love story" between Zarya and Kitty in the show, referring to the interactions between the two characters in episode 37 ("The Princess and the Pirate"), stated the importance of showing "love between LGBTQ characters on TV," and said that the kiss was cut from the episode because of "systemic homophobia" in the kids television industry, crediting Rebecca Sugar for making strides. He then opined on the continual battle for more LGBTQ representation, cited an Entertainment Weekly article about LGBTQ representation in cartoons, and praised the battles for more representation which go on behind the scenes. He said this saying that Nick did not pick up the show for more than 40 episodes and, once again, confirmed Kitty and Zarya as a lesbian couple. Later, in September, Jara said that they treated the Kitty and Zarya relationship "like all the other relationships in the show." He added that while he was nervous and aware of possible roadblocks, Matt Ferguson, the show's director, supported it, as did his writing team, with Ferguson adding that pushback came from not from people who were "evil" but rather from those who were "trying to do the best job at their particular job."

In 2019, Nickelodeon released Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling, a television film and sequel to their 1993 series Rocko's Modern Life through Netflix. The producers worked with GLAAD to endure that the transgender character, in the form of cartoonist frog Rachel Bighead (known as Ralph Bighead in the original series) as well as a plotline involving her coming out to her parents, Ed and Bev Bighead, was respectful to the LGBTQ+ community and fit within the show itself. The same year, in September, animated miniseries Middle School Moguls began airing on the channel. One of the characters was a non-binary fashion mogul named Wren.

In 2020, Nickelodeon debuted a new television show, Danger Force, which portrayed two dads of a lost child in which Danger Force was trying to find his parents. The same show also featured all four members (two males, two females) having a crush on male heartthrob, Creston.

LGBT representation on PBS

In 2005, PBS planned to release an episode of the children's series Postcards from Buster in which the animated bunny, Buster Baxter, visits the children of two lesbian mothers. When education secretary Margaret Spellings stated disapproval of the planned episode, PBS withdrew plans for airing. Spellings believed the episode to be inappropriate for children as well as a misuse of governmental funding that the show had received. Lisa Reilly (WGBH Member Services), stands by the episode stating that, "We believe, as do WGBH's educational advisers on this series, that the program is appropriate for our audience and fits the series' mission to introduce children to the rich and varied cultures that make up the United States, including kids living in a wide range of family structures." Apart from Reilly's statement, then-PBS chief operating officer Wayne Godwin said the episode brought up an issue that was “best left for parents and children to address together at a time and manner of their own choosing,” while spokesperson Lea Sloan said it was “sensitive in today’s political climate.” Godwin also claimed that the episode conflicted with PBS‘s purpose. This rationale was criticized by FAIR for violating the "terms of its Education Department grant," calling what PBS did an act of "political pandering," and asking people to contact PBS, calling on them to "support programming according to their mandate, not political pressures." Years later, Rebecca Sugar described Spellings' idea as "absurd," saying she recognized the challenges of creating LGBTQ+-friendly animation when she tried to enter the animation field.

It wasn't until 2019 when PBS aired an Arthur episode titled “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone”, the Season 22 premiere, which featured Mr. Ratburn and Patrick marry each other. He and his husband are the first LGBT characters in the series. Later, the episode was banned by some Alabama broadcasters.

In 2020, an episode of Clifford the Big Red Dog aired on Amazon Prime Video and PBS Kids, titled “Dogbot”. It featured Dr. and Ms. Mulberry, the two moms of Samantha Mulberry. Dr. Mulberry, who is a veterinarian, is voiced by Maggie Cassella, an openly lesbian actress.

LGBT representation on Cartoon Network

See also: Role of Cartoon Network in LGBTQ representation in the 2010s and LGBTQ stories on Cartoon Network in the 2000s

In the 2010s, Cartoon Network became one of the key places for shows with LGBTQ characters and storylines. Some reviewers argued that when Disney and Cartoon Network are compared, its "easy to see who actually cares about LGBT representation," noting that for shows on Cartoon Network, "LGBT characters aren't centered around their sexuality." Others noted that the network hosted shows which were "strong champions for LGBT representation," like Adventure Time and Steven Universe. However, the creator of Steven Universe, Rebecca Sugar was told point-blank by executives that queer romance could have ended their show.

LGBT representation on Disney Channel

On February 15, 2016, series finale of Gravity Falls, aired on the Disney Channel featured Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland confirmed as a gay couple.

In 2017, Disney Channel in the United Kingdom aired a coming out scene on The Lodge, where Josh (Joshua Sinclair-Evans) explains to another character that girls are "not his type". The scene was the first coming out scene to be aired on a Disney Channel series. Also in 2017, Disney the creators of Andi Mack had the character Cyrus Goodman played by Joshua Rush come out as gay in the episode titled "Hey, Who Wants Pizza?" which was the first episode of season 2. In an effort to ensure the story arc was age appropriate for the network's young audience, Disney consulted with groups such as PFLAG, GLAAD, Common Sense Media, and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. In a 2019 episode titled "One and a Minyan", Cyrus became the first Disney character ever to say the word "gay" in its modern meaning when coming out to his male best friend, Jonah Beck (portrayed by Asher Angel). In the episode's finale, Cyrus held hands with the character TJ Kippen, and the two were confirmed to be a couple by various members of the cast and crew.

These were not the channel's first depiction of LGBT characters as Good Luck Charlie debuted the channel's first lesbian couple on January 26th, 2014. The couple was introduced when the series' main character Charlie has a playdate with her friend Taylor. When Charlie's parents answer the door, they are shocked to find that "Taylor has two moms!" as Bob, Charlie's dad exclaims. While many celebrities tweeted their support (including former Disney star Miley Cyrus), conservative watch group One Million Moms was not quiet about their disapproval of the episode and launched an email campaign against the network. They were joined in support by other conservative groups such as Family Research Council.

A number of others shows with LGBTQ characters aired on the Disney Channel and Disney XD. One of those was Star vs. the Forces of Evil. One character Jackie Lynn Thomas was bisexual. First she dated a male character but ended that relationship due to his feelings for the protagonist. Then, in the episode "Britta's Tacos", it is revealed that Jackie has a relationship with a French girl named Chloé. As such, it is clear that Jackie is bisexual. The show, also in 2017, has an episode, "Just Friends," featuring a scene where tens of couples kissed, including a same sex couple.

Another Disney show also featured LGBTQ characters: Star Wars Resistance, which aired from 2018 to 2020 on the Disney Channel and Disney XD. In this animation, Orka and Flix run the Office of Acquisitions on the Colossus, with Orka doing the negotiations. Justin Ridge, an executive producer for the show, said that its safe to call them a couple, adding "they’re absolutely a gay couple and we’re proud of that" on the Coffee With Kenobi podcast.

There were also a few shows which aired on Disney Junior. For instance, Doc McStuffins, featured a lesbian (and interracial) married couple, Thea and Edie, voiced by openly lesbian actresses Wanda Sykes and Portia de Rossi respectively. These two characters would be the first same-sex couple featured in a Disney Junior pre-school series. A few years later, an episode of T.O.T.S., "Seas the Day," aired on the same channel. In the episode, a baby dolphin named Donny is adopted by a dolphin lesbian couple.

Sign from First Nepal Pride Parade in June 2019

During its series run, The Owl House has dropped subtext and hints that several characters within the show are LGBTQ+. On July 7, 2020, series creator Dana Terrace implied this, when responding to a fan who posted a screenshot from the upcoming episode "Enchanting Grom Fright" on Twitter, which showed one of the characters in the show, Amity Blight, putting her hands on the shoulders of Luz Noceda, the show's main protagonist, and looking into Luz's eyes. Claiming "there is no heterosexual explanation" for Amity's action, Terrace responded, "there really isn't". On August 8, 2020, the episode, written by Molly Ostertag, aired, openly presenting and confirming Disney's first animated LGBT+ female non-recurring character. In previous episodes, Luz had shown interest in male characters but had begun to grow closer to Amity. On the other hand, Amity is shown to have a crush on Luz, confirming her to be lesbian or bisexual. In the episode, Luz and Amity dance together, while casting spells, to defeat "Grom," a demon that manifests as their deepest fears. The animation supervisor for the show, Spencer Wan, hinted at this, referring to their intimate dance, which he storyboarded with Hayley Foster, as "the gay thing" and the first time he got to "do anything even remotely queer." The following day, he posted an animatic of Luz and Amity's dance scene. As such, Amity and Luz represent Disney's first animated LGBT+ female regular characters. Additionally, in the episode "Understanding Willow", one of the main characters (Willow Park) is shown to have two dads.

After the episode aired, Terrace confirmed on Twitter that the episode features a bisexual character, but didn't confirm whether this was Amity, Luz, or both, however as noted by Reiss Smith of PinkNews, many fans assumed this referred to Luz. In a tweet the same day, Terrace described the challenges of putting LGBTQ+ characters in the show on Disney Channel due to restrictions, saying: "In [development] I was very open about my intention to put queer kids in the main cast. [...] When we were greenlit I was told by certain Disney leadership that I could NOT represent any form of bi or gay relationship on the Channel." Disney later approved the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters in the show. Additionally, Terrace stated that creating characters for the show helped her come out as bisexual in 2017, and hoped the characters would create "positive vibes" for people in the future and called the following episode "Wing It Like Witches" the "next chapter." Later that night, Alex Hirsch, one of the voice actors, Terrace's partner, and the creator of another Disney Channel production, Gravity Falls, chimed in, stating that the show has "explicitly queer" animated characters and lamented the challenges of getting LGBTQ representation in his own show. Afterward, Hirsch referred to a still from the episode of Luz and Amity dancing, noting that if it had been attempted in 2012 it would have received an "inappropriate for channel" censor note from Disney calling to revise it. He concluded "this time, Disney – you did good." The same day, PFLAG praised the LGBTQ visibility in the series, while GLAAD was excited by the "LGBTQ-inclusive storytelling" in the series. Apart from this, Eden Riegel, the voice actor for Boscha in the show, described Luz and Amity as "explicitly queer leads in glorious love doing actual magic in a demon world." Also that day, Chris Nee, creator of Doc McStuffins, made some remarks about the show, loving the show's queer representation, and noting that she "had to go to the mat to get my two mom episode of Doc," referring to the 2017 episode, "The Emergency Plan," which featured a "multiracial two-mom family, voiced by lesbian actors."

On August 15, 2020, the episode "Wing It Like Witches" aired on the Disney Channel. The following day, Deadline and CNN seemed to hint toward the conclusion that Luz is bisexual, with CNN calling her the "first bisexual character to make a Disney debut on a television series." ET Canada and NBC News came to similar conclusions in their articles. Apart from these news outlets, an official Spanish-language Disney twitter account stated that Luz was bisexual. On August 19 2020, star Wendie Malick revealed that she was unaware that the series would feature LGBTQ+ characters until she was sent a script for an unknown episode, and said that it is "a big move for Disney". On August 29, the season one finale, "Young Blood, Old Souls" aired on the Disney Channel. In his review of the episode, Kevin Johnson of The A.V. Club said that the Luz/Amity relationship is "deeply important and meaningful to the progress of LGTBQ+ portrayals on television," especially for those who are young, even as he stated that he found the "narrative development" of this development to be "a bit hollow." Petrana Radulovic of Polygon contrasted Johnson's review with one that was more positive. She said that those who enjoy The Dragon Prince and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power would like The Owl House, saying it is a fun show that is more episodic, similar to Steven Universe and Gravity Falls. She also praised the dance sequence between Luz and Amity in Enchanting Grom Fright as "ADORABLE and beautifully animated."

On September 2, during a Reddit AMA, Dana Terrace confirmed that Amity is intended to be a lesbian and that Luz is bisexual. She also stated that the relationship between Amity and Luz will be explored in Season 2 and that Luz is "oblivious to some things in front of her," including Amity's crush on her. In the same AMA, Terrace stated that Luz was Amity's first crush and that she was thrilled to see people connect to the show's characters, like Luz and Amity.

Despite these positives, Disney executives did not always receive LGBTQ characters and relationships positively. They, for instance, axed a proposed lesbian relationship in Gravity Falls, at the same time that Gumball was censored for supposed "homosexual overtones" by various countries, and the National Expert Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality in Ukraine advised the banning of SpongeBob SquarePants on the grounds that it promoted homosexuality. As such, Disney has been criticized for its approach to LGBTQ representation as compared to Cartoon Network.

LGBT representation on Amazon Video

In 2017, Amazon Video premiered the animated video series Danger & Eggs, for what would become its only season. The show, co-created by a trans woman named Shadi Petosky, was filled with LGBTQ+ characters: a femme "brown-skinned energetic creative" named Reina, a genderqueer character named Milo, who uses they/them pronouns Furthermore, the voice of Milo, an agender model named Tyler Ford said their character is an "accurate representation" of them. The show's final episode introduced the dads of Corporate Raider Jim, and a new trans teen, Zadie, who sings about acceptance and helps the series protagonists understand the meaning of a chosen family. Unfortunately, by February 2018, the future of Danger and Eggs was uncertain. As Petosky put it at the time, she felt that the show was in limbo, with the loss of the crew, without "much concern or enthusiasm" about the show, saying it "it just slipped through the cracks." She lamented that the show's fate is up the new executive team on the show and predicted the show would probably be cancelled as a result.

LGBT representation on CBBC

On 5 January 2013, The Dumping Ground aired an episode that centered around a child, Gus Carmichael (Noah Marullo), being adopted by a same-sex couple. In the episode, it was debated whether or not the couple should be allowed to foster Gus. After the debate, the same-sex couple were able to adopt Gus.

In 2013, creator of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Russell T. Davies, expressed his desire to implement a coming out scene for Luke Smith (Tommy Knight) if the series had continued past the fifth series. A boyfriend for the character, Sanjay, was written but never seen in the series. The idea was suggested by the CBBC network itself, but due to the death of cast member Elisabeth Sladen, the series ended prematurely.

In June 2020, Jamie Johnson character Dillon Simmonds (Patrick Ward) came out as gay, having previously been displayed as heterosexual. The storyline was highlighted for being introduced during pride month. On the storyline, CBBC stated: "Coming out isn't always easy, but by being a supportive ally we can hopefully create a safe space for the people we care about to be themselves".

In July 2020, CBBC aired an episode of The Next Step featuring two teenage girls kissing. Prior to the scene, characters Cleo (Dani Verayo) and Jude (Molly Saunders) were written to confess their feelings for each other, and begin a relationship together. The scene made history as the first same-sex kiss to be aired on the channel. Amidst both praise and criticism, the BBC defend the scene by stating: "CBBC is proud to reflect all areas of children's lives, including age appropriate representation of same sex relationships". Eloise Stonborough of LGBT charity Stonewall described the scenes as "an exciting moment for LGBT representation", and praised the series and CBBC for improving "understanding of what it means to be lesbian" for young viewers of The Next Step. The moment generated over 100 complaints, to which the BBC defended it, saying: "We believe that the storyline, and the kiss, was handled with sensitivity and without sensationalism, following as it did the portrayal of Jude and Cleo's developing relationship and I am afraid we do not agree that it was inappropriate for the audience age".

In August 2020, CBBC transmitted an episode of Mystic where character Caleb Burford (Joshua Tan) comes out as gay to Issie Brown (Macey Chipping). The scene was described as "groundbreaking" by Digital Spy.

Independent LGBT children's media

In September 2007 Dottie's Magic Pockets became the first available show for children in gay and lesbian families.

International LGBT children's media

Rodney Guy, a sketch on the Japanese children's series Ugo Ugo Ruga created by Rodney Greenblat, creator of PaRappa the Rapper featured gay marriages between multiple characters: Wonder Gal and Officer Gal; and Sport Guy and Handy Guy.

References

Sources

• Where We Are on TV Report: 2018-2019 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-04-10. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2019-2020 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-04-08. Retrieved April 21, 2020.