Cartoons. We all have those childhood memories growing up on them, they practically raised us. Waking up in the morning and catching your favorite cartoon on the tv before going to school, the excitement you feel watching your favorite characters go on an adventure. Memories being made throughout the years from these shows you’ve watched as a kid has shaped you as a person. The beautiful thing about cartoons is that they capture the audience in various ways. It appeals to us as kids because there’s action and vivid colors, it catches our eyes and childish minds. However, when we’re older we can go back to these childhood favorites and take in the bigger picture, we understand the hidden messages. Now that we’ve all grown up, we start analyzing these characters from the shows we’ve enjoyed and their actions. Were the two ‘best friends’ from that one show, really besties or were they more? As the years go on, more directors and authors open up about their character’s identities. In the present day, more people feel safe and open about creating these lgbtq+ communities within their shows. Today I will dive into some actual good queer representation in shows/books, and the rise of queer representation over the years. Adventure Time- Princess Bubblegum and Marceline A classic childhood favorite that most people grew up with or has at the very least heard of. Adventure Time was a show started in 2010 and surrounds the adventures of Finn the human and Jake the dog. We’re first introduced to Princess Bubblegum as the love interest of Finn, however this dynamic changes. When Marceline and Bubblegum meet, you can tell they have history together. This is confirmed in episode ten, “What Was Missing” of season three. Marceline sings the most iconic song almost everyone knows by now, “I’m just your Problem”, which makes it clear that this song was definitely about Princess Bubblegum.This interaction had fans in a stirr, they immediately started shipping these two together. As the years go on and more seasons are created, their past relationship opens up. In 2018, Bubblegum and Marceline made headlines. After ten long seasons and eight years of anticipation, PB and Marceline kiss during the finale of Adventure Time. In 2020, Adventure: Distant Lands came out. This served as a wrap up on the entire series. The second episode, “Obsidian,” gives us insight on the two of them and the hardships they faced while being together in the past. They’ve grown and matured, they have a healthy relationship now. Why does this relationship work? It started off as a ship with major hints of a past relationship but turned into something so much more. It doesn’t only focus on each of their hardships but also learning from past mistakes. It provides a very real experience for everyone. The most important thing to note is that no one questions them getting together, it’s not deemed as “weird” but acceptable. It's a good representation of wlw relationships. This iconic couple was beautifully written and planned out. They made us as an audience feel seen and emotional. It felt so good seeing the two characters you’ve rooted for, finally get together after so long. Further proving my point of all of us feeling seen, Evie Heinemann says, “Adventure Time made me feel normal when I was a kid growing up.” Having that representation shown in one of your favorite tv shows, makes a person feel like what they are feeling is normal and valid. When someone you look up to is like you, you feel safe and powerful in a sense. That’s why representation matters. Steven Universe- Garnet and Stevonnie Source: (https://steven-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Ruby ) In Steven Universe, you cannot talk about just one character or two, there’s so much representation in sexuality and gender. This show had good character dynamics every season, everyone is simply accepted for who they are. That’s why people like this show, it may be for a younger audience but at the same time all ages can enjoy it. Lorraine Robinson says, “ I saw a representation of all kinds of people from short and chubby to tall and skinny. There was people of color and different race, different home lifes, raising kids, gay marriages, gay relationships. It really helped me see what my world looked like, but on screen and without all the magic.” Not only is this show representing gender and sexuality, but body positivity. People can easily relate to this show and that’s what makes it enjoyable. Brief view of the show, It is about a kid named Steven and his guardians The Crystal Gems; Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. The gems have raised Steven since the day he was born. His mother, Rose Quartz was the leader of the crystal gems but unfortunately passed away when Steven was born. They save the world and restore peace every episode. Now there’s so much representation in the show that I cannot talk about all of them, so for today I’ll talk about Ruby and Sapphire (Garnet) and Stevonnie (Steven and Connie), both fusions. It’s important to note that all gems are sexless beings but typically use she/her pronouns. In the final episode of season one, “JailBreak”, it is revealed that Garnet is a fusion. Which means she’s two separate gems fused together. This episode was the first time we met Sapphire and Ruby, a wlw couple. Why do they matter? These two were the sweetest thing ever but also had their own problems. They eventually work through every hardship they have and even get officially married in the episode “Reunited” in the final season. To understand this a bit more, the time when these two fused over 5,000 years ago, it hadn’t been accepted in gem society. Two separate gems fusing was unheard of, the gems did not approve of this. So the fusion Garnet ran away, their love wasn’t allowed. This provided a very real experience people have everyday. It’s so heartwarming to see them grow with each other and finally have their love not seem as taboo. Their story was relatable and helped us all connect with them even more, it was definitely tear-jerking. Eduardo Garcia states that, “ I feel that they affected me by being able to help me feel normal and how they brought out queer representation for a younger generation so that we don't have the problems that we have now in the future generations”. This only further proves how this relatable show impacts all of us. Having it be aimed at a younger audience makes them feel like they aren’t alone in their experiences. Steven Universe- Stevonnie Now onto Stevonnie, the fusion between the two characters Steven and Connie. These two have been close friends since Connie was first introduced to the series in episode seven, “Bubble Buddies” in season one. However these two first fuse by accident in episode thirty-seven of season one thus creating Stevonnie. In this episode he is taught how to fuse by the crystal gems but couldn’t fuse with any of them. This changes when he talks to Connie at the beach, they accidentally fuse together at this moment. What is the representation Stevonnie gives us? Well they give us one of the first confirmed nonbinary charcters in the show that uses they/them pronouns. Stevonnie had both the minds of Connie and Stevn perfected shown. This is important because gender isn’t as represented in cartoons as much as sexuality though, both are equally important of course. Owl House- Amity and Luz One of the newest shows on this list, Owl House. This show aired on January 10th, 2020, and has caught the eyes of many ages alike. Dana Terrence, the creator, is often praised for the representation of the lgbtq+ characters they have included in their show. Today, I’ll be focusing on the characters Raine, Amity, and Luz. Brief summary of the show: Luz is a teenage girl who traveled to another realm where fantasy becomes reality. She partners up with a rebellious witch named Eda and attends school in this realm. While there we meet the Amity Blight, a perfectionist and a rival at first. Now what happens between Luz and Amity? They are the perfect example of the popular rivals to lovers trope. In the episode ”Enchanting Grom Fright”, Amity and Luz are forced to dance together in order to defeat the grom, a demon who manifests deep fears, and save the day. This scene heavily hinted that the both of them liked each other. They held hands and looked in each other eyes, there was no heterosexual explanation for this. September 2nd, 2020 marks a very special day for all Owl House fans, it is when Dana Terrace confirmed both of their sexualities. They revealed that Amity was a lesbian and Luz was bisexual. Their mutual feelings for each other was confirmed in episode “Escaping Expulsion”, where Luz confirms that she likes Amity back. The feeling of having a wlw represented so early on made fans feel like they won. Here’s where it really goes down, Amity and Luz kiss and officially get together in the episode, “ Knock, Knock, Knockin on Hooty’s Door”. Why do they work? Their story wasn’t rushed in any way, the characters went on a journey of self-love with each other and I think that’s beautiful. This show may be aimed at a younger audience however thats the good thing, normilzing queer people. Lorrian Robinson states that “The two main characters being love interests made me feel really happy and seen.” They go on to say that they’d recommend this show to anyone. Owl House- Raine Whispers What about gender being represented? Well Owl House has that too! The character Raine Whispers is confirmed to be nonbinary an uses they/them pronouns, they’re one of my top favourite characters in the show. Not only this, they are exes with Eda which means they are a nonbinary lesbian. Raine is such an important role for representation in disney films as they marked history with being the first confirmed nonbinary character. Having a non-binary character being represented in Dinsey provides a chance for the younger generations to learn. That’s why Owl House is so crucial for the development of this new age in Disney. From personal experience, I can say that seeing Raine in this show made me feel seen. Boys Run the Riot- Ryo I cannot stress this enough, this series was so wonderful to read and I think everyone should give it a try. The experiences reminded me and others of their own, it was so immersive and I couldn’t stop once I picked it up. I connected with Ryo and his experiences on some level. This series is especially important because the author, Keito Gaku, is transgender himself. Not only is his series about a transgender teen and his experinces but it’s also written by someone who understands. His experiences are well portrayed, not every story has that. Sometimes manga artists will magically morph their transgender charcaters to the gender they idenity as but it’s not that easy. They don’t give an accurate respresnatation of the emotions or the experiences that usually come with beings transgender. For example, dysphoria. It is not typically talked about. However in this series, we get an accurate representation of some of the feelings that come with being trans. It’s a light-hearted story of Ryo, a transgender teen, who tries to navigate his life between school, idenity, and his clothing business with his cisgender classmate. Throughout the story, he learns to accept who is. Boys Run the Riot debuted in 2020 but was officially printed on May 25th, 2021. There's currently only four volumes out, the author has not stated any more plans for more releases. Speaking of volumes, let’s talk about them. In the first volume we get introduced to Ryo. We find out that he’s a closeted transgender male who has a crush on his girl besfriend. He’s a highschool student who struggles with his identity but has a love for fashion and uses that as an outlet for his emotions. He meets this scary looking classmate, Jin, who’s repeating the year. They both find out that they both have similar fashion tastes and decide on starting a business together. In the second volume, they’ve officially started their clothing brand. However they are awakened to the rude and cruel reality that is the real world, the fashion industry is extremely hard to get through. Ryo and Rin must figure out a way to make their pieces stand out. Ryo tries to work anywhere that he can by part-timing, he’s realizing even more that his identity is making him struggle even more. He doesn’t know if he should come out as his true self to his friends yet. At his part time job at a karaoke bar, he learns to confide in Mizuki, his coworker, in his struggles. In volume three, Ryo is unfortunately outed by the famous LGBTQ+ youtuber, Tsubasa, while they were promoting his clothing brand. HIs frustrated with what happened and has to learn to deal with the consequences. In the final volume of this series, Ryo is out in the open as a transgender male and is ready to psh through for his clothing brand. He meets Joe, a fan of theirs. It’s realized that Joe has been in this industry for 20 years now and even has an exhibition where he’d like to promote Ryo’s and Jin’s work. They are finally taking the stage with a riot like they’ve always dreamed of. Representation Over the Years Now what about the overall representation we’ve been getting? Well thanks to insider, we’re able to tap down on the increase of queer represenataion. Out of all the years from 1996 to 2020, 2019 had the highest increase. In 2019, more than 20 animated kids’ shows had LGBTQ+ characters portrayed. Insider found out that it took on average 3.5 years to confirm a LGBTQ+ character from a show, most times they would confirm it cable and broadcast. In 2014, there was spike in queer representation and it only began to grow from there. In 2019, a peak in queer represantation in cartoons made its peak with 74 onfimred LGBTQ+ characters. In Insider's database, it was found that Cartoon Network had the most shows with queer representation. As for gender representation, Insider’s database shows that 102 characters identified as cis women, 86 identified a cis men, 38 nonbinary, and 16 were unknown. Honorable Mention- Pose I’ve only talked about animations so far so I’d like to mention a drama series called Pose. The setting is in the 1980s and the character Blanca starts a house where any members of the LGBTQ+ community can turn to. The “children'' of the house compete in various categories against each other ranging from fashion, dance, and attitude. Jaychaun Perry highly recommends this show if you want something not animated but so powerful. He recommends Pose to because it shows the Black LGBTQ+ representation, whether it’s the bad or good side. He goes on to say, “ The representation I’ve seen has always been good. Usually the type of characters that have a realistic view on the world.” I would say this is a fantastic show to watch if you want insight of the struggles of race and sexuality. ConclusionSo today I’ve disccused some queer represtation in some shows and a book, I think the takeaway is that queer represnation matters and as the years ago by, the more it increases. This increase in the LGBTQ+ community being represented in mainstream television shows helps younger generations better understand and allows for room to grow. So next time you see a “suspicious” character, there’s a high chance that yeah, they’re definitely part of the same community. Let’s try not to get lured in by queer baiting this time again. Jazzy Frazierim 6'2 with an attitude.
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