Mikayla Leskey | Arts & Entertainment Editor
I went to my first Pride Festival in June of 2022. I was freshly 17 and had known about my identity for a few years at that point. Yet, I don’t think words can capture how utterly amazed I was at seeing so many people celebrating the fact that they were queer. It was almost as if everything fell into place at that moment, that the last puzzle pieces finally connected. I’ve always known that the LGTBQ+ community was big and loud. I’ve seen countless footage from Pride Parades before, and most of my friends at that point were involved in the LGBTQ+ community somehow. But even with that in mind, I never thought that there were so many queer people in Connecticut.
Growing up, it was almost unheard of to see an LGBTQ+ character in TV shows, movies, books, or any other form of media. I didn’t even hear about the LGBTQ+ community until I was going into sixth, my best friend at the time asked if I was bisexual. From that point on, I sought out good representation, things I could relate to, or prove that I could be a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Yet, everyone where I looked all the queer characters were either fetishized beyond belief, a blatant stereotype, or killed off before they could explore their sexuality. Other than that, the best I would be able to find were queer-coded villains. Queer-coded is when a character’s identity is not specifically disclosed, but with enough subtext, they are easily inferred to be queer. In most Disney films, the villains are commonly queer-coded. From Scar’s sultry nature to Maleficent being more angular and having traits associated with males. Not to mention that Ursula is literally based on a Drag Queen.
As a kid, when all of your representation comes from villains, you try to hide that part of you away. Although nobody is born with a sense of morals it is one of the first things you are taught. Your brain is probably the most moldable when you are a kid, so those senses of morals that adults impart on you stick with you, for a long time. When you’re told that those villains that you find yourself relating to the most are bad and always lose in the end you don’t want to be them. You want to be the hero who gets the girl, who gets all the attention, and fame, and who looks ‘pretty.’
Apart from queer-coded villains, there have been very few shows from Disney that show characters apart of the LGBTQ+ community. One of these shows was ‘The Owl House,’ which made history for being the first Disney show to have a main character in a women-loving-women relationship. Fans everywhere were surprised when the show was canceled, seemingly out of nowhere. The creator of the show, Dana Terrance commented saying, “The show was canceled because some executives considered it 'didn't fit the Disney Channel brand.'"
It didn’t take long for fans to realize the underlying message, that this fan-favorite show was canceled due to having queer characters. There have been similar instances in the past about Disney not full-out supporting the LGBTQ+ community. One such instance is when the CEO of Disney, Bob Chapek didn’t condemn the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, a bill introduced in Florida in 2022. The “Don’t Say Gay” basically prohibits kindergarten to third-grade teachers, from teaching their students about the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s just another way to stop kids from hearing about the community and to stop them from figuring themselves out at an early age. A lot of people don’t understand how amazing it is to find yourself on the big screen, to find someone who is seemingly just like you and know that they made it. To know that other people are cherishing this movie, show, or book that has someone like you in it.
Having this good representation, especially in kid shows helps promote acceptance. It helps kids understand that it’s okay to be different and that a lot of the time the differences between us are what helps us connect with one another. In ways, it’s always easier for kids to understand these concepts coming from their favorite shows or books. However, most kids, have to be taught that two men in a relationship or two women in a relationship isn’t ‘normal,’ by society’s standards, at least.
As mentioned before, nobody is born with morals or phobias. Everyone is born with a clean slate, yet from experiences and adults in their lives, kids are taught what they should hate and what they should love. It’s easy for any kid to understand a concept, but once an adult tells them it’s wrong, they automatically believe it.
Having authentic representation, especially in kid’s shows helps kids grow up being okay with their true selves. They don’t have to go through breakdown after breakdown trying to figure themselves out, or being anxiety-ridden about all the possibilities of someone finding out that they’re queer. It would help people to not have to hide themselves.
I know that I would’ve really appreciated having good LGBTQ+ representation as a kid. It would’ve saved me from a lot of anxiety attacks and late nights of researching the community and trying to figure out who I am. In the long run, having LGBTQ+ representation in kid’s shows promotes acceptance, helps engage kids with other communities, and validates their experiences.
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