User:Historyday01/sandbox 15

For LGBT themes in Western animation page, mentioned here, it should have the following subsections [apart from intro]:

PAGES USED: History of LGBT characters in animation, History of LGBT characters in animation: 1990s, History of LGBT characters in animation: 2000s, History of LGBT characters in animation: 2010s, History of LGBT characters in animation: 2020s

Base upon format/organization of LGBT themes in anime and manga page

History

Pre-1970s

Gender has always been a component of animation, with scholars Harry Benshoff and Sean Griffin writing that animation has always "hint[ed] at the performative nature of gender." They specifically cite the example of Bugs Bunny wearing a wig and a dress, acting as a female rabbit in drag. Some argued that the Walt Disney Company played with gender stereotypes in the past. Griffin stated that Disney's cartoon Ferdinand the Bull (1939) is "not necessarily gay, but it's definitely queer". The short film depicts a "sleepy eyed bull who doesn't conform to expectations of masculinity". Nico Lang of Harper's Bazaar said Disney's 1941 film The Reluctant Dragon "is extremely queer, even if it's not necessarily gay". He also noted the inclusion of a gay couple (two male antelopes) in Zootopia. Lang wrote, "in 1937, a group of lesbians in Chicago threw a series of bashes known as 'Mickey Mouse's parties.' These gatherings for like-minded ladies were a reference to the fact that 'Mickey Mouse' was a common term at the time for gay men", according to Griffin. Animation and popular culture scholar Jo Johnson would later describe Bugs Bunny as challenging "signifiers of traditional masculinity". Johnson would also argue that Looney Tunes pulled audiences challenges "the conventional notion of anatomy and gender." He also recounted that Bugs Bunny appeared in drag on "At least 45 separate occasions," and his gender ambiguity fluxes, showing masculinity and femininity at different times, even though he is clearly heterosexual. Johnson described shorts like "What's Opera, Doc?" as one of the most "subversive" because Bugs dresses as a woman through the majority of the animated short. Another scholar said that Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck kissed male enemies so they could "humiliate and annoy them."

It would later be stated that with Bugs Bunny you could have "a rabbit kiss a man, and that wouldn’t be considered this alarming thing" that would be censored or cut, and it was fine for Bugs Bunny to dress in drag because it was "meant as a form of comedy." Even so, the Hays Code was still enforced in the United States, which banned curse words, forbid depiction of interracial relationships, and had a "puritanical view of sex," and was replaced by a film rating system in 1968, with many of its "arbitrary moral guidelines" persisting for decades. One scholar, Jo Johnson, argued that Jerry in the Tom & Jerry cartoons had an androgynous design, even if feminized, and noted a possible homoerotic subtext between Jerry and Tom, especially when there is cross-dressing, like the notable 1945 short "Flirty Birdy" where the ending shows the Eagle marries Tom while in drag. Johnson pointed to the 1966 short "Jerry-Go-Round", by Chuck Jones, as having a coded same-sex relationship between Jerry, who was gendered by Jones as female, and a female elephant who wears a pink tutu. She argued that the episode's ending could be read as a "prophetic depiction of Gay Pride." Cade M. Olmstead, an interdisciplinary philosophy scholar, built upon Johnson's work. He argued that Tom and Jerry "subverts normalized gender and sexuality structures" through theatrical play and performance, transgressing the normal construction of gender.

1960s-1980s

Despite the queer coding in "Bugs Bunny" and "Tom & Jerry" cartoons, as scholars Deborah A. Fisher, Douglas L. Hill, Joel W. Grube, and Enid L. Gruber noted, before 1970, almost no gay characters were on television, and they remained relatively absent "until the 1990s." Erika Scheimer, daughter of Filmation founder Lou Scheimer, was the Assistant Recording Director for She-Ra: Princess of Power. She voiced various characters and felt comfortable working as a lesbian at Filmation, while shaping "one of the biggest animated gay icons of all time": She-Ra. In later years, animation producer ND Stevenson, the showrunner of the reboot series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, would argue that "the original She-Ra was incredibly gay for a show made in 1987" and the crew who worked on the reboot series tried to incorporate the same themes. Ursula, the octopus-inspired sea creature from the 1989 film, The Little Mermaid, was inspired by Divine, an American actor, singer and drag queen. Queer communities welcomed "her with open arms" despite that fact she was a villain, and her character was later praised by director John Waters. John Musker, a director of Moana, and co-director of The Little Mermaid, noted that Howard Ashman, a writer of the film, knew Devine and had one of the principal animators, Rob Menkoff, do drawings based on Devine. The other director of Moana (and a co-director of The Little Mermaid), Ron Clements, stated that it "just fit the character," while Musker called Ursula a "little mix of Divine and Joan Collins" and Jeffrey Schwarz described the film as "pretty queer".

1990s

Ashman was also, reportedly, a "big fan" of John Waters, and after the film, he got sick, as he was HIV positive, and he died from AIDS before he could accept the Academy Award for the music selection of Beauty and the Beast. Filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz, who did a documentary on Divine, thought the film was pretty queer, while Sarah Ashman Gillespie, Ashman's sister, called the film "totally subversive." It was also revealed that earlier designs of Ursula were inspired by the singer Patti LaBelle, with Musker saying that in the early development art for the character, and Menkoff adding that they were "trying to get some of Divine's big, campy, overweight diva" into the design, which was incorporated into the final character. She was also described as "Mae West of the deep sea" and the first plus-size icon in a Disney film. Akash Nikolas, a former editor for Zap2It, wrote, in a piece for The Atlantic, pointed to queer subtext and themes in The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Dumbo, Pinocchio, Aladdin, and Mulan, described Disney films as "both traditional and subversive," echoed by Hugh Ryan in Vice. During this decade, characters on Fox and Comedy Central shows comprised most of the LGBTQ characters on television. Shows like The Simpsons and South Park especially would be influential on other adult animations in the years to come. Continuing from the late 1980s, villains in Disney films which were queer coded appeared.

Some argued that cable television, which began to pick up in the 1990s, "opened the door for more representation" even though various levels of approvals remained. Animation and popular culture scholar Jo Johnson argued that 1990s animated sitcoms enabled queer characters to emerge from, in his words, its "relegated position...and drop an anvil on the head of heteronormativity." She further argued that shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, and King of the Hill subverted the nuclear family model and the "stereotypical gender roles assigned to it." He also said that The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and South Park satirized American mores and allowed homosexual characters as part of the family. Other scholars argued that in the 1990s, animators were determined to remind audiences watching that some cartoons weren't for children, with "gay content" seen as a way to demonstrate a show is hip or sophisticated, with a running gag in The Critic that the boss of the title character believes the protagonist is gay. As such, The Critic and The Tick were said to be two animated shows with gay characters and gay references. The Simpsons would be noted as having "gay themes and characters" in various episodes.

2000s

The 2000s brought with it Queer Duck, the first animated TV series on U.S. television which featured homosexuality as a major theme, an alien named Roger in American Dad who had an ambiguous sexuality, and an assortment of other shows. There was under-representation of gay characters through the Fall 2000 television season for all broadcast shows, according to scholars, with trend continuing until at least 2003. It would not be until 2005 that GLAAD would began their annual "Where We Are on TV Report" starting its continuing effort to compile statistics on characters in the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups. GLAAD bemoaned the lack of representation. They noted in the regular 2006–2007 season, LGBTQ+ characters only comprised 1.3% of all regular characters on major broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, The CW, and UPN). Reports in 2008 and 2009 mentioned LGBTQ+ characters in animated comedies like The Simpsons and American Dad. and other prime-time programming such as Sit Down, Shut Up, The Goode Family, Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World, and Drawn Together, while having reservations about existing LGBTQ+ characters on television. In a 2009 report, GLAAD criticized the lack of Black LGBTQ characters as regular characters on television networks, and stated that most animated LGBT characters were on FOX, lamenting that while South Park historically had LGBT characters and storylines, it could be "hit or miss" like Family Guy.

2010s

In 2010, animation and popular culture scholar Jo Johnson argued that the medium of animation itself is being used to "represent prime-time sexuality and gender in a more progressive way than a live-action show." She went on to say that progress made by animated shows has allowed audiences to laugh with, rather than at, queer characters. The 2010s were a decade which would change LGBT representation in animation going forward in a significant way. This included series such as The Legend of Korra, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Arthur, and Bojack Horseman.

GLAAD would report on trends with LGBTQ+ representation during this period. In 2014, the organization would comment that children's programming had been "slow to reflect the diversity its audience is experiencing in its daily life." Later, they would report that in the 2016-2017 broadcast season, the highest number of LGBTQ characters they had recorded yet appeared, and praised the increase of such characters on streaming services the next year. The organization later praised services such as Netflix, CW Seed, Amazon, and Hulu for increasing LGBTQ representation, the latter three in "daytime kids and family television." Insider later noted that according to their database of LGBTQ characters in children's animations, there was a "more than 200% spike in queer and gender-minority characters in children's animated TV shows" between 2017 and 2019 In July 2019, Leanne Italie, in an article for Associated Press, argued that LGBTQ diversity on children's television was growing. Others were more critical, calling for more LGBTQ animation and reported that LGBTQ+ characters in animated television remained somewhat rare.

2020s

Building on the progress in the 2010s, the 2020s held the promise of changing LGBT representation in animation in a significant way, especially when it came to Western animation. In 2020, the Steven Universe franchise came to an end with the final episodes of Steven Universe Future, as did She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. The 2020s also included series with LGBTQ characters, such as The Hollow, DuckTales, Harley Quinn, and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. In their 2020–2021 GLAAD report praised representation in DuckTales, The Owl House, The Loud House, and Harley Quinn. The organization also pointed to representation in Doom Patrol, Young Justice, and Adventure Time: Distant Lands. In August 2021, Insider found that in their analysis of 259 LGBTQ cartoon characters, stretching back to the 1980s, that "only 10 out of just 70 identified people of color...had leading roles" and a significant proportion lacked "explicit racial specificity." In September 2021, Insider reporter Abbey White, said that children's animation is "arguably at the forefront of our conversations about non-binary identity and gender non-conforming identities," breaking down gender binaries reinforced in the media, and noted the animated series which are stepping up.

Distribution, censorship and changes

From the 1930s to 1950s, animation in the U.S. was produced under the Hays Code, followed by the Motion Picture Association of America's film rating system, beginning in November 1968, which was used to help parents decide what films are appropriate for their children, and is administered by the Classification & Ratings Administration (CARA), a MPAA (and later MPA) independent division. Many television networks also had Broadcast Standards and Practices departments which were (and are) responsible for the moral, ethical, and legal implications of the program that the network airs.

This led to subtextual depictions of LGBTQ+ characters. For example, Greg Weisman, creator of Gargoyles, which was syndicated for most of its run, between 1994 and 1996, and then would air on ABC for the last two years of its broadcast, from 1996 to 1997, said that he was not allowed to have LGBTQ representation in the series due to fear of backlash, saying that ABC would "freak out" over responses and said they were "scared of parental response." He previously confirmed characters as within the LGBTQ+ community, including Lexington as gay, in 2008. Around the same time, some claimed that Silver Spooner, the sidekick to Barbequor, appeared in a May 1996 episode of Dexter's Laboratory titled "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor," was a stereotype of gay men, others said it had more to do with copyright infringement as the estate of Jack Kirby threatened to sue Cartoon Network over the parody character. In addition, Blazing Dragons (1996-1998), a series created by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott, features Sir Blaze, a flamboyant and effeminate character. His implicit homosexuality was censored when the series aired on Toon Disney in the United States. Others argued that Buttercup, in the April 7, 1999 episode of The Powerpuff Girls, titled "The Rowdyruff Boys", doesn't enjoy the experience and is the "possible lesbian" of the Powerpuff Girls.

Censorship and broadcast standards

In the 2000s, Static Shock, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Proud Family were impacted by standards, censorship, and occasional protests by Christian fundamentalists. Richard "Richie" Osgood Foley, best friend of Static/Virgil, Richie, also known as Gear, who appeared in Kids' WB's Static Shock was based on an openly gay character named Rick Stone from the original comic. Dwayne McDuffie, one of the show's creators, said he dealt with the homosexuality of Richie by writing him "aggressively and unconvincingly announcing his heterosexuality whenever possible...while Virgil rolled his eyes at the transparency of it" but it never came up in the show because it was rated Y-7. Throughout the 2000s, Christian fundamentalist groups, such as Focus on the Family, criticized SpongeBob SquarePants, claiming that Spongebob was gay and that the series was spreading "homosexual propaganda," leading series creator Stephen Hillenburg to describe SpongeBob as asexual, rather than gay. Another scholar argued that characters like SpongeBob SquarePants challenged the "signifiers of traditional masculinity," and noted that Spongebob was "primarily asexual," but has a traditional wardrobe, and his design uses masculine and feminine signifiers at the same time, and able to fluctuate between "masculine aggression and...feminine positivity." In February 2021, Ralph Farquhar revealed that in The Proud Family, which aired on the Disney Channel from 2001 to 2005, they had to use "code to talk about if Michael was gay, to talk about sexuality" and to be "sort of underhanded about it," and said this changed with the revival/reboot The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

In later years, Abbey White of Insider argued that one of the reasons that children's animation were stymied in their attempts to be more inclusive, for decades, was due to Standards and Practices departments within networks, the latter which interpreted rating guidelines and definitions of profanity, indecency, and obscenity by the FCC, to guide their notes to crew working on various animated series. She noted that these departments, as do studio executives, determine whether words such as "pride" or "gay," or other LGBTQ terms, can be shown on onscreen or said by a character. Even so, the story said that while these departments have a huge sway, the conservative pushback to certain shows have led to removal of content, and said that top executives have the power to make changes to increase inclusion. This included comments on Steven Universe by Cartoon Network Standards and Practices Department which informed Rebecca Sugar that Ruby and Sapphire, who fused together as Garnet, couldn't "kiss on the mouth" and she often had to defend the show's stories and "audience of queer youth."

In another example, in June 2021, it was reported that when the studio producing Mysticons changed the series to center on four teenage girls, Jara brought in more women and queer writers to the show's writing team, who were "responsible for building out an arc between lesbian characters Zarya Moonwolf and Kitty Boon." The report also noted that while he received support from Nickelodeon, and fellow producers, a partner was concerned that the storyline was not "age-appropriate" for young viewers, resulting in the kiss scene being cut, but he fought for their romance to remain included. On the other hand, when Doc McStuffins, featured a lesbian (and interracial) married couple in August 2017, Jeremy Blacklow, GLAAD director of entertainment media, argued that this episode would be a turning point for executives who fear boycotts from conservative groups and called it a "major win for both Disney and preschool series."

On March 10, 2022, Pixar employees argued that "nearly every moment" of openly gay affection was cut due to demands from Disney executives, even if creative teams and Pixar executives objected, arguing that these employees are being barred from creating queer content in animated films. Some critics countered that Pixar also downplayed queer moments in films like Luca and Turning Red. Previously, some argued that the film felt "gay" even if not "explicitly queer," and more ambiguous, while the film's director, Enrico Casarosa, said this was unintentional and that his original vision for the film was to explore the time in a child's life before romance, but welcomed the interpretation after the film's release, also stating: "while I identify with pronouns he/him and I am a straight man, the themes of diversity, acceptance and inclusion in our movie are dear to my heart". It was later reported that a same-sex kiss in Lightyear, was reinstated, with the film featuring the studio's "first-ever on-screen kiss between two characters of the same gender" between Alisha Hawthorne and her wife Kiko.

Other characters were confirmed outside of the series. For instance, Eugene Horowitz and Mr. Robert Simmons, Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold!, was described as gay by the show's creator Craig Bartlett in July 2016, twelve years after the series ended, while Orka and Flix in Star Wars Resistance, were confirmed by executive producer Justin Ridge, as "absolutely a gay couple" This lead some to say they didn't see themselves in the show because these characters were only confirmed outside of the show's universe by the show's creators. Other characters were said to be "basically canon." For example, Cissy Jones, who voiced Lilith Clawthorne in The Owl House said during a charity stream that it was "basically canon" that Lilith didn't have any romantic attractions, i.e. was asexual, confirming those identities.

Stereotypes and tropes

Many Western animated series and films have featured stereotypes and tropes over the years. This included...

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BELOW QUOTES ARE ABOUT Alladin

"Narrator: Other characters like Gaston and LeFou from "Beauty and the Beast" and Jafar from "Aladdin" could have been influenced by their makers. They were created by Andreas Deja, an openly gay animator, and sang music written by openly gay lyricist Howard Ashman. But that sliver of representation had its downfalls. Rebecca Sugar: If you can only exist as a villain or a joke, I mean, that's a really heavy thing to be saturated with as a kid. Narrator: And despite code improvements, networks were still hesitant to show any obvious representation."

"ANDREAS DEJA, a supervising animator at Disney, designed Beauty and the Beast's Gaston, Aladdin's Jafar, The Lion King's Scar, and the title character of Hercules."

"Filmmaker David Thorpe examines Disney's history of associating gay men with villainy in Do I Sound Gay?, a 2014 documentary on the "gay voice." Aside from a pronounced lisp, Thorpe tells BAZAAR.com that a number of characteristics send the message that there's something a little bit off about characters like Jafar, the villain of 1992's Aladdin, and Scar, the antagonist of 1994's The Lion King. "For decades, Disney films have reinforced the stereotype that gay men are bad because not only do they scheme and enact mischief upon the good characters, but they are also bad because they don't conform to cultural norms of gender," Thorpe explains in a phone interview. "The men are flamboyant. They use flowery language. They have a very snobbish way of speaking. They're often very fastidious and pay a lot of attention to how they dress. They are a cartoon, both literally and metaphorically, of what gay men are.""

"Growing up, my favorite song in Aladdin was the “Prince Ali” reprise in which a deliciously campy Jafar reveals Aladdin’s true identity to Princess Jasmine. “So Ali turns out to be merely Aladdin,” I would sing, mimicking Jafar’s effete drawl as best I could. “Just a con. / Need I go on? / Take it from me.” It’s no secret that Jafar is one of the many classic animated Disney villains who can be read as queer-coded, meaning that writers and animators used certain LGBTQ signifiers to make them seem more menacing or abnormal. Think about Scar’s limp wrist in The Lion King or the bows in Governor Ratcliffe’s hair in Pocahontas or, well, everything about The Little Mermaid’s Ursula, who was literally modeled after the drag queen Divine....Jafar was polished, sophisticated, and bitingly funny. I mean, Jafar basically reads Aladdin in that reprise: “His personality flaws / Give me adequate cause / To send him packing on a one-way trip / So his prospects take a terminal dip / His assets frozen / The venue chosen is the ends of the earth, whoopee! / So long, ex-Prince Ali!” So imagine the weird mix of emotions I felt when the live-action version of Aladdin not only omitted the “Prince Ali” reprise but turned Jafar into a conventionally hot and frankly bland villain. Vox’s Aja Romano described Marian Kenzari’s Jafar perfectly: “quiet, straightforward, and almost affectless.” On one hand, I found it encouraging that Disney was no longer using hints of homosexuality to paint Jafar as evil. But on the other hand, Hot Jafar was no fun."- https://web.archive.org/web/20210719204210/http://www.newnownext.com/disney-queer-coded-animated-villains/07/2019/

"Sports black eyeliner and shoulder pads, Aladdin’s nemesis [Jafar] is a great example of Disney’s long history of queer-coded villains. Other glaring examples include Scar in The Lion King, and Pocahontas’ John Ratcliffe...With a knack for drag and an abundance of pop-culture knowledge, Robin William’s big blue spirit is like your favorite brunch gay. He may have been forced to serve Aladdin, but he’d probably have done anything the “street rat” wanted anyway." https://web.archive.org/web/20220518064926/http://www.newnownext.com/disney-gay-characters/03/2017/

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Gaston and LeFou in the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast and Jafar from the 1992 film Aladdin were created by a gay animator named Andreas Deja, and sang music by Howard Ashman, who was also gay. The fact that Deja had also worked on Scar in The Lion King and the titular character in Hercules, for example, has been discussed as an influence on the development of some Disney characters. This queer coding, however, had its disadvantages, with networks not wanting to show overt representation. Rebecca Sugar argued that it is "really heavy" for a kid to only exist "as a villain or a joke" in an animated series. In 2011, Deja told news.com.au Disney would have a "family that has two dads or two mums" if they find the "right kind of story with that kind of concept." However, other critics criticized such queer-coded villains as contributing to "homophobic discourse" and equating queerness with evil itself.

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In March 19, 1996, the animated series The Ambiguously Gay Duo, created by Robert Smigel and J. J. Sedelmaier, would premiere on The Dana Carvey Show. It would appear on Saturday Night Live on September 28, and air another 11 episodes until its conclusion in September 2011. The show follows the adventures of Ace and Gary, voiced by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, respectively, two superheroes whose sexual orientation is a matter of dispute, and a cavalcade of characters preoccupied with the question. The series is a parody of the stereotypical comic book superhero duo done in the style of Saturday morning cartoons like Super Friends, with shorts intended to satirize suggestions that early Batman comics implied a homosexual relationship between the eponymous title character and his field partner and protégé Robin, a charge most infamously leveled by Fredric Wertham in his 1954 book, Seduction of the Innocent, the research methodology for which was later discredited. This superhero show aired at the time there were other queer-themed live-action segments, like one of a gay weightlifting pair (Hans and Carvey), the "It's Pat" sketch from 1990-1994, which derived much of its humor from "speculation about Pat's gender and sexuality," and comic Terry Sweeney having a role on SNL, becoming the first regular gay performer in television.

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Matt Stone speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, for "South Park: Season 20", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California on July 22, 2016; Stone voiced Big Gay Al, a gay character in South Park.

South Park, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on Comedy Central in August 1997. The show's fourth episode, "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" featured a flamboyant homosexual man named Big Gay Al who ran an animal sanctuary with gay animals. In the course of the show, Big Gay Al would openly display his homosexuality and be an open advocate for gay rights. Despite this array of characters, the show made it clear that cartoons are not only for kids, like The Simpsons, but it did not counter the idea that it is "inappropriate to expose kids to the existence of queer people." Big Gay Al would also be described as a "stereotypical gay man" who teaches those in South Park about the evils of homophobia through history, and would be said to be "delightful," educating pet owners on the "evils of homophobia" in his debut episode. In the episode, Stan says "Gay is Ok!" and brings people to Big Gay Al's gay animal sanctuary. Literature and queer studies scholar James Keller would critically analyze the series saying that it has moderate liberal beliefs and queer sensibilities, along with homophobic bias, even punitive against celebrities who advocate for gay rights like Barbra Streisand. Keller also pointed to the libertarian beliefs of Stone and Parker, with laissez-faire approach to LGBTQ discrimination and rights, affecting the show's narrative choices and creating even-handed views of issues which have diametrically opposed sides. On the other hand, he stated that while the show can be seen as "homophobic in its surface and its context," possible leading to less outcry from the LGBTQ community, the show's three principle gay characters are "caricatures," the word "gay" is used by the protagonists to label each other, even though none of them are gay, and argued that interpreting the show from a queer perspective can recuperate the "residual homophobia" of the show.

One of the characters introduced in the show's first episode would be Liane Cartman, the mother of Cartman. She would later be shown be bisexual and sexually promiscuous. Keller argued that Cartman was also constructed as gay. He pointed to how Cartman acted in episodes such as "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society," "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut," and "AWESOM-O" as examples of him being associated with "same-sex desire."

In February 1998, in the episode "Tom's Rhinoplasty", Ms. Ellen was introduced. In the episode, she would be an openly lesbian teacher. Her character was a gag referring to the show, Ellen, headlined by Ellen DeGeneres.

In May 1998, Stephen Stotch was introduced in the episode "Chickenlover." He would be a bisexual man and regular customer at the local gay theater and bath house.

In April 1998, in the episode "Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus", Saddam Hussein first appeared as a character. He would be in a relationship with Satan, with the two later breaking up later in the series. Both would be described as some of the show's most "unsympathetic characters," and that that show rarely presents homosexuals "who are easy to like." Even so, Satan, who showed vanity and selfishness, was said to be sympathetic, even with a muscular exterior, while effeminate, passive, and sensitive, while Saddam is the "dominant and sexually exploitative one," and their relationship is said to be 'funny" since it "emulates a heterosexual couple." Satan, Hussein, and Big Gay Al would all appear in the 1999 film, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. In that film, gender is integral to the plot, as Stan is told by Chef he needs to find the clitoris if he wants Wendy to like him, and he thinks that this is a different creature separate from the female himself, specifically "an oracle to consult in the effort to discover the secret to male-female relations." Others would note that the film's original title was rejected for having the word "hell" but when the title was changed, MPAA approved it.

In July 1999, in an episode of South Park, "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub," the dads of Kyle and Stan masturbate one another in a hot tub.

In the June 2001, the South Park episode "Cripple Fight" premiered. In the episode, Big Gay Al is removed as Boy Scout leader because he is gay. However, even though his replacement is a pedophile he rejects the opportunity to retake the role, citing the rights of parents to protect their children from those they expect as friends, which some say proves that he will not confirm to "masculinist expectations and assumptions" and will remain a "Big (Queer) Al without apology or compromise." It is also pointed out, though that Al channels ideas of his heterosexual creators, and he was described as a "round, effeminate, oversexed, and scrupulously manicured dance hall queen" who acquiesces to the abuses of heterosexism.

In November 2002, in the South Park episode "The Death Camp of Tolerance," Mr. Slave would be introduced. The episode, which parodies enthusiastic support of minorities by "the heterosexual power structure," would be noted as implying that American culture has become "too liberal or too tolerant," and noted as treating a highly negative legend about gay people as true in order to justify "imposition of limitations on tolerance," even as the speech by Herbert Garrison could be interpreted as stating that the queer community shouldn't be accepted by the mainstream and should be left on its own to "ply its own music within a socio-political environment that does not discriminate or persecute." Literature and queer studies scholar James Keller would argue that Mr. Slave, on the other hand, is a gay S&M cliche and "leather queen" for wearing chaps, a leather vest over his bear chest, and a biker's hat, with a personality and speech patterns like hyper-masculine men, even as he lips every expression and is "more effeminate than Big Gay Al." Keller would also state that his gender identity is incoherent, but that he rejects Garrison after Garrison transitions, and even describes himself as "born a whore." He would be, for part of the series, Mr. Slave would be the boyfriend of Herbert Garrison. Mr. Slave is married to Big Gay Al, as of the episode, "Follow That Egg". The episode would be criticized for suggesting that politicians vote on their consciences rather than their constituency on controversial issues, that there is no scientific evidence on gay parenting, and the fact that Colorado does not recognize gender reassignment, as the sexually reassigned remain the gender of their birth.

Garrison, himself, would be, in the series, originally presented as a closeted homosexual. Storylines would feature Garrison coming out as a gay man, then having a gender reassignment surgery to become female (known as Janet Garrison), becoming a lesbian, and then changing back to a man. It is shown he still has feelings for his ex-boyfriend, Mr. Slave as shown in the episode "Follow That Egg!" One scholar argued that characters like Bugs Bunny and Mulan, who cross-dressed, paved the way for characters like Mr./Mrs. Garrison, described as a "post-op transgender character." Keller would argue that after Garrison transitioned to a woman, after which Mr. Slave turned to Big Gay Al instead, Garrison could embrace and deny his incoherent sexuality, claiming to be a real woman, and experiencing gender dysphoria. However, he would state that Garrison would engage in "borderline neurotic" before the transition, and be in a relationship with his longtime companion, Mr. Hat, who was chastised by Garrison for his "homosexual longings." He would also be noted as being viciously homophobia before coming out as gay, which some could see as dismissive of the reality of homophobia, and continuing to be homophobic after his transition, even leading a campaign to ban same-sex marriage in Colorado. Furthermore, it was noted that in the episode "Mr. Garrison's Fancy Vagina," his misapprehensions ignore the counseling processes required before someone has sex reassignment surgery, and his breasts are a subject or ridicule, with the monstrosity trope associated with him. As such, Keller argued that episodes such as "Mr. Garrison's Fancy Vagina," "Go God Go," and "Go God Go XII" imply that when someone embraces sexual reassignment it is a "slippery slope" which will lead humanity away from a "divine plan and result in an incoherent and godless future of internecine warfare." Garrison would also be described as "self-hating closet case who has a campy hand puppet named Mr. Hat."

The October 2003 South Park episode "South Park Is Gay!" satirizes The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. However, it was criticized for containing a "potentially violent homophobic subtext," with Keller noting that while South Park does not have any more stereotypes than "The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", it takes the idea of the show seriously, spreading gay tastes through the straight population, says that while the homophobia is muted by the fact that assailants are gay, it evokes "the sexual predator trope of the gay man who aggressively pursues and seduces straight men without taking 'no' for an answer." Even so, the episode was praised for rejecting sexual essentialism, and recognizing gender as a performance, not a biological inevitability. Additionally, the April 2004 South Park episode "Goobacks" focused on homosexuality, like other episodes of the series. However, it would be criticized for having a "socially reductive vision of homosexuality" and with incorrect sexual politics which relishes the slur that "homosexuality is inimical to procreation and subsequently the future of humanity" ignoring the lesbian baby boom, in vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood, and test tube babies and other solutions sought by gay and lesbian couples which would like children. It would also be said that arguing that homosexuality can address environmental and social crises, could legitimize the contrary, and criticized the slur embodied in the episode that "homoerotic activity arises from an excess of lust."

In March 2007, the South Park episode "Cartman Sucks" premiered, introducing a one-time character, Bradley. He would have a crush on another male character, Butters. It is also said that while this episode seems to be progressive, in that it shows that conversion therapy camps do more harm than good, its portrayal of this "essentializes sexuality and subsequently characterizes homosexuality as disorder or pathology," and as a genetic mistake and it suggests there is more injustice for non-gays than those in the conversion camps.

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In May 2010, FOX's Family Guy, introduced Ida Davis, a trans woman, in the episode "Quagmire's Dad." However, she would be criticized for repeating tropes often associated with LGBTQ+ characters. This argument was repeated by other critics in later years. Davis would later become the "butt of many transmisogynistic and transphobic "jokes.""

In November 2016, some news media outlets teased that Meg Griffin, a protagonist in Family Guy, was about to come out as lesbian. This was never shown in any episodes.

In January 2019, Family Guy! committed to phasing out jokes about the LGBTQ community. During the Family Guy episode "Trump Guy" which premiered on January 13, 2019, Peter Griffin, was seen telling a cartoon President Trump that the show was trying to "phase out" gay jokes. The change in direction was confirmed by the show's executive producers Alec Sulkin and Rich Appel, along with creator Seth MacFarlane, who stated that they wanted to better reflect the current climate in the show due to societal changes which have seen the jokes become frowned upon over time. In the Season 18 episode "Disney's The Reboot" which premiered on October 20, 2019, when asked "I thought I read you guys were phasing out gay jokes?" Peter Griffin replies: "That quote was taken out of context and widely misunderstood."

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- Voltron: Legendary Defender aired on Netflix from June 2016 to December 2018. It featured three gay characters, Shrio and Adam, who broke up, with Adam dying several years later, but at the end of eighth and final season, Shiro is married to Curtis, a background character introduced in Season 8. The series was fraught with criticism for its LGBTQ representation, especially for killing off a gay character, with some saying the show was following a stereotype known as "burying that gay", leading showrunner Joaquim Dos Santos to apologize to fans. The fact that Shiro's partner was killed off in the same episode he was introduced "played into negative tropes and didn't sit well with fans."

Cancellations

Some series with LGBTQ+ representation have either been cancelled over the years. On August 15, 2020, Lena Dean of Bitch noted that writers and showrunners have wanted to push for onscreen queer representation, but said it still risky. She hoped that in the future there would be "more meaningful representation" especially for transgender, asexual, non-binary, and "queer characters of color," noting that there is such a demand for audiences for this diversity, noting that in the past there were only "background gay characters" which meant that queer people couldn't see themselves as protagonists.

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In June 2017, Amazon Video premiered the animated video series Danger & Eggs, for what would become its only season. Even so, it would break barriers with the amount of representation. 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 "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. In later years, Milo was highlighted as one of the only non-binary characters of color in animation.

[add more about Twelve Forever?] In July 2019, Twelve Forever premiered on Netflix. Most prominent was Reggie Abbott, the protagonist. She has a crush on Conelly, a 13-year-old schoolmate with whom she shares the same taste in imagining and creating stories, as shown in the two-part episode, "Locked Out Forever." Due to the show's abrupt ending, Shadi Petosky, one of the executive producers, stated they won't be able to further explore that aspect of the character/relationship. Also, the show featured Galaxander, a fellow inhabitant of Endless Island, who has an ex-boyfriend, and a male couple, Mack and Beefhouse, who also live on Endless Island.

In June 2018, The Hollow, began airing on Netflix, and would continue airing until its end in May 2020. It would feature various LGBTQ characters, who appeared in season 2. [expand more]

On May 8, 2020, the second season of The Hollow, which premiered in May 2019, aired. The first episode of that season, titled "Home," features one of the show's protagonists, an Asian girl named Mira, was shown to be adopted by her two fathers, Paul and Curtis, and a brother named Miles. Curtis is a Black man, while Paul is a White man. Paul also appear in two other episodes "Race," "Hollow Games," while Curtis only appears in "Race." The second episode featured a Hispanic boy named Adam, who was revealed to homosexual, saying that Mira, a female protagonist, is "not his type" and telling Kai "dude, I'm gay." Prior to this, in the trailer for Season 2 the LGBT pride flag was seen in his room, leading some fans to speculate he was gay. Some critics stated that while this was somewhat clear in season one, there is little or no "romantic entanglement" for the show's characters in the show's second season, with the show focusing on "difficult and dramatic friendships" instead. The show was cancelled on August 31, 2020.

On December 12, 2020, a mature adult animation, Hoops was cancelled by Netflix after its first season received low ratings and negative reviews. Hoops was described as "puerile comedy ... perfect for Trump's America," not funny, and "crude, rude, and aimless." The animation had a gay character named Scott on the school's basketball team.

On September 2, 2021, Netflix released an adult animated comedy series called Q-Force, about a group of undervalued LGBT superspies, and is centered on a gay secret agent who is like James Bond, Steve Maryweather (also known as Agent Mary), as they try to prove themselves on personal and professional adventures. The series received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 25% approval rating with an average rating of 3.2/10, based on 12 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Q-Force's heart is in the right place, but dated stereotypes and a general lack of humor make this animated action adventure fall flat." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 45 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

In September 2020, The Venture Bros., which had been slated to be renewed for an eighth and final season was cancelled. This was first asserted by show illustrator Ken Plume on September 5, then later confirmed by series creator Jackson Publick, with season 8 being axed. On September 7, 2020, Adult Swim stated that they were working to "find another way to continue the Venture Bros. story"."

The show had featured LGBTQ characters like openly gay Colonel Horace Gentleman, a lesbian character named Virginia "Ginnie" Dunne, and a gay couple: The Alchemist and Shore Leave. A number of creators weighed in on the decision. For instance, Owl House creator Dana Terrace criticized the cancellation, as did animator Bryan Brinkman, DuckTales producer Frank Angones, and other fans of the show.

A direct-to-video film continuation The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart was released on July 25, 2023. The film features Shore Leave and The Alcemist.

Mainstream animation

other? In May 2019, Ashley Fetters and Natalie Escobar argued, in The Atlantic that the episode of Arthur where two male characters got married "marks a poignant moment in children's TV history," and that it feels "unremarkable." They said this is the case because you can "count on your fingers the number of kids’ shows that have depicted gay characters," including Adventure Time, Steven Universe, The Legend of Korra, Gravity Falls, Clarence, and The Loud House.

The Simpsons

Main article: LGBT representation in The Simpsons

On December 17, 1989, the first episode of The Simpsons featured a gay character, Waylon Smithers, named after gay puppeteer Wayland Flowers, would appear on a U.S. animated show. However, like other shows at the time, The Simpsons approached the subject gingerly, not drawing much attention to the sexuality of Smithers, as he remained in the closet, officially, until 2016.

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Matt Groening, who created Futurama and The Simpsons, at the 2009 Comic Con in San Diego

From 1990 to 1994, the most prominent show in terms of LGBTQ characters was The Simpsons. In fact, The Simpsons had split from The Tracey Ullman Show which had recurring gay characters, with a gay couple which embodies the gay/yuppie stereotype, David and William, who have a daughter, with David, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, who voiced Homer in The Simpsons. However, many of the characters in The Simpsons were secondary and rarely in positions of power. Waylon Smithers and Patty Bouvier were the only recurring gay characters. The show's first episode, on December 17, 1989, introduced Smithers, who was named after gay puppeteer Wayland Flowers. Smithers was the first gay character to appear on a U.S. animated show. However, like other shows at the time, The Simpsons approached the subject gingerly, not drawing much attention to the sexuality of Smithers, as he remained in the closet, officially, until 2016. One scholar would call The Simpsons "subversive" for satirizing and challenging social norms, traditional values, and LGBTQ representations. Even so, it was noted that Smithers is frequently dubbed as "Burns-sexual," which is used to hide his sexuality, and he has been passing his whole life, with his remaining in the closet a focus of many sketches and jokes in the show. He would also be described as a weird man who sticks to "his cartoonish closet" and as a person who is infatuated with a "vaguely homophobic" Mr. Burns, with illusions to this attraction beginning to be shown in the show's first season. Another scholar said that the sexuality of Smithers was clear from innuendos, although not explicitly stated, like him kissing Mr. Burns when everyone thinks the world is ending, in the November 1997 episode "Lisa the Skeptic".

In October 1990, a Simpsons episode, titled "Simpson and Delilah," featured a stylish assistant, Karl, who helped Homer, whose sexuality is never mentioned even though the person voicing him (Harvey Fierstein) is a gay playwright. In the episode, Karl and Homer kiss in what some say is the first animated male-male kiss to air on network television, prior to the gay kiss in the May 2000 Dawson's Creek episode, "True Love", with this same-sex kiss permitted on television due to it being in a certain context.

Creator Matt Groening, when asked in a 1991 interview if Karl was gay, said "he's whatever you want him to be" and added that including Karl was "beyond any other cartoon," even though some gay viewers were disappointed that the character didn't identify himself as gay. Groening also said there was a lack of gay characters in cartoons due to "virulent homophobia" in U.S. culture and stated that Karl had an unrequited attraction for Homer. Groening was also the cartoonist for the newspaper strip Life in Hell which included a recurring gay couple, named Akbar and Jeff.

In the December 1994 episode "Fear of Flying", Homer visits a lesbian bar with pink Venus symbols and butch-femme couples." While there, he looks around and exclaims, "Wait a minute. This lesbian bar doesn't have a fire exit! Enjoy your death trap, ladies!" This scene was a parody of a typical episode of the comedy series Cheers. By 1996, the show was said to have a recurring or well-developed LGBTQ character, like other shows on TV at the time.

A February 16, 1997 Simpsons episode, titled "Homer's Phobia", featured John Waters, a gay filmmaker, as a gay man who helps Homer Simpson confront his homophobia. The episode also pokes at general homophobia in U.S. society as a whole. The episode, which aired two months before Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian on her sitcom, Ellen, came during a time there were unspoken limits on what LGBTQ content could be shown on TV. Some argued that "Homer's Phobia" did more, in terms of awareness and exposing intolerance, than "any live action show at the time." Others stated that in the episode Homer learned a "valuable lesson about tolerance" and even said he would okay with Bart, no matter which way he chooses to live his life after thinking that Bart is gay. One women's studies and sociology scholar, Suzanna Danuta Walters, would describe the episode as taking on stereotypes and employing them "even when it foregrounds their patent silliness," describing Homer as going into a heterosexual panic after finding out John is gay, and even visiting a gay steel mill, only respecting John as a gay man after he saves Bart from an angry reindeer. Walters would also argue that episode delves into the "familial heart of homophobia" like episodes of Roseanne, and as one of the episodes in the series with gay characters, which deals with issues of homophobia and homosexuality. Other scholars would state that Homer would learn the meaning of tolerance at the end, after saying at one point that he wants John to stop using the word queer because it is a word that straight people should use. One scholar, Stephen Tropiano, even rated it as one of the funniest sitcom episodes with LGBTQ themes.

Bojack Horseman

cut down?: Bojack Horseman, airing from 2014 to 2020 on Netflix, featured a number of LGBTQ+ characters. For instance, Hollyhock, a female teenage horse and Bojack's sister, has eight adoptive fathers (Dashawn Manheim, Steve Mannheim, Jose Guerrero, Cupe Robinson III, Otto Zilberschlag, Arturo "Ice Man" Fonzerelli, Gregory Hsung, and Quackers McQuack) in a polyamorous gay relationship. Todd Chavez in the season 3 finale, "That Went Well," Todd confides in his friend Emily that he doesn't think he is either straight or gay, and in fact "might be nothing". He explores the identity further in season 4 and accepts his asexuality, while meeting others who share his orientation.

Big Mouth

cut down? In October 2018, a protagonist in Big Mouth, Jay Bilzerian, came out as bisexual. The same year, Ali, a pansexual character, was introduced. Some criticized Ali's character as an oversimplification of the "relationship between private parts and gender identity," even as her existence was praised as putting the show ahead of "most television representations of sexual expression." While some praised the show has talking "honestly about sexuality, puberty, and desire for all genders" they also criticized the show for misrepresenting pansexuality.

Adventure Time

cut down? On April 5, 2010, Adventure Time began airing on Cartoon Network. The show introduced viewers to two queer characters: Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum, with Rebecca Sugar trying to foster the relationship between these two characters through her work on the show, which also featured one genderfluid character (BMO). Sugar would face pushback for years from the Cartoon Network Studio for having Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum in Adventure Time together, as the studio was concerned about "distribution in countries where being gay or lesbian was censored in media and considered a crime."

On September 26, 2011, Adventure Time began hinting at romantic subtext between two characters, Marcy and Bonnie, called "Bubbline" by fans, with the airing of the episode "What Was Missing".

On September 3, 2018, the season finale of Adventure Time, "Come Along With Me" aired on Cartoon Network, which confirmed Marcy and Bonnie as a couple, as they kissed in the episode. After the episode aired, some would argue that the on-screen confirmation of the same-sex romance showed that the "cartoon landscape has changed during Adventure Time's run," Some said the episode invited viewers to re-examine the past interactions of Bonnie and Marcy "through a queer lens" while impacting the animation world and TV industry. One reviewer, Mey Rude of .them, argued that without the show, there would be no Steven Universe, Clarence, Summer Camp Island, or Rick and Morty. Others praised the kiss between Marceline and Bubblegum, calling it "historic" and saying the finale was "more than queerbaiting" but rather a "true romantic relationship."

The series finale of Adventure Time featured a kiss between two female characters (Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen), The premiere of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, in November 2018, included various characters which could "read fluidly on the gender and sexuality spectrum",

Adventure Time: Distant Lands

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Olivia Olson at the Florida Supercon in 2016; Olson voices Marceline in Adventure Time: Distant Lands

In the summer of 2020, the Adventure Time: Distant Lands series, the name for four hour-long streaming television specials based on the American animated television series Adventure Time, began streaming on HBO Max. On June 25, the first episode of that series dropped. This episode, titled "BMO," introduced Y5, an anthropomorphic rabbit and teenage scientist between age 11 and 13 who lives in The Drift. Originally named "Y4", Y5 chooses her new name with BMO's encouragement and eventually becomes the robot's "deputy." Y5 struggles with managing the expectations of her parents (voiced by Tom Kenny and Michelle Wong, respectively), and finds herself forced to disobey them in order to save the Drift—all the while discovering her own identity. Y5—with the titular robot's assistance—helps the citizens of the Drift defeat Hugo, and after their overlord is dethroned, she proposes a new form of social organization based on cooperation that will ideally allow the Drift to flourish.

Voice actress Glory Curda later argued that Y5's story has a lot of context and is representative of coming out into your own identity and defining yourself with whatever terms are comfortable for you. Curda, in a Q&A on Reddit, said that after BMO left, Y5 grew and developed into "a leader and trailblazer to help save the drift."

On November 19, 2020, "Obsidian," the second episode of Adventure Time: Distant Lands aired on HBO Max. It brought together Marceline "Marcy" Abadeer, Bonnibel "Bonnie" Bubblegum, and Glassboy, the latter who is voiced by Michaela Dietz, who voiced Amethyst in Steven Universe. In this special, Marcy, living with Bonnie, is anxious about revisiting the Glass Kingdom as it holds bad memories, but she and Bonnie are forced to confront this "rocky past" as they face off against an ancient, dangerous, and powerful dragon. Marcy is a confirmed bisexual character, as she dated male characters in the past, while Bonnie is more ambiguous, as her exact sexuality has not yet been confirmed. A few days before the premiere, Mey Rude described Bonnie and Marcy living a "happy, gay life together" which they always deserved, and predicted that the series would be full of "action, brand new songs, and classic Adventure Time weirdness and heart." Before the episode even aired, writing for The A.V. Club, William Hughes gave this episode an A, calling it "fan service at its finest" with "plenty of the usual lovely Adventure Time touches".

After the episode aired, Rebecca Long also gave a positive review of the episode in Polygon. She wrote that the episode gives fans the "emotional payoff and answers" they have been yearning for and that the special uses the plot to explore Marceline's childhood trauma, her romantic history with Bubblegum, how the two are interconnected, and fills in gaps about her past. Long also stated that while the special is not "as offbeat" as BMO, it is heavier in terms of emotional weight and plot, and making clear that "romantic subtext" in the original show has "always been straight-up text." At the same time, she states that not all interactions between Bubblegum and Marceline are loving, that the special has flaws due to a conventional structure and storytelling, even with some "inconsistencies in Princess Bubblegum's character design," but is still heartfelt and effective, complete with new music, with Marceline and Bubblegum having "a shared future that feels real." Rosie Knight of IGN gave a similar assessment.

Steven Universe

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In November 2013, Steven Universe began airing on Cartoon Network. The show would focus on a half-alien, half-Gem child named Steven Universe, who is raised by three non-binary space aliens: Pearl, Garnet (a fusion of Ruby and Sapphire), and Amethyst, which are female-presenting, using she/her pronouns, in a non-traditional family, with a Steven's father, Greg, living in a van and running a car wash.

While Rebecca Sugar had received direct notes about LGBTQ characters in her show, Steven Universe in previous years, in 2015, the studio executives told her that while she had a choice to make Ruby and Sapphire LGBTQ, some countries might pull back the series and the series itself could be cancelled.

In 2016, Sugar came out as bisexual at San Diego Comic-Con and started to speak more openly on LGBTQ issues in Steven Universe and in the industry. She later said she had to come out because it was hard for her to "try and make heteronormative art." As a result, Sugar began advocating more for her characters, and first in 2017, Steven Universe won a GLAAD Media Award.

Ruby and Sapphire had a groundbreaking wedding in Steven Universe.

In July 2018, Steven Universe episode, "Reunited" aired, becoming the "first gay proposal and wedding episode," and making "kids' animation history." The episode was praised for its execution, focus on the show's core themes, and queer representation. At the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the episode was nominated for Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program.

In December 2019, the limited epilogue series, Steven Universe Future began airing on Cartoon Network. The series included a one-time non-binary character named Shep (voiced by Indya Moore), the romantic interest of Sadie. The same month, Craig of the Creek confirmed they had a non-binary character named Angel. Sugar would later talk about the end of Steven Universe in an interview in March 2020.

On March 27, 2020, the four-part finale of its limited epilogue series of Steven Universe, Steven Universe Future, aired on Cartoon Network. Sugar argued that the series made a point about shounen anime and kids cartoons, with the aftermath of victories generally not explored, stating that the series explores the aftermath of the victory in the Season 5 finale, with the protagonist, Steven, having to face his problems head-on. The series showed a character, Bismuth, have a crush on another character (Pearl) in the episode "Bismuth Casual." The same month, a storyboarder for the show stated that Peridot was asexual and aromantic, despite her reservations that she is only a secondary creator on the show, pleasing fans, even though she said that she didn't believe Peridot was autistic. Before (and after this point) fans had shipped Peridot with various other characters, specifically Lapis Lazuli and Amethyst, some reviewers even seeing Peridot and Lapis in a "close, loving relationship" in 2018.

In 2013, the series Steven Universe, created by Rebecca Sugar, began airing on Cartoon Network in 2013. It built upon her work on Adventure Time in the years prior.

Young Justice

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In 2011, Young Justice writer, Greg Weisman, confirmed two LGBTQ+ characters in the series: Marie Logan (lesbian or bisexual) and Kaldur'ahm (polysexual). The show aired on Cartoon Network from 2010 to 2013, on DC Universe in 2019, and the fourth season will be on HBO Max.

In July 2019, Young Justice introduced Wyynde, a gay character and Harper Row, a bisexual friend to Violet Harper and Fred Bugg.

GLAAD pointed to a few series on the platform like ...Young Justice which features "LGBTQ characters Aqualad and Halo."

OK KO?

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On August 1, 2017, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes began airing on Cartoon Network. Series creator Ian Jones-Quartey hinted at LGBTQ characters in an interview with Den of Geek published a day before the first episode aired, saying those watching it would "be delighted" by the LGBTQ representation in the series. There were LGBTQ characters in the main cast, among supporting characters and other recurring characters. For instance, the series featured two married couples: Lord Boxman and Professor Venomous, two villains, and Joff and Nick Army, two recurring heroes. The series was noted as portraying Boxman and Venomous romantically. They were not the only LGBTQ characters. Enid, a bisexual ninja and witch, and Red Action, a lesbian, were recognized by GLAAD as a couple, and kissed in the episode "Red Action 3: Grudgement Day". It was later confirmed that Yellow was possibly Red's ex-girlfriend.

Ian Jones-Quartey at a Comic-Con panel on April 15, 2014

On August 8, 2019, Jones-Quartey confirmed that OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes had been cancelled by Cartoon Network, but would still air a final episode.

On September 6, 2019, the series finale, "Thank You for Watching the Show," of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes aired. It included a same-sex wedding between Joff and Army in the series finale "Thank You for Watching the Show" on September 6, 2019. Before the episode aired, Jones-Quartey confirmed Army and Joff as a canon gay couple and Gregg, a minor character, as non-binary, while Bobo was implied to be agender.

On the day of the series finale, Jones-Quartey confirmed Venomous as bisexual, but not non-binary, and said that The Hue Troop, which Red was once part of, are all LGBTQ characters. The same day, Toby Jones, one of the supervising directors, confirmed Radicles "Rad" as genderfluid and called Enid and Red a "committed couple," with Jones-Quartey saying the relationship developed "very naturally." Some reviewers noted that Enid has possible romantic feelings toward Elodie.

Following the airing of the series finale, Jones-Quartey confirmed that Boxman was pansexual, In October 2020, Ian Jones-Quartey confirmed that Professor Venomous and Lord Boxman of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes were married at the end of the series. He further stated that Red Action and Enid, in the same episode, "run a dojo together and kiss." The series was later recognized by Philadelphia Gay News and Out for its LGBTQ representation.

In October 2020, Jones-Quartey confirmed that Professor Venomous and Lord Boxman of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes were married at the end of the series.

Legend of Korra

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Such programming would include the series finale The Legend of Korra, which implied that the main protagonist, Korra, began a relationship with another female character, Asami. This relationship was confirmed by the creators and was portrayed in the later comics, with commenters and reviewers stating that the series paved the path for further queer representation.

On December 19, 2014, The Legend of Korra, a 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. One of the show creators, Michael Dante DiMartino confirmed Korra and Asami as having romantic feeling together, while the other show creator Bryan Konietzko said he was "very proud' of the ending, and that while he loved "how their relationship arc took its time," there was a limit to how much they could go with in the show. He also hoped that the show would move LGBTQ representation forward.

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 The Legend of Korra was shown to be lesbian in the graphic novel following the series finale. Some reviewers described the episode "a romantic ending for...a canon couple made up of two bisexual women": Korra and Asami, but criticized that while a kiss was implied, it was "not allowed on screen by Nickelodeon."

Disenchantment

On January 15, 2021, Part 3 of Disenchantment was released on Netflix. David Opie of Digital Spy said that the series is different from The Simpsons and doing something that the latter series "struggled with for over three decades." Opie observed that some LGBTQ+ fans from the beginning of the show picked up "on some queer vibes" and it later teased that Bean, voiced by Abbi Jacobson, might be flirting with people of the same sex as her," but then in part 3 of the show, in the episode "Last Splash," it was confirmed that Bean "is indeed queer" and that she likes mermaids, talking with Mora, a mermaid. She talks with Mora about "past relationships, science, history, daily life, and a variety of other topics."

Harley Quinn

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On May 15, 2020 Harley Quinn episode "There's No Place to Go But Down" premiered. In the episode, Harley Quinn saved her partner-in-crime, Poison Ivy, both kissed each other after they escaped from prison. The critic who reviewed the episode stated that Harley and Poison's romance is "slow burn" one, adding that this love affair could turn into a "more realistic exploration of how it feels to fall in love with a friend or to have an awkward hookup with a workmate." In another episode, Clayface, a member of Harley's villain crew, was revealed as gay character who had a crush on a male student.

In June 2020, the season 2 finale of Harley Quinn aired. In the episode, Poison Ivy had her wedding with Kite Man, a person she didn't love, interrupted. By the end of the episode, Harley Quinn and Ivy realize their feelings for each other, kissing and "finally embracing that they're soul mates" as Renaldo Metadeen of CBR put it. Heather Hogan at Autostraddle added that the bisexual love of Poison and Harley is canon, calling the second season "one of the most gratifying gay seasons of television" she has ever watched.

Star Trek: Lower Decks ?

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Mike McMahan speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California

On October 8, 2020, the creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks, which aired on CBS All Access, Mike McMahan confirmed that Captain Amina Ramsey was Beckett Mariner's former lover at Starfleet Academy, even though it wasn't explicit, saying that "every Starfleet officer is probably at the baseline bisexual" in a sense, and that they did not "intentionally mean for anybody to be strictly heteronormative or straight or cis." However, he promised to do better in the show's second season, saying they would dig into it more, saying that the show could, in the future, more explicitly state "things that the writers always knew about Mariner."

In the season 2 episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, "We'll Always Have Tom Paris", which aired on August 26, 2021, Mariner tells Tendi that she has dated "bad boys, bad girls, bad gender non-binary babes, [and] ruthless alien masterminds," meaning that she could be pansexual. In the September 23, 2021 episode, "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie," it is implied that Andy Billups, who works as the chief engineer aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos, and the prince of Hysperia is asexual because he had no interest in having sex with either the male guard or the female guard. One reviewer argued that the show itself has LGBTQ representation at its center, mostly focusing on Mariner, but also on Billups, noted an interview where Boimler's voice actor Jack Quaid said that his character could be queer, noted the role of Jennifer Sh'reyan in the show's season two finale, and connected it other LGBTQ representation in the Star Trek franchise.

In October 2021 interview with Gizmodo, McMahan said that Mariner and Sh'reyan, a woman shown in the Season two finale, would be dating in the show's third season. He said that this fits with Mariner beginning to open up more as her character develops through the show.

Arcane?

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On November 7, 2021, Arcane, aimed at a "16+" audience like the League of Legends video game it is based on, premiered on Netflix. In the series, Caitlyn Kiramman, a recurring character, is attracted to Vi, a woman from the undercity, despite their different circumstances. Show writer Amanda Overton said that the relationship between Caitlyn and Vi is "naturally developing," with writers honoring the lived experiences of both characters. Overton said that in Piltover, where Caitlyn lives, there is no word for describing those who are gay or any homophobia, meaning that Caitlyn could "marry any gender or race suitor," with such a person becoming "part of her house." Additionally, in the episode "Everybody Wants to Be My Enemy", Vi tells Caitlyn "you're hot, Cupcake." Overton said that this line was added to bring clarity to her character and showed that she loves women. Vi later moves in with Caitlyn, and in the show's ninth episode, Vi's sister, Jinx, describes Caitlyn as Vi's girlfriend. The show was renewed for a second season on November 20.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

cut down? On May 15, 2020, the final season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power premiered on Netflix. The stakes were higher than ever before, with more danger than the previous season, according to Stevenson, as the season has "a core of optimism to it" with the characters discovering who "they are and following the path that each of them has." In an interview with Nerdist, Stevenson said that she wanted to represent points of view not usually seen in media, trying to explore them while being as "honest and as real as possible," adding that while crafting queer representation is different from "studio to studio, show to show," recommending that people who want such representation have to approach it "without any fear," saying that sometimes people hold back because they are scared, and called for increased LGBTQ+ representation. The show was also praised for a "multiseason queer story arc," and having a trans male character named Jewelstar who was voiced by Alex Blue Davis, a trans man. Another reviewer summarized Stevenson saying that she seeded hints toward the Catra/Adora pairing throughout the show, with the hope that once it was clear to viewers, it would be "too late for higher-ups to stop it." Others argued that the show's season five finale changed TV with a "groundbreaking moment".

Kipo

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Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts aired on Netflix from January to October 2020. It became a shining example of expanded representation. In the first season of Kipo, which streamed on January 10, Benson said outright he was gay, saying he only liked the series protagonist, Kipo, in a platonic way. He developed a crush on a male character, Troy, in the show's 10th episode. Gizmodo described the show as having "casual queerness." Benson has been described as the "first kids' animated character to directly identify as gay in dialogue." In August 2021, Insider said that Benson became the "first Black lead character, and only the second-known animated kids character" apart from a character in 6teen to identify "as gay in dialogue." Sechrist also hinted at Troy being pansexual, but it was never confirmed in the show.

High Guardian Spice

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In October 2021, the creator of High Guardian Spice, Raye Rodriguez, a Cuban-American trans man, was described as being "passionate about telling diverse and inclusive stories" and noted as wanting to share "fantastical stories about queer, diverse and relatable characters," implying that such characters would be in the series. It was also noted that he was developing animated series for Legendary TV and one for Warner Bros. Animation around a DC Comics character.

When the series released on Crunchyroll on October 26, 2021, it included various LGBTQ characters. For example, Anise, the cousin of one of the protagonists, Sage, is married to an Elf woman named Aloe, with Anise voiced by a lesbian actress, Haviland Stillwell. Additionally, Professor Caraway, a professor at the High Guardian Academy, reveals in the third episode "Transformations", that he is revealed to be a trans man, and is voiced by Rodriguez. The show also includes LGBTQ cast members like trans woman Julia Kaye (who voices Snapdragon), gay man named Cam Clarke (who voices Neppy Cat and Sorrel), and ambiguously queer Julian Koster (who voices Slime Boy).

In a November 2021 interview, Rodriguez noted the importance of representation, and voiced optimism for inclusivity in animation, praising Steven Universe for breaking "so many boundaries." He also stated that the series centers on four girls who aren't princesses or chosen ones, but go on adventures, and said it is inspired by a lot of his close friendships. He further praised Crunchyroll for not having any pushback to LGBTQ representation in the show, even though there is homophobia and transphobia in the show's world, adding that in that world, "people are generally a lot more chill about LGBTQ+ people than they are in real life."

add somewhere: In late August 2020, creator Sara Eissa talked about a pitch for her show, Astur's Rebellion, an action-adventure, claiming it was rejected "due to bias against elements of diversity such as POC and LGBTQ+ main characters," implying that she was talking about Crunchyroll, and its then-upcoming show High Guardian Spice. She also talked about discourse around "diverse" in the animation industry, especially those pitching "future shows," stating that the company (presumably Crunchyroll) would look at a show with "diversity" like people of color, female cast, brighter tones, and "not give it a chance" because it won't be profitable.

The Owl House

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In January 2020, The Owl House began airing on the Disney Channel. The show dropped subtext and hints that several characters within the show are LGBTQ+.

On July 7, 2020, Dana Terrace, the creator of The Owl House, implied a romantic subtext between Amity and Luz, 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. Amity and Luz represent Disney's first animated LGBT+ female regular characters. In the August 2020 episode of The Owl House, titled "Understanding Willow", one of the main characters (Willow Park) is shown to have two dads named Gilbert and Harvey Park. Terrace confirmed Luz as bisexual and Amity as lesbian in a Reddit AMA in September 2020.

On May 17, 2021, it was announced that The Owl House would be renewed for two more seasons. The SVP/general manager of Television Animation for Disney Channels, Meredith Roberts, said that the series creator, Dana Terrace, and her team, continue to "push the envelope with epic and diverse storylines," and said they were "eager to showcase more adventures in seasons two and three." Terrace revealed that season 2, which will directly follow the events of the season 1 finale, would consist of 21 episodes, divided into Season 2A (10 episodes) and 2B (11 episodes), while the third season will consist of three 44-minute specials.

On July 10, 2021, The Owl House episode "Through the Looking Glass Ruins" premiered on the Disney Channel. One reviewer, Mey Rude said that the episode pushes forward the relationship between Luz and Amity, with Amity putting her job as a librarian in jeopardy to help Luz, while the latter goes through trials to get Amity her job back, and Amity kissing Luz on the cheek. Rude also noted that the LGBTQ characters in the show are "fleshed-out characters," pointed out the episode, directed by Bo Coburn, was co-written by Molly Ostertag and Terrace, with the former writing "Enchanting Grom Fright" and "Wing It Like Witches." That episode was co-written by Rachel Vine. Another reviewer described the episode as delivering a "definitive message that love transcends gender even in the world of children's animation." The same reviewer also said that fans shouldn't look to "giant corporations for continual queer representation" and expressed their frustration at the end of The Owl House after its third season airs. Another reviewer noted that Luz and Amity were beginning to "understand their feelings for one another."

On July 24, 2021, The Owl House episode "Eda's Requiem" featured a character named Raine Whispers, who goes by they/them pronouns and is voiced by transgender and non-binary actor Avi Roque. Raine is Disney's first non-binary character. In the episode, Eda Clawthorne is shown to have feelings for Raine. The subsequent episode, "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door", which aired on July 31, reveals that Eda and Raine were formerly dating, before breaking up. The episode also has Luz and Amity asking each other out, officially becoming a couple. GLAAD praised the episode, saying they were excited to see a "wonderful and affirming message" from the series.

On October 5, 2021, in an AMA on Reddit, Dana Terrace, the creator of The Owl House, explained the show was cancelled not because of ratings or COVID-19 pandemic but rather because business people at Disney believed it did not fit "into the Disney brand." She stated that this was the case due to the serialized nature of the show and an audience which "skews older," rather than due to its LGBTQ+ representation, saying she wouldn't "assume bad faith" against those she works with in Los Angeles. She also noted that due to the pandemic, budgets were constrained, episodes were cut, and noted that she wasn't allowed to present a case for a fourth season, and said she believed there was a future for the show if Disney Television had "different people in charge."

On October 15, 2022, The first The Owl House special "Thanks to Them" has Luz come out to her mother as bisexual. The special also reveals that Vee's campmate Masha is non-binary as they use they/them pronouns in their nameplate and their nails are painted in the colors of the non-binary pride flag.

On April 8, 2023, The Owl House series finale "Watching and Dreaming" revealed King's father "Papa Titan" to be bigender as he refers to himself as both a king and queen. On April 28, 2023, Willow Park and Hunter were confirmed to be pansexual and bisexual by series creator Dana Terrace.

Dead End: Paranormal Park

In June 2022, Dead End: Paranormal Park aired on Netflix. The series was originally scheduled for a Fall 2021 premiere. However, it was later revealed the series would be debuting sometime in 2022. On August 17, 2020, Margaret Evans interviewed Hamish Steele, creator of Dead End: Paranormal Park, about LGBTQ characters in his show. Steele explained how the show changed from its original iteration on Cartoon Hangover in 2014, and the graphic novels that followed it, stating that he is grateful for showrunners who fought for LGBTQ characters in their shows, adding that there was "absolutely no pushback from Netflix about representation," while describing Barney as a trans male character. He also hoped that the show will help out "more trans creators getting their chance to tell their stories" while hinting at other LGBTQ characters in the show apart from Barney, noting the performance of Miss Coco Peru on the show as Pauline Phoenix.

Independent animation

RWBY

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In a December 2017 RWBY episode, "Alone Together," Ilia Amitola confessed her feelings for Blake, her former-current-best friend, with Blake the best friend of Yang Xiao Long, her fellow teammate. Amitola was confirmed as a lesbian in a 2018 Reddit AMA by Miles Luna, a showrunner.

In December 2018, the seventh episode of the RWBY's Volume 6, premiered. It featured a lesbian couple:Saphron and Terra Cotta-Arc, who have a son named Adrian.

On December 26, 2020, Kdin Jenzen, the voice actor for May Marigold, talked about confirmation of May as trans on screen in the December 19, 2020 RWBY episode, "War", the eighth episode of Volume 8 of RWBY. "I think my favorite part of May Marigold's story, overall, is that she found herself before she found herself," Jenzen, who is a trans woman herself, told CBR in January 2021.

[add more here]

gen:LOCK ???

Asia Kate Dillon discusses the non-binary gender character Taylor Mason in Season 2 of Showtime cable TV series Billions; they also voiced Val/entina Romanyszyn in the series gen:LOCK

In February 2019, in the fourth episode of gen:LOCK, Val/entina Romanyszyn reveals they were genderfluid. The creators of the show originally approached Tatiana Maslany to voice the part, because she voiced lesbian and trans characters in Orphan Black. However, Maslany told them that "trans actors should play trans parts." Due to her decision and encouragement to look for trans actors, leading Rooster Teeth to bring in Asia Kate Dillon instead, to voice Val.

Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss

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In October 2019, Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano released an animated production with LGBTQ+ characters. The first of these productions was Hazbin Hotel which introduced a gay pornstar named Angel Dust, a bisexual character named Charlie, a lesbian character named Vaggie, and an asexual character named Alastor. On November 25, the pilot episode of Helluva Boss, set in the same universe as Hazbin Hotel was released on YouTube. The series would begin its first season in October 2020. It would also feature various LGBTQ characters.

On October 31, 2020, the first season of Medrano's Helluva Boss would be released on YouTube. Helluva Boss has various LGBTQ characters, specifically a bisexual demon named Moxxie, and a pansexual demon named Blitzo. Stolas is also presumably bisexual as he is married with a wife and a daughter, but also has sex with Blitzo.

Bravest Warriors ???

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In January 2013, Plum, a bisexual character voiced by Tara Strong, would first appear in the animated show, Bravest Warriors, a show which aired on Cartoon Hangover's YouTube channel. The show was made by Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward and featuring Ian Jones-Quartey, who voiced the character, Wallow, while he directed his own show, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes which featured multiple LGBTQ+ characters. Although Plum had a crush on Chris, kissing him multiple times during the show, she is also madly in love with her doppelganger as shown in the comics and kisses Peach in another comic. Furthermore, on numerous occasions, she has identified as bisexual, confirmed by Kate Leth, who wrote all three volumes of the Bravest Warriors comic, writing "Plum is bi and it's canon and I'm proud of her." Wallow, one of the series protagonists, would be described as being loved by aliens, and preferring aliens "over other humans," meaning he could be xenosexual. In August 2014, Breehn Burns, director of seasons 1 and 2 of Bravest Warriors, said that "Wallow wishes he could love everyone equally," but that in the third season of the show, he "finds out how strong his feelings can be."

Animated films

Mulan

use? In June 1998, Mulan, an animated musical adventure film would begin showing in theaters. The film would include a bisexual captain Li Shang (voiced by BD Wong). Shang, in the film, loved Mulan when she was disguised as a male alter ego named Ping, and in her true form as a woman. However, Shang was not included in the 2020 live-action remake. One of the film's producers said that Shang was dropped in response to the Me Too movement, arguing that "having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn't think it was appropriate". This was met with social media backlash from fans of the original film and members of the LGBTQ community, with Reed initially surprised by criticism of Shang's removal, but acknowledged that the character had become an "LGBTQ icon." He added that Shang's role would be served by two new characters, Commander Tung and Chen Honghui. Even so, some reviewers called the interactions between Honghui and Mulan to be "more homoerotic" than Li Shang's in the animated version and "can be read as bisexual" while others criticized the reasoning of Reed as incorrect. Mulan was described, by one scholar as having a character, Mulan herself, who could "successfully 'pass' as the opposite sex" and as subverting her traditionally assigned gender signifiers, while having an "unusually masculine body." It was further stated that as a result, Mulan was the "perfect embodiment of a drag king" even though she maintains her heterosexuality as she is attracted to Li Sheng, comparing Mulan's interpretation of her sexuality to that of Bugs Bunny. Furthermore, gay playwright Harvey Fierstein voiced a character in Mulan, and only accepted the part after confirming that the rest of the cast was Asian so he would not take work away from an Asian actor.

Nimona

In February 2021, Deadline reported that the film adaptation of Nimona was cancelled due to the shutdown of Blue Sky Studios. Webcomics commenter Gary Tyrrell criticized the decision, saying, "[Disney] could have allowed a very different kind of young heroine... I mourn for those who would have found a vision of themselves in an animated version". Sources told CBR that the film was "75% complete". Anonymous staffers at Blue Sky interviewed by Business Insider bemoaned the cancellation of the film, calling it "heartbreaking," arguing that the film "didn't look like anything else in the animated world," and saying that they believe it will never "be completed and released." A few staffers confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the film had an "I love you" scene between Blackheart and Goldenloin. In June 2021, Mey Rude, a writer for Out, said she still held out "hope that this film...will find its way back to life somehow." In July 2021, Meggie Gates in Bitch, said the film would have been Disney's first "legitimately queer film" and could have been a turning point "for how the corporation handles queerness" but that the Disney chose to "bury its gays" by cancelling the film, a blow to queer Disney fans. In April 2022, it was announced Netflix revived the film and will be releasing it in 2023.

Other animated films

cut down: In 1995, the British animated short film Achilles depicted Achilles and Patroclus in a same-sex relationship. The film was a landmark in gay representation in animation.

In September 1999, Harvey Fierstein created the animated special The Sissy Duckling. The special centered on Elmer, a duckling who is implied to be gay. Fierstein also voiced the character. The special was nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode.

In 2003, Lynne Fernie completed Apples and Oranges, a film which was part animation, part documentary, for children of an elementary school age. It addressed issues of bullying and homophobia. It was produced by the National Film Board of Canada, with Fernie as director, and Tamara Lynch as producer. In the first segment, "Anta's Revenge," Anta, her two moms, and all-girl band work together to overcome a bully. In the second segment, "Defying Gravity," Habib and Jeroux, two skateboarders, deal with homophobia after Jeroux comes out as gay.

In 2004, a 10-minute animated short titled John and Michael premiered in Canada. The film focuses on two men with Down's syndrome, John and Michael, who share a loving relationship.

In June 2007, the film animated biographical drama film titled Persepolis, based upon Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel of the same name, would premiere in France. In the film, Marjane lives for some time in a communal apartment with eight gay men in Vienna, Austria. Also, in the film, Marjane's boyfriend Fernando (named Enrique in the comic) reveals to her that he is gay. He thanks her because she helped him to discover his own sexuality. He states that if a relationship with her does not work out, it would not work with any other girl.

In June 2008, Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs, a direct-to-video animated science-fiction comedy-adventure film based on the animated series Futurama, was released. In the film, Colleen O'Hallahan is polyamorous snce she has five boyfriends: Fry, Chu, Ndulu, Schlomo and Bolt Rolands. After Yivo, a planet-sized alien with no determinable gender, the planet-sized alien, dates, marries and breaks up with all people of the universe at once, she remains in a relationship only with Yivo. Some have said that Yivo may have been "the first non-binary character defined as such in animated history."

In February 2009, Coraline, a stop-motion animated dark fantasy horror film, began showing in theaters. In the film, April Spink, a retired burlesque dancer who may know about magic and fairies, and Miriam Forcible, another retired burlesque actress, are lovers. On multiple occasions, Neil Gaiman, who wrote the 2002 novel the movie is based on, stated that they are an elderly couple and are together, relating to the many lesbians he put in his other works like Sandman, Death: The Time of Your Life, Neverwhere, American Gods, and Miracleman. He also confirmed that this was reflected in the movie, noting a review on the movie in 2009, stating that they had been called "thespians" in a Coraline musical in 2007, and stated that he did not call them a couple in the text because he wanted readers to have the same experience he had "with the couple that Spink and Forcible were based on."

On April 9, 2009, Mary and Max, a stop-motion adult-animated comedy-drama film, began showing in Australia. One character, Damien Popodopoulos, a funny man who stutters, leaves his wife Mary, who was previously his neighbor, to be with his male pen friend in New Zealand. The two enter into a relationship.

On May 3, 2012, Strange Frame, a romantic science fiction comedy-drama film, was released at Sci-Fi-London. In the film, set in the distant future, two women fall in love, but when Parker is taken away and enslaved by greedy businessmen, the Naia must save her, in this film which has been praised for its "hybrid of cut out and CGI animation" and has been described as possibly "the trippiest lesbian film ever made." Others called it the world's first animated lesbian-themed sci-fi film.

In August 2012, ParaNorman, a stop-motion animated dark fantasy comedy horror film, would be released in the United States. In the film, Courtney has a crush on Mitch Downe and invites him to watch a horror movie. She, however, discovers that he is gay and already in a relationship when he says, "You know, you're gonna love my boyfriend. He's like a total chick flick nut!" Co-director Chris Butler said that the character's sexual orientation was explicitly connected with the film's message: "If we're saying to anyone that watches this movie don't judge other people, then we've got to have the strength of our convictions."

On June 13, 2014, How to Train Your Dragon 2 was released in U.S. theaters. In the film, the voice actor for Gobber the Belch, Craig Ferguson ad-libbed a line in the second film in which he mentions that he never got married for an undisclosed reason. Ferguson and director Dean DeBlois have confirmed that this was in reference to the character's homosexuality. His sexuality was also hinted at again in the third film, in 2019, where he seems to fall for Eret.

On January 20, 2016, Batman: Bad Blood, a direct-to-video animated superhero film, was release digitally on iTunes and the Google Play Store. The lesbian superheroine, Batwoman, has a major role in this film. This is the first time she is openly shown as a lesbian woman in animated media. She is seen flirting with the lesbian detective Renee Montoya. Kate's father, Colonel Jacob Kane, is supportive of her sexual orientation.

In August 2016, Sausage Party, an adult computer-animated comedy film, began showing in theaters in the United States. In the film, Teresa Del Taco is a Mexican lesbian taco who has a crush on Brenda, a hot dog bun from an eight-bun package of Glamour Buns who is Frank's love interest. Additionally, though enemies at first and implied to be Muslim, Kareem Abdul Lavash and Sammy Bagel Jr. eventually form a relationship.

In the September 2016 film, Storks, there are various lesbian couples shown. Near the end of the film, the storks deliver babies to straight, lesbian and gay couples, and single parents.

In July 2017, In a Heartbeat, a computer-animated short film produced by Ringling College of Art and Design and funded through Kickstarter, was released. The short film concerns a closeted gay boy, Sherwin who has a crush on another boy named Jonathan and his heart desires to be with him. Since its launch, the film has received numerous awards and has been shown at numerous LGBT events and film festivals. It got shortlisted at the Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film, but did not get a nomination. The short was also included in The animation Showcase 2017 world touring screening that premiered it in London 25 July 2017 in Soho House.

In September 2017, a Canadian animated short, Soggy Flakes, featured two LGBTQ characters. One is Dr. Bird Berry, a trans woman, the mascot of Berry Delicious before she got a Ph.D. and transitioned. Another is Captain Kale, the mascot of Kale Flakes, and was in a relationship with Dr. Bird Berry before Bird Berry transitioned.

Also releasing in December 2017 was a 13 minute animated short titled Manivald. The titular protagonist of this short is a gay fox in his early 30s who is trying to find love. Another character, Toomas, is a wolf repairman and the object of Manivald and his mother's affections. However, it is revealed that he is married to a woman named Vivi and they have two kids with a third one on the way. This is expanded upon in the 2019 follow-up film Toomas Beneath the Valley of the Wild Wolves in which he becomes a gigolo after getting fired from his job but he hides it from his family.

On March 27, 2018, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, an adult animated superhero film, was released digitally. In the film, Scandal Savage and Knockout, prominent characters in the film, are displayed as lovers. Knockout first appears alongside Scandal breaking through Professor Pyg's lair and taking him hostage to their apartment. She is later seen in the hospital in critical condition after being shot, but with a concerned Scandal by her side. At one point in the film, Savage and Knockout share a kiss, while Knockout is shown fully nude at one point.

Cierra Ramirez in 2014; Ramirez voiced Chavez in the animated film Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors and throughout the Marvel Rising media franchise.

On September 30, 2018, Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors aired on the Disney Channel and Disney XD. The team included America Chavez, the first Latina, and lesbian, superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who had already appeared in animated shorts titled "Marvel Rising: Initiation". GLAAD expressed hope that the film would allow Chavez to be represented accurately, and "serve as an introduction of America and further queer characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe." The film was later described as "a superhero tale with diversity oozing out of every animated frame," with note of Chavez having two mothers.

In August 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 month, the voice actor for Dana Dufresne, Maddie Taylor, revealed that her Loud House 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.

On September 2, 2019, Steven Universe: The Movie premiered on Cartoon Network. It included Ruby, Sapphire, and Pearl, lesbian characters from the original Steven Universe series. In the film, after Spinel rides in to Earth on a planet-destroying weapons and attacks Steven Universe and the other three Crystal Gems (Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst), causing all them to be "rejuvenated" into their original forms. As Pearl and Amethyst are left with a sort of amnesia, Garnet splits into her component pieces: Ruby and Sapphire. While Steven works with his friends to bring back the memories of Pearl and Amethyst, he also recreates the moment which brought Ruby and Sapphire together into Garnet, and is successful in restoring Garnet first to "cotton candy" form, then to her original self. Garnet also sings a song about love, titled "Isn't It Love?". Furthermore, in the process of getting Pearl's memories back, Amethyst and Steven work together to get her memories back, including Amethyst transforming into Rose, who she calls Pearl's "love of her life." While this is not successful, Steven later succeeds by fusing with his father, into Steg, causing Pearl to come back to her original self.

On September 25, 2019, Shannon Amen, a Canadian animated short, premiered at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The film is a tribute to Shannon Jamieson, a friend and creative collaborator of the filmmaker who committed suicide after being unable to accept her sexuality.

In October 2019, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, direct-to-video animated superhero film was released. In the film, Etta Candy appears as an openly lesbian African-American, voiced by Adrienne C. Moore.

In the 2020s, various animated films with LGBTQ characters were released on physical formats, in theaters, and on streaming platforms. This included LGBTQ characters in Superman: Red Son, Onward, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, and Out. Some implied there were gay undertones in Luca.

On February 25, 2020, in the animated direct-to-video animated superhero film Superman: Red Son, Wonder Woman's bisexuality would be on screen, with her as a voice for the LGBTQ community.

On March 6, 2020, Onward, computer-animated urban fantasy adventure film, was released. In the film, Officer Specter briefly appears and in one scene she discusses her girlfriend's daughter pulling her hair out. She is voiced by Lena Waithe, a lesbian actress.

On May 5, 2020, the direct-to-video animated superhero film Justice League Dark: Apokolips War would premiere, featuring John Constantine and King Shark as characters. Constantine's voice actor, Matt Ryan, would describe Constantine Shark as in a gay relationship.

On May 22, 2020, an animated short film titled Out premiered on Disney+. This short Pixar film revolves around Greg attempting to hide a framed photo of him and his boyfriend, Manuel, from his parents, out of fear for their disapproval. The seventh short film in the SparkShorts series, it is both Disney's and Pixar's first short to feature a gay main character and storyline, including an on-screen same-sex kiss.

On October 4, 2022, the direct-to-video film Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! depicted Velma Dinkley as a lesbian who has a crush on monster designer Coco Diablo who reciprocates. The film was received by media outlets and fans. Velma Dinkley had previously been depicted as a lesbian in the television series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated which ran from 2010 to 2013.

On October 28, 2022, Wendell & Wild was released on Netflix. The film features Raúl Cocolotl, a transgender boy in an all-girls Catholic school. He is the first transgender male character in a major animated film. Raúl is voiced by transgender actor Sam Zelaya.

Strange World which was released on November 23, 2022, features Ethan Clade, who is the first gay lead character in a Disney animated film. Ethan Clade is voiced by gay comedian Jaboukie Young-White.

See also

• LGBT themes in anime and manga
• Cartoon Network and LGBT representation
• Disney and LGBT representation in animation
• Netflix and LGBT representation in animation
• List of cross-dressing characters in animated series
• List of animated series with LGBT characters
• Media portrayal of asexuality
• Media portrayal of pansexuality
• History of homosexuality in American film
• Intersex characters in fiction
• Gay characters in fiction
• Non-binary characters in fiction

References

Sources

use some or all of the following:

• Capsuto, Steven (2000). "A Kiss is Still A Kiss: Television: 1980-1995". Alternate channels : the uncensored story of gay and lesbian images on radio and television. New York: Ballatine Books. ISBN 0345412435. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
• Cook, Carson (May 2018). "A History of LGBT Representation on TV". A content analysis of LGBT representation on broadcast and streaming television streaming television (Honors). University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
• Gross, Larry (2001). "Morning Papers, Afternoon Soaps". Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231529327. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
• Johnson, Jo (2010). ""We'll Have A Gay Old Time!": Queer Representation in American Prime-Time Television from the Cartoon Short to the Family Sitcom". In Elledge, Jim (ed.). Queers in American Popular Culture Volume 1: Film and television. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. ISBN 9780313354571. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2006–2007 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. August 21, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-13. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2007–2008 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-25. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2008–2009 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-25. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2009–2010 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-26. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2010–2011 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-28. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
• "Where We Are on TV Report: 2011–2012 Characters List". GLAAD. GLAAD. 2012. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2020. See the overview page here.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2012–2013 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-26. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2013-2014 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-28. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2014-2015 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-28. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2015-2016 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. June 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-02-15. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2016-2017 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. November 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-01-01. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
• Where We Are on TV Report: 2017-2018 (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-04-05. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
• 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.
• LGBTQ Inclusion in Advertising and Media Executive Summary (PDF) (Report). GLAAD. June 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-06-20. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
• Keller, James (2010). "Recuperating and Reviling South Park's Queer Politics". In Elledge, Jim (ed.). Queers in American Popular Culture Volume 1: Film and television. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. ISBN 9780313354571. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
• Seba, Jaime (2011). "Out on the Small Screen". Gay characters in theatre, movies, and television: new roles, new attitudes. Broomall, Pennsylvania: Mason Crest Publishers. ISBN 9781422220122. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
• Tropiano, Stephen (2002). The prime time closet : a history of gays and lesbians on TV. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. ISBN 9781557835574. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
• Tropiano, Stephen (2002). "Appendix: Gay /Lesbian / Bisexual / Transgender TV Episode Guide". The prime time closet : a history of gays and lesbians on TV. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. ISBN 9781557835574. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
• Walters, Suzanna Danuta (2001). All the Rage: The Story of Gay Visibility in America. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226872315. Retrieved September 25, 2021.

Further reading

Use some, or all, of the following:

Brennan, Joseph, ed. (2015). Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans through Homoerotic Possibilities. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press. ISBN 978-1-60938-671-9.

Campbell, Jane; Carilli, Theresa; Drushel, Bruce; Cavalcante Da Silva, Simone; Erol, Ali E., eds. (2017). Locating Queerness in the Media: A New Look. US: Lexington Books. ISBN 978-1-4985-4905-9.

Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. US: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-5381-0373-9.

Ziegler, John R.; Richards, Leah, eds. (2020). Representation in Steven Universe. US: Palgrave MacMillian.

External links

• GLAAD Media Institute which tracks LGBTQ (and other) representation in U.S. television shows, including animated ones
• Blog of GLAAD which focuses on LGBTQ representation
• Animation news from LGBTQ Nation

categories: [{LGBT fiction}]

[Category:1960s animated television series] [Category:1970s animated television series] [Category:1980s animated television series] [Category:1990s animated television series] [Category:2000s animated television series] [Category:2010s animated television series] [Category:2020s animated television series] [Category:LGBT portrayals in mass media] [Category:LGBT-related animated series| ] [Category:History of animation] [Category:LGBT history] [Category:Animated television series] [Category:1990s timelines|LGBT characters in animation] [Category:2000s timelines|LGBT characters in animation] [Category:2010s timelines|LGBT characters in animation] [Category:2020s timelines|LGBT characters in animation]