So, here I am, talking about what I usually do: Cartoons. Specifically in this post, gay cartoons. Let me clarify...
In terms of the representation of gay people in the media, things are getting better. There are fewer stereotypes and more portrayals of them as, you know, people. More and more homosexual characters have been popping up in casual viewing and family films and TV shows. The best part of this is that impressionable children, or even teens for that matter, can see homosexuality being treated as something normal and possibly grow up with a more accepting view of their own and others sexuality; there's less distance now. Or here's something even better, if they were raised to see otherwise, they could see a harmless representation that would make them question the people who demonized it; we shouldn't force anybody's beliefs, but at least let them understand that not everyone shares the same view of the world.
Shows intended for children are dealing with more adult issues in general, too. They're treating kids more maturely and acknowledging that they aren't stupid... there's still garbage out there, I know, but that's nothing new. Kids can take a lot more than people think, understanding sexuality included. Obviously, sexuality, like a lot of things, is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but whilst there's still a lack of representation and acceptance, it's good to bring attention to it. For this blog entry, I have listed four cartoons (there are more out there, I'm aware) that all canonically present homosexuality in some form (though most on this list specifically present lesbian characters). I'll be starting with the least prominent and continue to the most open example. Cartoon fans, ya'll probably already know what show that is!
Gravity falls:
I have to write another Gravity falls entry at some point, but for now let's talk about one particular episode: "The Love God". For starters, the original story-boarded opening for the episode, boarded by Sabrina Cotugno, is used in the final version of the episode and can be found here (see around slide 50). The love God bursts in to the diner, pairs couples up and gets weird with people's faces. The only big difference from the opening used in the episode and the storyboard is the old couple he hooks up. In the show, it's a man and a woman. In the storyboard, it's two women.
Two sweet little old ladies!
When things like this are changed in shows, it's easy to assume that it's because the networks have some kind of problem with it. And while we can't avoid the fact that it's an obvious possibility, it could also be done just to avoid angry parents. Parents would be the ones to voice complaints about something in a TV show, not the kids watching, and if it prevents a negative backlash against a show or company and lowers the risk of losing ratings, it could be interpreted as just having been a strategic decision. You can make that argument either way for all the shows in this list, but times are a'changing considering I have a list to write here at all, so that's something. And remember, this was just what was in the story-boarded opening of this episode, what's in the episode itself is equally as relevant.
If you're familiar with Gravity falls, it's no secret that Mabel has a different colourful sweater for virtually every episode, and sometimes the images on them will be significant to the plot of that episode. There is no visible design in the storyboard, but in the episode Mabel is wearing a rainbow sweater. That is no coincidence, we know why that is. The episode is about love and she's wearing a rainbow. This is obvious support of the LGBT community. Mabel is pro love, baby, even if you're like... a snake and badger or something. Mabel also spends this episode acting as a match maker for the always angsty Robbie. At one point in the episode, Mabel sets up little models of people Robbie could date in Gravity falls, including male characters. I'm sure it was mainly meant to just be a joke considering those male characters also happen to be terrible choices (Grunkle stan? Multibear? Even Dipper?), but what's important is that we saw Mabel take them in to consideration in the first place. Obviously, none of those male characters end up being paired with Robbie (We'll leave that to disturbing fanfiction), but we do get a "wedding" between Mabel's pet pig Waddles and Gompers the goat, and I don't think we even know if Gompers is female... I might be reaching with that one.
Toby Determined is among the possibilities, I see.
Adventure time:
Though not that explicitly mentioned in the show, Adventure time characters Marceline and Princess Bubblegum are said to have been in a relationship together in the past. Their relationship has been said to have been officially stated by the shows creator, Pendleton Ward, though it was Marceline's voice actor, Olivia Olson, who mentioned it at a convention. It's been considered as something blown out of proportion, but there's a fair amount here and there in the show that presents evidence of the characters having been in a relationship. For instance, they know some very specific things about each other, it's Marceline who reveals Bubblegum's first name as being Bonnabelle, and Bubblegum even owns a shirt that once belonged to Marceline... She straight up sniffs it one time... Like really sniffs. There's plenty of other little nods to their past together too, from the lyrics to some of Marceline's songs, to Marceline dreaming about growing old with Bubblegum in the spin off, Stakes.
So that's two little old lady couples, now.
The relationship between these two was also suggested in the now scrapped previews, "Mathematical!", that used to show on Frederator's youtube channel. The video didn't just hint at the two's relationship, it contained fan art of the characters together. I never actually saw this video to my memory, but you know how fan art can get. I'm sure they didn't post anything too explicit, but obviously some people still didn't agree with it, so again, for either complainy parent reasons or otherwise, the video was taken down and Mathematical was discontinued. Despite that though, the relationship between the two is often referred to and generally favored among fans.
The Legend of Korra:
Considering the writers of "The Legend of Korra" didn't even know how many seasons their show was going to get in the first place, there's room to wonder how much was planned from the very beginning. When writing a show, creators will usually have some idea of where they want to go with it, and with Korra being a sequel there was plenty to build on. But one thing we can work out, and this doesn't take away from its relevance, is that a lesbian/ bi relationship between Korra and Asami probably wasn't planned from the beginning.
I think this actually makes it more interesting. Shows nowadays have more instantaneous sources of feedback from their fans and the creators generally have more connection to their fan bases than shows of the past, mainly due to the internet and social media. Creators can interact with fans and see what they are creating themselves and what they want to see. Something fans wanted to see was Korra and Asami as a couple, not just because of mindless shipping, but because people just weren't big fans of Korra and Mako being together (Poor Mako, he ain't so bad). Fans even said that Korra and Asami had better chemistry than the former, and so the writers went with it. On the surface, It can seem a little like fan pandering, there must be every nonsensical pairing you could think of out there, I mean, Unnalok and Amon are probably a thing somewhere, but what's great about Asami and Korra is they really did work. We saw them getting closer, we saw them sharing moments, and we saw that they really cared about each other. Korra always spoke to Asami when she was feeling small, and when she was far away, Asami was the one she sent her letters to over Mako and Bolin. Yes, if you really wanted to you could say they're just super duper besties, just gals bein' pals, but lets not dance around it, we know whats going on here. There's a wedding at the end of the series too, it's not between Korra and Asami, but I can't help but think it was supposed to be. Also, they're an interracial couple, so that's two boxes ticked.
Totes just friends, guys!
Like Korra, Steven Universe in general is a gem (excuse the pun) for representation. There's characters of all body types, races, ages and most of the main characters are female... or presented that way... let me go in to detail for those of you who don't know. The main characters of the show are a team who call themselves "The crystal gems", they are literally gems from another planet (apart from Steven who is only half, his mother was a crystal gem), but have physical human-like forms; those forms are presented as female. Now, the idea that the gems are, you know, gems, may help the shows creator, Rebecca sugar, get around anything working against her in a representation of homosexuality in the show. I mean, they're freakin' rocks. On what grounds can anybody complain about seeing two rocks together? Geological incompatibility? Either way, the show has faced some minor censorship, but the fact that the show exists as it does and is being recognized for it is an achievement within itself.
With all the crystal gems being presented as female, any relationships between a pair of crystal gems seems to be a lesbian one. One crystal gem, Pearl, was clearly in love with her old leader and Steven's mother, Rose Quartz. I adore Pearl as a character, and one thing I love is just how strong Pearl's feelings were for Rose; it's dealt with in such a genuine and mature way. Pearl deals with a whole bunch of left over feelings in Rose's absence; I don't really feel I can find the words to describe their relationship as I would like, but I've found a compilation of some significant moments here. Pearl's devotion is in line with her role as a pearl, on their home planet pearls were servants, though Pearl's relationship with Rose was clearly more than a formality. If I can't convince you with this pairing, perhaps I can with another.
In the world of Steven Universe, the gems have an ability called fusion; it is what it sounds like. Two or more gems connect and fuse to make a new form, though the experience is supposed to be on a kind of spiritual level, like a relationship (and yeah, Pearl loved her some fusion fun with Rose). Fusion itself is one thing the crystal gems fight for, on their home planet fusion between different gems is looked down upon. Hmmm, a certain kind of relationship between two gems is ostracized... GET IT?! Anyway, one of the shows main characters, Garnet, is revealed to be a fusion; she is made up of Ruby and Sapphire who are undeniably in love. There is literally no other way to see this. We see their relationship, we see them kiss. Look, look right here:
Proof.
So yeah, basically Garnet is a giant lesbian who's actually made up of two smaller lesbians... Even Garnet's song "Stronger than you" works along with the whole fusion allegory thing, defying the counter views of Jasper, a villainous home planet gem. She's allowed to disagree with it, sure, but she didn't have to be a clod about it. Fusion is also seen as something a little more special than what it seems; it's a functioning relationship based on love and hard work. You can't force a fusion, the same way you can't just force a relationship. It ends up all malformed and gross otherwise...
So that's it for this entry. Hope you enjoyed reading and as always, I have no real idea how to end this properly. Until next time, I guess.
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