By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Petition Requests Children's Show Peppa Pig Add Same-Sex Family
Because children with same-sex parents need representation, too.
No, having an episode of Arthur that featured a same-sex wedding isn’t magically turning children gay, but it might be raising the bar for inclusiveness in children’s programming.
A petition has begun circulating with the request that a popular UK children’s show, Peppa Pig, introduce a same-sex parent family. The show, which is aimed at preschoolers, features Peppa and her friends of various species doing normal every day activities, along with their families.
“Peppa Pig is one of the most popular TV shows for young children and has won numerous British Academy Children’s Awards,” the petition reads. “However, despite there being six series and over 250 episodes produced so far, none of the families feature same-sex parents.”
“Children watching Peppa Pig are at an impressionable age, and excluding same-sex families will teach them that only families with either a single parent or two parents of different sexes are normal.
“This means that children of same-sex parents may feel alienated by Peppa Pig, and that other children may be more likely to bully them, simply through ignorance.”
The petition's popularity comes not long after Arthur’s same-sex marriage episode, in which beloved teacher Mr. Ratburn married his boyfriend, who was possibly an aardvark.
While nearly 18,000 people have signed in support of Peppa Pig including a same-sex parented family in a future storyline, it’s entirely possible the show is not up to the task.
In the past, it has been criticized for reinforcing gender stereotypes in small but meaningful ways, such as having young male characters pointedly hate the color pink.
But the production company that makes Peppa Pigtold Romper that they “receive lots of feedback from viewers about the show and will take this suggestion on board for future episodes,” and also that they are “keen to have a wide range of characters as possible that all children can relate to.”
So who knows, maybe there is hope for LGBTQ inclusiveness on Peppa Pig yet.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
