Netflix and LGBTQ representation in animation

People at Pride Parade carrying various flags, including the pansexual, bisexual, and rainbow flags in August 2016

In November 2018, Noelle Stevenson's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power premiered on Netflix. It had begun production in May 2015, with Stevenson saying their early conversations about queer relationships and characters were only possible because of Steven Universe, with pushback early on that they couldn't have any romance.[4] Stevenson would work on this project for almost the next five years until the premiere of the final season in May 2020.[5] She-Ra was quickly praised for its LGBTQ+ representation. Before the show began streaming, two gay characters, the fathers of series protagonist, Bow, were revealed at a panel.[6] Some stated that the show had a lot in common with shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Steven Universe and Sailor Moon, including characters which can be read as "fluidly on the gender and sexuality spectrum."[7] Others noted that the show included a lesbian couple, Netossa & Spinnerella,[8] which are "closely bonded characters," and noted the "queer romance" manifested by the Adora-Catra relationship.[9][8][10] In 2020, the show would have a recurring non-binary character named Double Trouble.[11] Stevenson began working on She-Ra at the same time she began dating Molly Ostertag,[12] who ended up becoming very influential for the show, even "from the very beginning."[13] Ostertag was the one who came with the plot idea that the planet of Etheria was a weapon, employed in the season 4 finale, "Destiny Part 2".[14] At the same time, Stevenson and those working on the show were fighting very hard for the "Princess Prom" episode, trying to build in a queer framework to the show so it becomes normalized within the executive structure itself, and were hoping for a positive support from the fans.[4] Stevenson also admitted they hadn't been as explicit in the first season as they had wanted and were overwhelmed by the positive support from fans, noting that whenever a show has a "really powerful piece of representation," it helps other productions. This representation would continued into May 2020, when the show's final season aired, leaving a lasting impact on LGBTQ representation for years to come.

Furthermore, Stevenson talked to Gizmodo about the Catra/Adora relationship, shipping, and LGBTQ+ relationships in fiction:

"It’s kind of bothered me in the past when it comes to two characters who are gay or queer in a queer relationship, or are theorized to be in a queer relationship. And the way that it always seems to come down, the way it’s covered, that it is a shipping thing? Or it is something that, you know, bored kids on the internet do that’s not real—or it doesn’t have real merit and real value and real storytelling and meaning. That always seems to be the conversation around gay characters because it’s like, ‘Oh, I want these two characters to kiss. I ship them!’ Which is great. I love the fandom that is passionate about these things. But for me, I was like, why can’t it be a relationship that is central to the plot, a romance that is central to the plot. The way that so many straight characters have gotten to be, without it being the end-all-be-all...to actually see it [the Catra-Adora romance] be a central part of the plot and to fulfill the arcs of the characters in a way that felt satisfying. I really want to take it beyond ‘Oh, the shippers got what they want.’ Like, it’s not just a ship for me. It is a plot point. It is the necessary conclusion of each character’s arc, separate and together...I’m looking forward to seeing how that conversation evolves, and what it looks like in the next show and the next movie and the next story and the one after that. What can we ask for? What can we look for and what can we imagine for ourselves and for others that are represented on our screens and in our stories? And I’m excited for what that conversation will be."[15]

Some reviewers praised the series on its character development, plotlines, redemption arc for Catra, the screen time for Entrapta, hilarious moments, the interactions between Netossa and Spinnerella, and wrapping up existing character arcs.[16] Others said that the sendoff of the series is satisfying, with Catra portrayed as a victim of trauma, with her past straining her relations with Adora, with the message that nothing can overpower "the collective power of friendship, love, and solid storytelling."[17] Some stated that the series ends on a powerful note, with the final season "packed with big queer energy," with lesbian love literally saving the universe in the series finale, praising the finale season for putting "LGBT+ characters front and centre with a finale that does justice to its fans."[18] At the same time, reviewers said that the kiss between Adora and Catra would change TV forever.[19] Three reviewers for Autostraddle, Valerie Anne, Meg Jones Wall, and Heather Hogan, reviewed the show's final season, calling it a "literally perfect season of television", the friendship between Scorpia and Perfuma, the hilarious moments, and Entrapta coming more out of her shell.[20] They further pointed to Catra's redemption arc, the focus on Netossa and Spinnerella, and called the Catra/Adora relationship one of the best "queer couple storylines." Tracy Brown of the Los Angeles Times noted that Etheria is a planet without restrictions on gender and no hetereonormativity, adding that the final season actualized the "central queer love story," thrilled to see Catra and Adora admit their love for each other, surprised by it only because she "didn't expect to be able to see a story like theirs unfold on a kids’ cartoon — at least not yet," going beyond what she called "ambiguous queer undertones," and said that she considers the TV show that lets all kids, especially those are queer, realize that "being honest about their feelings can make them a hero is as exciting as it is important."[21] Thomas Bacon of ScreenRant echoed this sentiment by saying that while the She-Ra franchise has always had "queer undertones," the queer romance between Adora and Catra is now canon, adding to the "lesbian relationship between the princesses Netossa and Spinnerella, and the nonbinary character Double Trouble," with the queer love between Adora and Catra becoming central, with their love saving the universe itself.[22] He described the show as bold and a "flagship show for queer representation," with nothing like it ever before, and hoped the show will "become a trend-setter." Adding to this was the review by Emmet Asher-Perrin on Tor.com, argues that Catra has an inferiority complex like Loki in Marvel Cinematic Universe films and the current "master" in the Doctor Who series, noting that while Catra becomes a villain originally, but after she realizes this makes her unhappy, she switches sides, saves Glimmer, and Adora rescues her from Horde Prime, noting that Catra stood in front of the girl she loved, confessing her feelings.[23]

Marcus Scribner, voice of Bow, at the 2019 WonderCon, for "She-Ra and the Princess of Power", at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California

On July 8, Maya Gittelman wrote an article on Tor.com praising the series. She stated that the show not only "queers fantasy archetypes" but has a "deliberately inclusive, [and] diverse cast," and works to highlight "different means of expressing power" and have room for "an expansive exploration of femininity."[24] Gittleman further argued that the show operates further "outside the gender binary" than any show she knows of, that "Catradora has actually been canon for years" with the show focusing on a world where "the love of two queer girls gets to save the universe." In the end of her review, she says she would like to see more diverse "queer stories" in the years to come. In a New York Times profile later that month, on July 21, of climate activist Jamie Margolin, she said she watched all five seasons of the show over a three-day period, telling the interview, "I was like, I hate the real world. I want to live on Etheria," a testament to the influence of the show.[25] The next month, in June, Stevenson confirmed something else about Catra. She said that Catra was a woman of color,[26] saying they discussed her "being a brown Latina" when designing her, although this was not "explicitly, textually present in the show,"[27] loving those who headcanon her as Persian.[28] The following month, Stevenson confirmed another lesbian relationship in She-Ra. On August 17, she confirmed that Light Hope and Mara, in She-Ra were love, a development cheered by fans and Shane Lynch, who had been a writer and script coordinator for the show.[29]

These effects were dulled by an August 26, 2020 exit interview with Stevenson and other members of the crew, such as Kiki Manrique, Michelle McMillian, Katherine Nolfi, Laura Sreebny, Shane Lynch, and Jess Zammit.[30][31] Comments made during the panel became controversial. At one point, Noelle Stevenson said that Bow's brothers had names that rhymed with his, including one named "Sow" who was said to "till the fields" as part of inside joke with storyboarder Sam Szymanski.[32][33] Some saw this as an unintentionally racist "joke" connotative of slavery and in bad taste.[34][35] Stevenson later apologized for the comments and rededicated herself to examining her "language and behavior" so she wouldn't make the same mistake again.[36][37] She also said she accepted the consequences and advised fans to not defend her.[38][39] The following day, She-Ra character designer Rae Geiger clarified that they had drawn the image of Bow's brothers, including "Sow", saying that Black people should speak on this issue, and apologizing to "anyone whose feelings were hurt."[40] The panel also sparked discussion on Reddit[41] and on Twitter,[35] with Black animators and illustrators commenting on issues they face in the animation industry. While some writing about the controversy highlighted further problematic comments,[32] others countered this, saying that a viral tweet spread misinformation about the panel, inflaming the controversy.[42][35]

On September 1, 2020, Stevenson wrote a long thread on the topic, apologizing once again to the show's fans and Black professionals, while saying she is getting an anti-racism consultant to craft a plan going forward.[43] She then made a commitment to hire "Black talent at every level," hiring anti-racism consultants and sensitivity readers, and asked those who defended her to commit themselves to anti-racist education.

On October 15, Karen Fukuhara, the voice of Glimmer in She-Ra and Kipo in Kipo, said that it would be cool if She-Ra moved into "feature-length storytelling," with a movie focused on Bow and how he grew up with Glimmer.[44] She also hinted that a crossover between She-Ra and Kipo could happen because although they are stories on different worlds, they could cross paths if the She-Ra crew came to Earth, helping Kipo defeat a "greater evil," leading them to band together and fight. On December 21, A.H. Starlyng reviewed the series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, noting that the lines between good and evil are blurred, and said that the show's final season is the best in the show, including a redemption arc for Catra, with Adora trying to help Catra become a better person.[45] Starlyng also stated that the entire show has "romantic tension" between Adora and Catra, adding that the show explores many aspects that "everyone can relate to" while upping the "stakes for queer representation in animation" while calling Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts a "unique take on post-apocalypse."

As Netflix pushed forward, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts became a shining example of expanded representation.[46] In the first season of Kipo, which streamed on January 10, Benson said outright he was gay, saying he only liked the series protagonist, Kipo, in a platonic way.[47] He also developed a crush on a male character, Troy, in the show's 10th episode.[48] Due to these elements, some noted the show's "casual queerness."[49] One critic, Petrana Radulovic, described Benson's coming out scene as setting a precedent for future programming for all ages:

"Despite the fact that LGBTQ representation in all-ages programming is better than ever, no one has actually uttered the words 'I’m gay' in an all-ages animation series. While some shows feature characters in more prominent and explicitly queer relationships than others (Mr. Ratburn’s Gay Rat Wedding in Arthur, for instance, as well as Bow’s dads on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), up until now, no character has actually come out to another...The highlights noted by GLAAD over the years emphasize worlds and settings where being in a gay relationship is not challenged or seen as something different...there’s a different effect to a character proclaiming 'I’m gay,' let alone a lead character...Benson’s coming out scene isn’t a big, tearful affair, but a quiet moment between two people who are close. The LGBTQ+ community knows you don’t just come out once, but over and over, to co-workers, to new friends, to prospective love interests. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts gets that right."[47]

Cosplayers of the Rose Quartz, Pearl, and Garnet from Steven Universe at Wondercon 2016 in March 2016; Rose, Pearl, and Garnet are all LGBTQ characters in the Steven Universe series

On June 12, 2020, the second season of Kipo began streaming on Netflix. Some reviewers described it as being colorful and funny, with its diversity allowing it comment on sexuality, race, and class, combining the world-building in Avatar: The Last Airbender and the inclusivity, and heart, of a show like Steven Universe.[50] Others argued that Kipo, like the "fellow empath Steven Universe," attempts to talk antagonists about their feelings.[51] or noted that the show explores "burgeoning same-sex relationships in a positive manner," referring to the relations between Benson and Troy.[52] Later that month, the series creator of Kipo, Radford "Rad" Sechrist, when asked by a fan about Asher's gender, said that Asher is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns,[53] which was later confirmed by Bill Wolkoff, co-screenwriter of Kipo.[54] A review of the season by Shamus Kelley pointed out the continued flirting between Troy and Benson, with Benson trying to impress him, and his dad, praising that their relationship has had "zero drama...[and] zero subtext," treated as a "regular thing without any of the restrictions gay characters have had before."[48] Kevin Johnson echoed this. He wrote about how in Kipo, "the surface world of earth is genuinely dangerous, and each character, still couched in their Blackness, represents different perspectives," exploring race like Steven Universe explored gender, and is willing to "explore the messiness of racial issue," believing that Kipo could become "a beacon through the thorny, fraught issues of race," just as Steven taught young viewers how to "let compassion and kindness guide them through encountering and dealing with gender concerns."[55] In an interview with Radford "Rad" Sechrist and Bill Wolkoff,[56] they talked about Benson and Troy as gay characters, with Rad saying that when he pitched it to the studio, Benson was gay, and Peter Gal, Chief Creative Officer of Television, told them that was fine but he has to say the words "I'm gay," something that he and Bill were happy to hear, gladly accepting the idea.

On September 6, the creator of Kipo, Rad Sechrist, answered a number of questions about the show. He told fans that he had wanted to do an "entire Benson Dave back story episode" in the second season, clarifying this didn't happen because Benson was gay but rather because they were pushed to focus more on Kipo in the season itself.[57] He also said that Kipo and Asher together "could be cool,"[58] while admitting that he did not think about Kipo being LGBTQ when producing seasons 1 and 2.[59] At the same time, he remained coy on how many future seasons,[60][61] if any, of the show, there would be,[62] and said that they are trying to create other series, or movies, within the Kipo universe.[63] A few days before these tweets, TV Guide listed as few animated series, including Kipo and Big Mouth as some of the best shows on TV. Two editors noted that Big Mouth has "important conversations about sex, gender roles, and identity" and called Kipo a "wildly imaginative story" with diverse characters.[64] On September 10 it was confirmed that Kipo would be returning on October 12 for its third and final season, with Rad Sechrist floating the possibility of some movies which would continue the story.[65][66][67]

Cosplay of Steven Universe from the Steven Universe series at Katsucon 2015 in Maryland, United States

On October 12, the third and final season of Kipo began streaming on Netflix.[68] Petrana Radulovic of Polygon said that Kipo is like Steven Universe, the protagonist of the series of the same name, in that she wants peace, wanting everyone to "set aside their differences and talk through their problems" and called it a "celebration of differences"[69] while Shannon Miller of The A.V. Club added that it better to think of the series akin to a "lengthy film split into three hearty acts."[70] Others highlighted the relationship between two male characters, Benson and Troy. Specifically, Beth Elderkin of Gizmodo called the relationship "perfect"[71] while Shamus Kelley of Den of Geek praised the "charmingly cute romance" between the two characters and said they were delighted both were still "together in the five-year time skip."[72] Additionally, GLAAD praised the series as being "LGBTQ-inclusive" and said that Benson's story "reflected the full diversity of the community."[73] In an interview, Bill Wolkoff acknowledged that past coming-of-age stories "about kids being gay and dealing with that" often got pushback, but that in this case Dreamworks was open to it.[74] He also felt they "didn’t have the baggage" of the show being part of a franchise, noting how in one season of Once Upon a Time and a character was "going to fall in love" but they wouldn't let them do a "gay love story." He said that in this case, they got to tell the story they wanted, with DreamWorks supporting them "from the beginning. He also stated that they structured the story without Benson having to deal with the real "extra weight of homophobia" and that writers told him it would be "subversive" to not put Troy and Benson "through hell." Sechrist added that someone noted how gay characters in media often have a "lot of turmoil" and that for people on their crew it was important that the gay relationship "wasn’t a big deal."[74]

Apart from this, Sechrist stated that he is trying to make a spin-off movie about Wolf,[75] one of the story's protagonists, while Den of Geek posed a few other spinoff movie ideas, including one which would focus on Benson and Troy's relationship.[76]

Apart from those listed, another example is Voltron: Legendary Defender, airing on Netflix from 2016 to 2018. It featured three gay characters, Shrio and Adam,[77] who broke up, with Adam dying several years later, but at the end of eighth and final season, Shiro is married to Curtis, a background character introduced in Season 8. The series was fraught with criticism for its LGBTQ representation. The show got in hot water for killing off a gay character,[78][79] with some saying the show was following a stereotype known as "burying that gay", leading showrunner Joaquim Dos Santos to apologize to fans.[80][81] This was not a surprise as "not all queer presentation" was created equal as one scholar noted, with representation of bisexual and transgender characters lagging behind lesbians and gay men in some respects,[82] with this representation important in the U.S. political climate while GLAAD called for Hollywood to produce more characters with LGBTQ+ characters.[83][84] Renaldo Metadeen of CBR gave his own take, criticizing the marriage between Shiro and Adam, calling it "cheap and tacked on," while stating that making a "five-second blip of the wedding...come[s] off as a publicity stunt."[85]

While the series featured five LGBT characters (Shiro, Curtis, Adam, Ezor, and Zethrid) and depicted the first on-screen wedding between two male characters on a Western children's animated series, much of the series’ controversy swirled around the show's LGBT representation, with most of the criticism levied at the show's treatment of its LGBT characters. After the release of Season 7, a number of fans and critics were displeased that Adam, Shiro's ex-fiancé, ended up dying in the later half of the season.[86] On August 13, 2018, showrunner Joaquim Dos Santos posted an apology on his Twitter. He also acknowledged in it that there were boundaries in place as to how they could portray LGBT representation in the show.[81] Fellow showrunner Lauren Montgomery also acknowledged limitations regarding LGBT relationships behind the scenes in her apology, saying, "There’s so much that I would do differently, but so little we could’ve done differently."[87] They would both continue to talk about limitations behind the scenes in future interviews.[88][89]

Controversy also swirled around the on-screen wedding between Shiro and Curtis, with a number of critics and fans characterizing it as poor LGBT representation. While Polygon reviewer Palmer Haasch praised the show's general plot, she criticized the show's depiction of Shiro and Curtis stating, "Shiro’s nuptials feel abrupt given that we’ve barely seen him and his husband Curtis, a member of the Atlas bridge crew, interact in any meaningful capacity over the course of the season. Following Voltron’s queerbaiting controversy following the death of Shiro’s ex-boyfriend, Adam, the ending felt neutrally effective at best and disingenuous at worst, despite being a groundbreaking moment for LGBTQ representation in all-ages programming."[90] Renaldo Matadeen of CBR in his official review, opined, "There's no love or warmth here, and it feels like the series retroactively tried to pony up a relationship in apology for the Shiro drama. But it's another debacle that feels fake, forced, and patronizing... Instead of being progressive, these moments simply come off like disrespectful, lazy patch jobs. Despite some attempts to the contrary, whatever Legendary Defender tried to do ended up being superficial and totally upended the social impact intended." [85] Schedeen of IGN wrote, "That said, it would be far more effective to see one of these animated shows acknowledge their LGBT heroes from the very beginning and not save moments like these for the literal last minute; with that rushed reveal (after spending no time establishing Shiro's new relationship or even hinting at it), Voltron relies too much on the audience's affection for Shiro to give the moment resonance, rather than earning an emotional response from its storytelling."[91]

It was admitted in the final AfterBuzzTV interview that the entire conceptualization and creation of Shiro's wedding epilogue was added in less than a day, in attempt of an olive branch to the LGBT community. Dos Santos stated, "You know, we, the circumstances at which we sort of arrived at that scene didn’t allow us, we had like a day to really put that together... And we, I think sort of, wholeheartedly accept that it’s clunky. It’s hella clunky." [92] In defense of the executive producers, Tyler Labine, the voice actor for Hunk, stated on his personal Instagram account that "what is not real and what will all fall by the wayside in due time is all the unwarranted hate and vitriol that the dark side of this fandom has let seep into this precious world. THAT is all just noise and I refuse to listen."[93] He also said, in regard to Shiro's epilogue in Season 8, that the "powers that be and people in control aren’t always free to do things the way they want. There is always someone more powerful with lore control keep the gates shut. Just remember that next time you decide that the creators of this show didn’t care about the fandom. I assure they cared more than anybody. Fact."

There are various upcoming shows which will have LGBTQ characters. One of these is Q-Force. It promises to be an animated comedy series that will focus on the adventures of a handsome secret agent and "his team of fellow LGBTQ super-spies",[137] with no release date as of yet. On August 17, 2020, Margaret Evans interviewed Hamish Steele, creator of DeadEndia about LGBTQ characters in her show, which will be released sometime in 2021. Steele explained how the show changed from its original iteration on Cartoon Hangover in 2014, and the graphic novels that followed it,[138] stating that he is grateful for showrunners who fought for LGBTQ characters in their shows, adding that there was "absolutely no pushback from Netflix about representation," while describing Barney as a trans male character.[139] He also hoped that the show will help out "more trans creators getting their chance to tell their stories" while hinting at other LGBTQ characters in the show apart from Barney, noting the performance of Miss Coco Peru on the show as Pauline. The show will also feature Alex Brightman as Pugsley, Emily Osment as Courtney, and Kathreen Khavari as Badyah.

• List of yuri anime and manga
• List of LGBT-related films by year
• Cross-dressing in film and television
• List of yuri works
• List of animated series with crossdressing characters
• List of anime by release date (1946–1959)
• List of animated films with LGBT characters