Disney hit an important milestone last week by introducing an interracial LGBTQ couple onto its kids’ cartoon, Doctor McStuffins.
Children of same-sex parents finally got some overdue representation in the mainstream media. The animation also features very strong female characters including the main character - Dottie “Doc” McStuffins. She dreams of becoming a doctor when she grows up, but while she’s still a kid, she gives her cuddly toys regular check-ups.
The episode featured two openly gay actresses, Wanda Sykes and Portia de Rossi, as the voice of the moms.
The most important factor of the episode wasn’t the fact that the characters were lesbians (in fact, that wasn’t focused on at all), it was about teaching kids how to prepare for an earthquake. The parents just happen to be lesbians. The narrative of the story didn’t change.
“With this episode, they see a family that looks like our family,” Wanda told The Huffington Post.
“We’re two moms... it’s going to be very exciting for my kids to see our family represented.”
Many LGBTQ advocacy groups have praised the Disney Channel for the latest episode, including GLAAD.
“Shows like this reflect our real world,” President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis wrote on the GLAAD blog.
“Today that includes the many children being raised by gay and lesbian parents who are all going to celebrate this story.”
Normalising inclusively is proving to be the best step forward. Disney also featured gay characters on its animation show, Gravity Falls last year as well as Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe.
The character of LeFou was depicted as gay in the live-action reboot of Beauty and the Beast this year.
Mike DiMartino, co-creator of Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra, confirmed on his website in February 2014 that two of the animation show’s female characters were in a relationship.
Live-action TV show, Good Luck Charlie, also featured openly-gay characters.
Amazon recently premiered Danger & Eggs, a new animated series by trans writer and producer, Shadi Petosky
Representation of LGBTQ people in the media has been commonplace in the East, especially in countries such as Japan. The kids’ anime series Sailor Moon featured many canon LGBTQ characters and non-binary since 1993. However, this storyline was edited-out in the English version.
Popular anime show, Cardcaptors, featured three gay teenagers as main characters back in 1996. This was again edited-out for Western television.
