Is Western Animation Ready For Gay Characters?

The closest thing we have ever gotten to an openly gay character in a kids cartoon is probably Him from The Powerpuff Girls. Seriously, he is shown sitting on a throne with muscular guys dressed in nothing but tight underwear sitting around him and feeding him grapes.
 
There's also this from the end of the episode:

Pan10.jpg


That's not her sister, the credits confirm that it's Toby Raynes Maggie's then comic girlfriend.

The only thing more blatant was the Postcards from Buster controversy about Buster meeting kids with Lesbian moms.



Well in W.I.T.C.H. all the girls have prospective love interest and end up with them at the end, with the exception of Irma (if I remember season 2 rightly). So it would fit in that series.



Northstar and Obsidian didn?t exactly play big parts and Montoya wasn't revealed as gay until the Gotham Central comics years later after the series had ended. Considering the original series bible for BTAS called for her to be married (to a guy), even though that was scrapped, it's clear that they didn't intend for her to be gay so you can't really count her as a gay cartoon character.
 
You know, I have to agree with you. If the only thing that you get that ever indicates the character is gay is an after the fact creator statement, then what does it matter, what does it change, what's the point? It's even kind of cowardly to create a character they know is gay and never give them any gay traits.
 
Putting in a character just so he/she can be a good role model is also lame and a fun-killer IMO. I'm not interested in getting preached at by a cartoon. And making a character into a role model can be a character-killer. Remember when Walt Disney listened to parents who demanded that Mickey Mouse be a good role model? What happened to Mickey? He became LAME. And he deserved better. Mickey could still have been a good guy, like Bugs Bunny, but get mad once in a while at least. For my part, if I ever see a cartoon that says, in essence: "Look! Here's the hero/heroine, and by the way, he/she is GAY!" I'm changing the channel.

And anyway, I think parents should be the ones to talk to their kids about controversial subjects, and not a cartoon show. Cartoons should entertain first and foremost; leave the parenting to parents.
 
Actually no, I don't remember that. When exactly did Walt Disney ever tone down Mickey Mouse due to complaints from parents? Because while it's true he was turned from a little bastard into a character that was more innocent, I don't believe it had anything to do with complaints from parents, especially since Mickey wasn't marketed exclusively towards younger audiences in the 20's or 30's.
 
I'm surprised that no one's mentioned Buddy G, My 2 Moms and Me yet. This was a pretty serious attempt to have a mainstream kids series with same sex parents as regulars. I don't know how well it's doing, though. The best way to deal with a situation such as the one on Buddy G is to work it in subliminally; have the lesbian parents on the show, but don't make their relationship the primary focus. It probably wasn't the best idea putting the "2 Moms" part in the title either.
 
I think you mean sterotypes though, not traits. And it's not a matter of cowardice, it's a matter of promoting tolerance of people, imho. Maybe by avoiding sterotypes they are having viewers realize that that character is a person, not a token.
 
Being gay doesn't effect your personality. You can be effiminate or masculine regardless of your sexuality.



Next month, huh? So we'll know by then if it's well-received or not.
 
If the gay character was written to be funny and to do gay things while not be taken seriously then it could work, but I don't think people want to see a seriously played gay animated character. They would have to do it in a way where his being gay would be funny, like say the character who is gay didn't tell his friends and then his friend drops by his apartment to find him in bed with 10 guys all at once and they are all dressed like the Village People. Stuff like that. Personally, I wouldn't want to see a serious gay character, not that I'm a homophobic person or anything, but I just wouldn't be able to get into a story revolving around a character who takes his sexual orientation seriously, he would definitely have to be a supporting character if anything and not in every episode.
 
Uh-huh. :shrug:

Personally, I'd have no problem with gay characters. A definite shame that closest we get to them in kids' cartoons is in creator interviews long after the shows are over. Is it really that hard to show even a minor character to be with someone of the same gender?
 
Last I looked in the mirror, *no*. No moreso re: hormones "and stuff" as any straight guy...

Re: gays in kids' cartoons: no reason you can't have gays in kids' cartoons like any other character---if there's a plot about, say, the gang scrambling to get ready for the prom, so can the gay or lesbian character present. Or if the plot involves beating up bad guys, etc...

Re: Mission Hill: Never really saw Mission Hill, but thanks for the info...
 
I don't see why it should be a problem to have openly homosexual characters. The only reason that the majority of adults see it as a controversal issue is because most of them are raised with the mindset that relations with the opposite sex is normal and believe that anything outside of the norm is wrong.

Whereas an inexperienced kid on the other hand wouldn't see it as such a big deal (unless their parents already raised them with the mentality that same sex relationships is wrong).
 
Wow, that's terrible animation. Is that airing anywhere or just available on DVD?

It kind of looks like someone made a cartoon version of the old Shary Flenniken National Lampoon comic strip, Marshall William Newtwon: Child of Divorce. Check out this article about, although be warned there's some mild cartoon nudity and it's an adult take on the subject.

http://ukjarry.blogspot.com/2008/01/58-sharry-flenniken-child-of-divorce.html

Also, man, that attitude that gays should only be shown as objects of fun and ridicule is itself homophobic, Manga4life. Why should homosexuality only be portrayed as a campy joke?
 
The best way to portray homosexual characters is to portray them as regular people, not as over-the-top stereotypes. Give them other personality quirks besides their sexual orientation and don't make their sexual desires the focal point of their characters. Don't portray them as gay characters; portray them as characters who just happen to be gay.
 
Pretty much this. There have been some gay characters in animation. It's just that no one just straight out says they are gay. They either are somewhat stereotypical (Mr. Bickles from Fairly Odd parents is obviously gay), or they aren't but creators out them afterwards (Richie Foley from Static Shock and Lexington from Gargoyles). Heck, even comic characters like The Brain and Monsieur Mallah have been animated (then again, their relationship wouldn't be appropriate...like...at all) Even Mystique and her lover have been animated. But I don't know what people are asking for if you don't want it to be stereotypical (feminine gay guy) or announced later (non feminine gay guy who you wouldn't know he was until the creator says so). Is it the relationship that people want to see?

It's easier to have different races and genders as their attributes are purely physical. However you do not want to add characters of different race, gender, sexuality to be preachy or make some sort of statement. How tired are we of flawless females? Heck, Miles Warren was (East) Indian on Spectacular Spider-Man, it's never outright said...and I had to ask Greg, but it was obvious he wasn't white from his physical appearance. For sexuality I'm pretty sure that it's like a religious view, if it isn't relevant to the story I don't think that it will be shown (like Nightcrawler's strong Catholicism).
 
Specifically, it's Veronica #202. The plot: There's a new guy in Riverdale named Kevin who Veronica has the hots for, but Veronica can't understand why Kevin wants nothing with her. Jughead, who finds out Kevin is gay from Kevin himself, decides to have some fun with the situation at Veronica's expense.

Looks like a "woman with no gay-dar" plot, combined with typical Archie hijinks.
 
Finally. Thank you. This is why I don't care about the issue too much. I've been long over the idea creators doing something just to do something supposedly "ground-breaking" that actually isn't. I remember when Dumbledore was outed by J.K. Rowling, who gave a straight answer in response to a fan question. A lot of people reacted as though it were important and consequential; some had negative opinions and some were positive. Me? I shrugged my shoulders, figured "whatever, Dumbledore is still Dumbledore" and I got on with my life. At first, some people got all worked up over Jon Stewart and Hawkgirl in Justice League (boo affirmative action, I want Hal Jordan!!!). I just relaxed and enjoyed the damn show for what it was, and both characters turned out to be a lot more than just token representation. It's long past time to look at characters as characters (and people as people) first as opposed to looking at them as members of a group.
 
I thought Mission Hill was a step in the right direction with Gus and Wally. Yeah, it wasn't a perfect attempt, but the writers definitely got some things right by not making their homosexuality the focus of the two anytime they were on-screen, while at the same time treating their relationship as normal (if slightly dysfunctional- see "Andy and Kevin Make a Friend" when Gus refuses to take the knife out of his head), not some sick abomination, odd novelty, or morbid curiosity. They're just two older guys who happened to be gay.

And you wouldn't even know Gus was gay at all, because he doesn't exhibit the stereotypical fruity gay behavior that is so easy to write, yet so tired and (many times) inaccurate.

Additionally, "Plan 9 From Mission Hill" was a good window into Wally's personality. It shows the writers didn't treat him like a caricature who makes a few double entendres and leaves. They wanted to explore his backstory, and how that related to Kevin's growing love for classic cinema.
 
No, I meant actual recognition of being gay, either through their self-image or their relationships. Just saying "oh, that character was gay" years later even though there was no indication of it on the show doesn't mean anything.

As for what's unusual about the Brain and Monsieur Mallah's relationship, "gay" doesn't even make the list. That's the normal part.
 
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