Hollywood has phed a ncerted, dtry-wi effort for years to place LGBTQ-related entertament to programs aimed at young dienc, often tim operatn wh gay rights group GLAAD.
Contents:
- 12 POPULAR CHILDREN’S TV SHOWS THAT HAVE GAY CHARACTERS
- 2020 WAS ANIMATN’S BIGGT, GAYT YEAR SO FAR
- WARNG TO PARENTS: PRO-GAY RTOONS ARE ON THE RISE
12 POPULAR CHILDREN’S TV SHOWS THAT HAVE GAY CHARACTERS
* gay cartoons shows *
Wh shows like Steven Universe leadg the charge and changg the game, no longer do we have to settle for “child-appropriate” (read: homophobic) censorship. Premierg on Nickeloon, The Loud Hoe ma history by troducg the work’s first married gay uple, Howard (Michael McDonald) and Harold McBri (Wayne Brady).
In addn to s vibrant animatn and killer soundtrack, the show ma wav wh s troductn of Benson (Coy Stewart), an openly gay male character (who even the word gay onscreen, a rary kids’ animatn.).
2020 WAS ANIMATN’S BIGGT, GAYT YEAR SO FAR
When live-actn televisn began makg roads for gay reprentatn durg the turn of the century, animatn remaed a tratgly straight (if equently queer-d) affair. The reasons behd the medium’s slowns were obv and, predictably, homophobic. So, pearl-clutchg TV crics would argue, children shouldn’t be exposed to “adult” (read: gay) characters through rnchy rtoons.
Wtern animatn, meanwhile, eher featured gay characters one-off episos (see “The Simpsons'” inic John Water’s gay steel l episo) if they were aimed more at adults, or kept hidn subtext if the target dience was younger. For example, years after “The Proud Fay” first aired, creator Ralph Farquhar admted that the character of Michael was wrten as gay, but had to be merely queer-d to nform wh Disney’s standards at the time. Between the Florida “Don’t Say Gay” bill and numero anti-trans laws passed red stat, there has been a ncentrated nservative effort to monize LGBTQ people and prevent discsn of sex and genr inty among children.
In celebratn of Pri Month, let’s take stock of the bt and gayt that animated TV has to offer. Pl, was ambig enough that the creators had to e out and affirm they were gay to a nfed fanbase. It might not be the bt gay animated show, but between s numero LGBTQ characters and a seri fale set at a pri celebratn, might be the most gay animated show.
WARNG TO PARENTS: PRO-GAY RTOONS ARE ON THE RISE
When Kipo attempts to make a move though, Benson reveals he’s gay a sweet, funny, and lovely sual g out scene. Anime fans had seen hundreds of shows of s ilk premiere before: sports seri ( this se, the sport is men’s figure skatg) where the protagonist (anx Japane performer Yuri Katsi) velops a blatantly homoerotic relatnship wh his bt iend/rival/mentor (his new ach, Rsian champn Viktor Nikiforov).
The show isn’t by any means the first gay anime (there are three others om beforehand on this very list! And beyond the central pair, the show works credibly well as the gay sports drama of your dreams, wh a banger openg and credibly animated and choreographed skatg sequenc that’ll have even the most figure skatg ignorant cheerg for Yuri to get the gold.
Queer characters abound, om the gay dads of Willow to nonbary ven lear Rae, but the show’s heart and soul is the bisexual Luz’s relatnship wh girliend Amy, which ph both to bee the bt versns of themselv. Luckily, time has let Ameri tch up wh “Sailor Moon, ” and subbed versns of the origal Japane versn of the show, as well as a more accurate English dub, are both available on Hulu, allowg the effortlsly ol Haka and Michi to be gay and stop crime.