Cartoon Network, an American TV channel which launched in 1992, and Adult Swim, its adult-oriented nighttime programming block which launched in 2001, has regularly featured lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) characters in its programming.
Some Cartoon Network series have included coded characters. For instance, The Oblongs , which aired from 2001 to 2002, features Biff who is implied to be gay. [1] He was confirmed to be gay in a bonus feature from The Oblongs Complete Series DVD. [2] Additionally, in 2012, Mark Hamill, the voice actor of Larry 3000 in Time Squad implied that Larry could easily have been interpreted as gay, [3] due to his femininity and presentation as the "gay best friend" to Cleopatra in "Shop like an Egyptian", even though Larry has stated on multiple occasions he dislikes humans in general. Hamill also described Larry 3000 as "fierce" and "flamboyant." [4]
Also, Space Ghost Coast to Coast , included a gay character. On December 25, 1994, Lokar, a locust alien and member of the Council of Doom, was introduced in the Space Ghost Coast to Coast Christmas special A Space Ghost Christmas. Supplementary material for the series had Lokar referred to himself as a Confirmed bachelor while an article on the official Cartoon Network website featured a reference to a slang word for gay sex. [5] [6] His sexuality was confirmed in audio commentaries for the Space Ghost Coast to Coast Volume 2 DVD and it was revealed that Lokar died at some point during the series. [7] [8] However this was eventually contradicted when Lokar returned in Season 11 in where he is shown to be alive and well.
More recently, in March 2020, Peridot, a popular character in Steven Universe , was confirmed by storyboarder Maya Peterson as asexual and aromantic. [9] She said this despite her reservations that she is only a secondary creator on the show, [10] pleasing fans. However, before, and after this point, fans had shipped Peridot with various other characters, specifically Lapis Lazuli and Amethyst, with some reviewers seeing Peridot and Lapis in a "close, loving relationship." [11]
Many Cartoon Network series have included LGBTQ+ representation. For instance, Superjail! , which aired from 2008 to 2014 on Adult Swim, had two gay characters: Jean Baptiste Le Ghei and Paul Guaye.. In an interview with the creators of the show, co-creator Christy Karacas called them well-rounded characters, who are a couple, with Paul as more feminine and intelligent than Jean who is "the bad boy." [12]
Summer Camp Island , which ran from September 2018 to August 2023, had various LGBTQ characters, such as Puddle, a non-binary alien who uses they/them pronouns and their husband, Alien King, is the king of their planet. [13] [14] Craig of the Creek confirmed in December 2019 that the show had a non-binary character named Angel José. Their original voice actor, Angel Lorenzana, who also uses they/them pronouns, an agender storyboard artist for the show, confirmed this. [15]
In May 2020, DC Super Hero Girls series creator Lauren Faust said that everyone was "on board with this idea" of Jessica Cruz having two mothers, and that she was glad it was approved. [16] Later, in July 2020, Tony Cervone, a producer of Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated stated that Velma Dinkley was a lesbian. James Gunn, who wrote the screenplays of Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed , concurred, stating that Velma was "explicitly gay." [17] She has feelings for another woman, Marcie "Hot Dog Water" Fleach. [18]
In December 2020, Amy Friedman, head of programming for Cartoon Network and HBO Max Kids & Family, stated that they are looking "at ourselves across the inclusion and equity spectrum," including the LGBTQ+ community, to evaluate projects in production, development, and post-greenlighting. [19]
Creators of Cartoon Network have occasionally talked facing challenges. On May 18, 1996, Silver Spooner, the sidekick to Barbequor, appeared in an episode of Dexter's Laboratory titled "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor". Both characters are parodies of Silver Surfer and Galactus, with the episode banned. While some said this was because Silver Spooner was a stereotype of gay men, with complaints to that effect after it aired, [20] [21] [22] 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. [23] [24] The episode was, in later broadcasts, and on its Season 1 DVD (Region 1), replaced with "Dexter's Lab: A Story", an episode from season two. [25]
Rebecca Sugar, creator of Steven Universe , was told by executives that the inclusion of a central queer romance could have ended her show. [26] At the time the iconic wedding episode of Steven Universe was first drafted, gay marriage was not yet legal in most of the United States. Previously, the series was said to be a "strong champion...for LGBT representation" as was Adventure Time . [27]
In October 2014, Spencer Rothbell, a writer, head of storywriting, [28] and voice actor of multiple characters, for the show Clarence , said that they had to change a scene in the episode "Neighborhood Grill", which showed two gay characters after pushback from Cartoon Network executives. [29] [30] According to Rothbell, the original scene showed the two characters kissing on the lips, noting that "originally the guy had flowers and they kissed on the mouth." Later he lamented that the scene in the episode is "better than nothing," adding that "maybe one day the main character can be gay and it won't be a big deal." Despite this step back, there were some moves forward.
In the summer of 2018, Steven Universe would make headlines with a gay wedding between two characters: Ruby and Sapphire, challenging Cartoon Network's history of "not overtly depicting same-sex marriage" [31] as Sugar struggled to get any LGBTQ+ representation on the show, with the network ultimately accepting her reasoning. [32] [33] When she originally pitched the Steven Universe episode with a lesbian wedding, "Reunited" she encountered challenges presenting it to the Cartoon Network. Sugar was able to convince network officers that the wedding was organic to the show's development and a natural progression of Ruby and Sapphire's relationship. When the wedding episodes—a double episode titled "Reunited"—aired in 2018, network policy progressed. Scorcher noted that it became standard policy for the network to treat homosexual relationships like heterosexual relationships. [31]
The episode, "Reunited," which aired on July 6, which she and the crew had worked on for years, [34] was praised as an example of the network's frank portrayal of "sexuality and gender identity in children's programming," and it was positively received by the LGBTQ+ community and fans. [35] [36] [37] This episode made Steven Universe the first kid's show on U.S. television to feature a lesbian wedding. [38] The creator of Gravity Falls , Alex Hirsch, believed that because of this episode, it meant that Sugar was moving everyone in kid's programming forward in terms of LGBTQ+ representation. ND Stevenson praised the episode as "bold and courageous," serving as a moment which "knocked down so many walls" for other storytellers. [39] [36]
In September 2018, Bonnie and Marcy kissed in the Adventure Time finale, "Come Along With Me". However, the kiss was not scripted, as series creator Adam Muto admitted. It was only added after a storyboard artist, Hanna K. Nyström, advocated for it. [40] [41] Previously, some of those behind the show played down the relationship. Some reviewers had hoped that "queer cartoon subtext" turns into "a queer cartoon subplot" or even a main plot in the future, and pointed to the Adventure Time Presents Marceline and the Scream Queens comic, created as part of the franchise, as fleshing out this relationship. [42] [43]
In March 2020, Rob Sorcher, chief content officer at Cartoon Network, spoke about the factors that go into content decisions for storylines. One important factor to consider was that Steven Universe aired in nearly 200 countries that had culturally conservative audiences. A common challenge when designing kids animations and cartoons is considering conservative and religious audiences who will often vocalize backlash on non-traditional storylines. Scorcher explained, "On a personal level, as a gay executive, I was taking extra pains to be sure that inside my company, I'm being completely neutral - really listening to all the business issues going on around the world," Sorcher says. "And that there's not the optics of me coming in with an 'agenda' to drive through the content." [31]
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The now-banned Cow and Chicken episode "Buffalo Gals" aired on June 27, 1998. It only aired once, as frequent complaints prevented future airings. Complaints were made about its overt innuendos, frequent double entendres, and lesbian stereotypes. It no longer airs on television and has been replaced in future reruns with "Orthodontic Police." [44] [45]
On June 18, 2015, the Steven Universe episode We Need To Talk was released and featured a dance between two female characters: Pearl and Rose Quartz. Cartoon Network UK has been allegedly found to omit scenes where the pair danced and appeared to be very intimate. This tweak in the episode diverted the symbolism of the scene from a romantic attraction to a friendly one. The UK network recognized the importance of a rating in the US broadcast system for shows like Steven Universe, which is PG (Parental Guidance Necessary). They further elucidate their defense in a statement: "In the UK, we have to ensure everything on air is suitable for kids of any age at any time. We do feel that the slightly edited version is more comfortable for local kids and their parents.” [46] [47]
In the Adventure Time episode What Was Missing was posted and subsequently taken down from the Mathematical Youtube Channel, a channel that shows the behind the scenes of Adventure Time. In this episode, Adventure Time has been forced to maintain its depiction of Princess Bubblegum and Marceline’s relationship less than explicit. Fred Seibert, the producer, explained in a statement: "In trying to get the show’s audience involved we got wrapped up by both fan conjecture and spicy fanart and went a little too far. Neither Cartoon Network nor the Adventure Time crew had anything to do with putting up or taking down our latest re-cap. The episode ”What was Missing” remains a terrific short and will be shown again and again just like any other Adventure Time episode." [46] [48]
Cartoon Network also censored the first gay kiss that would've appeared on the show Clarence . The show's writer and voice actor, Spencer Rothbell, confirmed the censorship on Twitter, claiming that one of the guys originally had flowers and kissed on the mouth. The Cartoon Network representative had no comment on the alteration of this episode. [49] [50]
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Mission Hill aired on The WB from 1999 to 2000 and Adult Swim in 2002. It featured Gus Duncz and Wally Langford, a gay elderly couple in their late 60s. As a result the series won an award from GLAAD for this representation, with some arguing that the series was "prematurely axed". [51]
In May 2021, in the Final Space episode, "Forgiveness," Ash Graven meets a genderless being named Evra, voiced by Jasmin Savoy Brown. Evra becomes Ash's friend and helps her "take her anger out," with both sitting and watching a formation of lights like the aurora borealis together. [52] [53] Her relationship with Evra makes clear her sexual orientation as a lesbian woman, [54] In June 2021, Olan Rogers, in a podcast about the episode "Forgiveness" that David Sacks, who wrote the episode, came from a place of "two souls connecting to each other" and noted that if the show had a fourth season, they would have expanded on the relationship between Evra and Ash. [55] However, the series, which aired on Adult Swim, was cancelled on September 10, 2021, before it could ever happen. [56]
Tuca & Bertie included a pansexual character Tuca Toucan. In season 2, Tuca was in a same-sex relationship with Kara, a seagull, but they broke up. [57] [58] [59] The series was cancelled after two seasons. [60] Tuca and Bertie was originally released on Netflix and was cancelled after one season.
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Some Cartoon Network animated series, with LGBTQ representation, have been nominated for awards. In 2012, [61] 2013, [62] 2014, [63] and 2019,[ citation needed ]Adventure Time was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Animated Series. In 2021,[ citation needed ]Harley Quinn was nominated for the award and would be nominated again in 2023. [64]
From 2018 to 2024, five animated series were nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming: Steven Universe (2018, 2019, 2021), [65] [66] [67] Adventure Time (2019), [66] Craig of the Creek (2021, 2023, 2024), [67] [68] [69] [70] Summer Camp Island (2021, 2022, 2024) [67] [71] [70] and Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! (2023). [68] Also, Steven Universe: The Movie was nominated in 2020 [72] and the Adventure Time: Distant Lands episode "Obsidian", centering on the relationship between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen, [73] [74] was nominated for the same GLAAD award, in 2021. [75] [76]
Of these nominees, only Steven Universe was given the award in 2019. [77] Additionally, the Adventure Time: Distant Lands episode "BMO" won a Kidscreen Award for Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie, in 2021. [78] [79] Previously, BMO was confirmed as a genderfluid character. [80] The episode also featured Y5, an anthropomorphic rabbit and teenage scientist between age 11 and 13 who lives in The Drift, [81] [82] who chooses her new name [83] 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. [84]
In 2023, at the 2nd Children's and Family Emmy Awards, for Craig of the Creek writers, Matt Burnett, Ben Levin, Jeff Trammell, Dashawn Mahone, Najja Porter, Deena Beck, and Ashleigh Hairston, were nominated for the "Outstanding Writing for an Animated Program" category.[ citation needed ]
LGBT representation in children's television is representation of LGBT topics, themes, and people in television programming meant for children. LGBT representation in children's programming was often uncommon to non-existent for much of television's history up to the 2010s, but has significantly increased since then.
Historically, the portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in media has been largely negative if not altogether absent, reflecting a general cultural intolerance of LGBTQ individuals; however, from the 1990s to present day, there has been an increase in the positive depictions of LGBTQ people, issues, and concerns within mainstream media in North America. The LGBTQ communities have taken an increasingly proactive stand in defining their own culture, with a primary goal of achieving an affirmative visibility in mainstream media. The positive portrayal or increased presence of the LGBTQ communities in media has served to increase acceptance and support for LGBT communities, establish LGBTQ communities as a norm, and provide information on the topic.
Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe, who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral-based aliens named Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst, and Pearl —in the fictional town of Beach City. Steven, who is half-Gem, has adventures with his friends and helps the Gems protect the world from their own kind. The pilot was first shown in May 2013, and the series ran for five seasons, from November 2013 to January 2019. The TV film Steven Universe: The Movie was released in September 2019, and an epilogue limited series, Steven Universe Future, ran from December 2019 to March 2020. Books, comics and video games based on the series have been released.
Rebecca Rea Sugar is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, director, and musician. She is best known for being the creator of the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe, making her the first non-binary person to independently create a series for the network; prior to coming out as non-binary, Sugar was described as the first woman to do so. Until 2013, Sugar was a writer and storyboard artist on the animated television series Adventure Time. Her work on the two series has earned her seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Sugar is bisexual, non-binary, and genderqueer, using both she/her and they/them pronouns. Sugar's queerness has served as the inspiration for her to stress the importance of LGBT representation in the arts, especially in children's entertainment.
The portrayals of bisexuality in the media reflect societal attitudes towards bisexuality in the existing media portrayals. Throughout history, numerous bisexual characters have appeared in television series, including cartoons, anime, video games and web series, along with literature, comics, radio, and other mediums.
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes is an American animated television series created by Ian Jones-Quartey for Cartoon Network. The show is based on Jones-Quartey's pilot Lakewood Plaza Turbo, which was released as part of Cartoon Network's 2013 Summer Shorts project. It was produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The web series premiered on Cartoon Network's YouTube channel and on Cartoon Network Video on February 4, 2016.
Danger & Eggs is an American animated series created by Mike Owens and Shadi Petosky that premiered on Amazon Video on June 30, 2017. The show focuses on the adventures of a cyan-haired teenaged girl and her giant anthropomorphic egg friend.
Craig of the Creek is an American animated television series created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin for Cartoon Network. The show's pilot episode debuted directly on the TV on December 1, 2017. The series premiered online on February 19, 2018, with a double-premiere event airing on March 30, 2018.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is an American animated television series developed for Netflix by ND Stevenson and produced by DreamWorks Animation Television. Like the 1985 Filmation series She-Ra: Princess of Power, of which it is a reboot, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power tells the tale of Adora, an adolescent who can transform into the heroine She-Ra and leads a group of other magical princesses in a rebellion against the evil Lord Hordak and his Horde.
Twelve Forever is an American animated television series created by Julia Vickerman for Netflix. Vickerman had previously worked on Clarence and The Powerpuff Girls. Twelve Forever premiered in the United States on July 29, 2019.
In the United States, before the enforcement of the Hays Code, some cartoon shorts contained humor that was aimed at adult audience members rather than children. Following the introduction of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system, independent animation producers attempted to establish an alternative to mainstream animation. Initially, few animation studios in the United States attempted to produce animation for adult audiences, but later examples of animation produced for adults would gain mainstream attention and success. Some of the most prominent animations with these mature/adult themes include Aqua Teen Hunger Force, BoJack Horseman, South Park, Family Guy, Mission Hill, and Archer, along with other adult animated television series, feature films, and animation in other forms which helped the genre expand over the years, beyond animated sitcoms.
Netflix has contributed substantially to LGBTQ representation in animation. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual and transgender characters have appeared in various animated series, and some animated films, on the streaming platform. GLAAD described Netflix as a company taking "impressive strides in viewership and impact," when it came to LGBTQ representation. Scholars have stated that LGBTQ characters on streaming services, such as Netflix, "made more displays of affection" than on broadcast networks.
This article features the history of the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) characters in animated productions under The Walt Disney Company, including films from the studios Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, and programming from the Disney Branded Television channels as well as the streaming service Disney+. From 1983 onward, Disney struggled with LGBTQ representation in their animated series, and their content often included LGBTQ stereotypes or the content was censored in series which aired on Toon Disney such as Blazing Dragons. Some creators have also criticized Disney studio executives of cutting LGBTQ scenes from their shows in the past, or criticized that their shows were not seen as part of the "Disney brand", like The Owl House.
In Western animation, LGBTQ themes means plotlines and characters which are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise queer in series produced in Western countries, and not in Japan, which can also have similar themes. Early examples included Bugs Bunny in drag, wearing a wig and a dress, as a form of comedy, or episodes of Tom & Jerry, under restrictive moral guidelines like the Hays Code with some arguing that animation has "always had a history of queerness." This later evolved into gay-coded characters in Disney films like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, and in animated series such as The Simpsons and South Park. In later years, other series would more prominently depict same-sex characters and relationships. This would include Adventure Time, Steven Universe, The Legend of Korra, Gravity Falls, Clarence, The Loud House, and Arthur. Such series, and others, have encountered roadblocks, with series creators attempting to make their programs "more welcoming of different characters," and ensure all-ages animation is no longer "bereft of queer characters." Previously, an online database, by Insider, documented over 250 LGBTQ characters in children's animation dating back to 1983, but the "representation of overtly queer characters" skyrocketed from 2010 to 2020, with promotion of these series by some streaming platforms, while other companies were not supportive of overt representation, for one reason or another.
Nickelodeon, an American TV channel which launched in 1979, has featured lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) characters in its programming.
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