In major awesome news, Rebecca Sugar, the creator of popular Cartoon Network show Steven Universe, recently came out as bisexual and explained pretty perfectly why we still, still, still need strong representation of the LGBT and queer community in the mainstream.

At San Diego Comic-Con, Sugar opened up about why the show is so inclusive of LGBT narratives, saying, “Well, in large part it’s based on my experience as a bisexual woman." In that moment, Sugar came out to the public.

[iframe https://giphy.com/embed/3o7TKvEhhHHIfmY4wg allowfullscreen="" class=^{{"giphy-embed"}}^ frameborder="0" height="269" width="480"]

According to Autostraddle, Sugar continued, saying:

"These things have so much to do with who you are, and there’s this idea that these are themes that should not be shared with kids, but everyone shares stories about love and attraction with kids. So many stories for kids are about love, and it really makes a difference to hear stories about how someone like you can be loved and if you don’t hear those stories it will change who you are. It’s very important to me that we speak to kids about consent and we speak to kids about identity and that we speak to kids about so much."

To be frank? Sugar says, “I want to feel like I exist and I want everyone else who wants to feel that way to feel that way, too.”

That’s why folks like Sugar coming out remains so important, and so revolutionary, even in today’s day and age. While it may seem like LGBT issues are a thing of the past, this election (and, like, our everyday experiences with marginalization and oppression) make it clear that they aren’t. We may have legalized same-sex marriage, but as far as structural oppression and representation in mainstream media are concerned, we’ve got a *long* way to go.

And that’s why we’re so grateful for Sugar for opening up, being real, and using talent to create a show that has proven to be so powerful for so many members of the LGBT and queer community, and in the formation of young, thoughtful allies.