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This was, without a doubt, the queerest year in animation history!
There were boundaries broken that we didn’t think would be possible for years. But damn, queer people in the animation industry work hard! We got a bisexual Disney character, kissing super villains, trans and nonbinary representation, and a whole damn Netflix show about how powerful the lesbian love between a catgirl and a jock can be...
She-Ra and The Princesses of Power
This year we got the finale of the much celebrated and beloved, and ultra queer show, She-Ra. Much of the final season focused on Adora and Catra’s relationship, and in the end (spoiler alert!), it was their love for each other, and one very powerful lesbian kiss, that saved the world. Noelle Stevenson and crew really did that.
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
In this Netflix animated sci-fi series, Kipo’s friend Benson came out in a very straightforward way by simply saying the words “I’m gay.” This year, he also got a boyfriend! Benson and Troy are two of our favorite characters this year.
The Owl House
Luz Noceda became the first bisexual character to lead a Disney show when creator Dana Terrace confirmed the young Dominican-American wannabe witch was bisexual after the episode “Enchanting Grom Fright.” In the episode Luz and fellow student Amity dance together, continuing a great sapphic animation tradition.
Harley Quinn
Batman villains Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy have long been shipped together by fans since back in the Batman: The Animated Series days, and now, in Harley’s own show, the two finally kissed and got together. Poison Ivy was supposed to marry Kite Man, but after a daring rescue, Ivy plants a kiss on Harley’s lips and the rest was gay history.
Steven Universe Future
Steven Universe has been *the* queer show leading the vanguard for the past several years. They’ve pushed boundaries, featured gay kisses and a gay wedding, included intersex and trans characters, and centered queerness in a way that seemed impossible before this show. This year we saw Steven Universe Future, the epilogue to the one of the greatest, queerest animated shows of all time.
Adventure Time: Obsidian
With Adventure Time moving to HBO Max, we got a whole special about Princess Bubblegum and Marceline! In Obsidian, Marcy and Bubblegum are living in “domestic bliss” as a couple when a powerful and ancient dragon breaks free from its prison. The series is great and fills in a lot about the couple’s relationship. It’s everything we wanted.
Onward
Yes, the lesbian cyclops cop played by Lena Waithe who literally says “it gets better” was this year.
Big Mouth
In the season 4 premiere of Big Mouth, we were introduced to Natalie, a trans girl at summer camp played by Josie Totah. There are plenty of jokes about being trans, but none of them aim down at Natalie.
Out
This was the first official gay animated short produced by Disney and Pixar. Steven Clay Hunter (who wrote and directed the project) looked back at his own coming-out experience to make this cute short about a man who’s afraid to come out to his parents and magically switches bodies with his dog.
Craig of the Creek
The Cartoon Network show introduced a new agender side character named Angel (voiced by a nonbinary crewmember Angel Lorenzana) this year. When Angel introduces themself, they ask Craig to write down his little sister’s pronouns on her daycare form.
SpongeBob SquarePants
Back in the day, anti-gay groups loved picketing SpongeBob because they said the animated sea creature was gay. This year during Pride, Nickelodeon tweeted out a message in celebration featuring bisexual Avatar Korra, from The Legend of Korra, trans actor Michael D. Cohen, and SpongeBob himself. Back in 2005, creator Stephen Hillenburg himself even said that SpongeBob was asexual.
Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated
Fans have shipped classic Scooby Doo character Velma with Marcie, a character created for the early 2010’s series Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated, ever since the show aired, and this year, co-creator Tony Cervone confirmed the relationship on social media, saying "Velma in Mystery Incorporated is not bi, She’s gay."
DuckTales
The reboot of DuckTales not only gave two of it’s characters, Violet and Lena, two dads, wearing cute "I'm With Dad" shirts, but they also confirmed that Penumbra, an alien from the moon, is a lesbian.
