Getting LGBTQ2S+ representation on TV and in film right should not be that hard. And yet, it continues to be an ongoing challenge—at least in media targeting adults.
Mainstream Disney movies, like the recently released Jungle Cruise, are still getting by on the “groundbreaking” gay representation of having a character slightly hint that they are queer. Marvel still refuses to acknowledge queerness in their blockbuster films, and groundbreaking queer shows like One Day at a Time get cancelled.
Meanwhile, one in six Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ2S+, and queer and trans folks are coming out at all ages. Our popular media should reflect that reality.
One consistent and surprising source of representation, creativity and inclusion for LGBTQ2S+ folks across the spectrum is kids’ cartoons.
Across networks and age ranges, cartoons have been doing the actual work of showcasing diverse genders and sexualities, no matter how old their audience is. They’re showing off that you can love anyone—and be anyone—and that’s more than okay. In a lot of cases, it’s even magical.
Here are a few to check out—whether you’re a kid, have a kid in your life or are just a kid at heart.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Epic stories often end with a true love’s kiss that saves the universe. But in the 2018 adaptation She-Ra and the Princess of Power, that kiss is uniquely, wonderfully, magically queer, shared between the eponymous She-Ra (a.k.a. Adora) and her longtime best friend/nemesis, Catra.
Creator and showrunner Noelle Stevenson fought throughout production to end the series with a queer kiss, and it’s been heralded by fans as an iconic moment inanimated television.
But the show doesn’t stop there: beyond its central couple, the series is a masterclass in casual representation of queer folks. Other sapphic love interests are hinted at, while She-Ra’s friend Bow has two lovable gay dads. There’s even a genderfluid non-binary character, and a canonically asexual character. And the show ends with a literal rainbow of friendship—what’s gayer than that?
Muppet Babies
Conversations around gender identity aren’t just for older kids; they’re finding their way into shows for the littlest ones, too.
The new Muppet Babies series featured an episode, “Gonzo-rella,” where the beloved Muppets character attends a princess ball wearing a dress, because they didn’t want to go in “boys’ clothes.” When their friends realize it is them, they have an adorably kid-friendly conversation about letting people be themselves and wear what they want.
“I don’t want to do things just because that’s the way they’ve always been done,” Gonzo says. “I wanna be me.”
It’s a great message to share for gender-creative kids everywhere!
Steven Universe
Rebecca Sugar’s iconic 2013 series follows a young boy named Steven, who was raised by three aliens and is on a quest of love, friendship and finding himself. The show was one of the first to proudly highlight a diversity of queer identities and relationships alongside its core messages of love and found family.
It features a lesbian marriage, several other queer relationships and a groundbreaking character in Stevonnie. A fusion of Steven and his best friend Connie, Stevonnie is a non-binary and intersex character.
Many of the shows on this list wouldn’t exist if Steven Universe—and Sugar—hadn’t paved the way.
The Owl House
While big-budget Disney still refuses to acknowledge any sort of meaningful queer representation, 2020’s The Owl House, the little Disney kids show that could, is picking up the slack.
The animated series follows a young girl learning to be a witch in a fantastical world full of demons and witch sand magic. It also features Disney’s first openly bisexual character, Luz Noceda, who dates the openly gay Amity Blight.
In its second season, the show also introduce the non-binary character Raine Whispers, voiced by non-binary actor and voice artist Avi Roque. In the show, Whispers uses they/them pronouns and has an expressed love interest.
Ridley Jones
The new series Ridley Jones is essentially Night at the Museum meets pre-school meets queer family. The eponymous protagonist is a six-year-old girl who lives with her mother and grandmother in a treehouse inside of a museum. At night, the museum “comes alive” with a host of fun characters.
One of those characters, a mummy named Ismat, has two dads, voiced by Chris Colfer and Andrew Rannells.
The show also stands out by casting a young non-binary actor to play a non-binary character: Fred, a bison, is played by Ezra Menas, who also played a non-binary character in Madagascar: A Little Wild’s Pride episode.
Blue’s Clues
If there was a queer and trans representation in kids’ programming BINGO card, Blue’s Clues’ would be full, thanks to the popular kids’ shows’ Pride sing-along this year, featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Nina West.
This clip truly hits all the right notes: trans beavers; lesbian alligators; the lyrics, “These babas are non-binary / They love each other so proudly” describing a float that features a dolphin couple (one in a wheelchair) and their kid.
There’s even mention of chosen families, ace, bi and pan folks, the Two-Spirit flag and drag houses.
The entire sequence is a perfect clapback to all of those critics who say that LGBTQ2S+ identities are too complicated for kids to understand. Not only is the video clear and fun, it’s INCREDIBLY catchy and still stuck in my head.
Arthur
You didn’t think I’d get through this list without mentioning the gay rat wedding, right?
Arthur, a long-running series on PBS, was a childhood staple for many millennials like me (having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card, am I right?). But it’s still airing to this day, and has evolved with the times—most notably with its 22nd season premiere, “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone Which aired in 2019.”
In the episode, Arthur (who’s an aardvark, BTW) and his friends attend their teacher Mr. Ratburn’s wedding, where they find out he’s marrying a man named Patrick.
Republican commentators called the wedding part of the “culture war” against traditional America, but pretty much everyone else was just excited about a gay rat wedding on kids’ TV.
The official Arthur Twitter account even wished them a happy anniversary this year.
The 25th season will be the series’ last, and will air in the winter of 2022.
Let’s hear it for gay rights—and gay rats!
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