From Nickelodeon’s hit animated series The Loud House to popular Disney Channel series Andi Mack, representation of LGBTQ characters in children’s television has come a long way. But according to GLAAD Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sarah Kate Ellis, who represented the US-based advocacy group at this years Kidscreen Summit session entitled “Creating LGBTQ-Inclusive Content for Kids,” more story lines featuring inclusive and diverse LGBTQ characters should be making their way onto screens—and into children’s lives.
These sentiments were echoed by fellow panel presenter Chris Nee, executive producer of Disney’s Doc McStuffins and Vampirina, who said, “Adult dramas and comedies are finally in 2018. But kids TV has been stuck in 1994 for a long time. Maybe we’ve shifted a bit…and are finally in 1995.”
Moderated by Cort Lane, Senior Vice President (SVP) of animation and family entertainment at Marvel Entertainment, the session—the first of its kind at Kidscreen Summit—also included The Loud House staff writer Kevin Sullivan, PBS KIDS programming Vice President (VP) Linda Simensky, and Andi Mack creator and producer Terri Minsky.
Clyde McBride with his parents, Harold and Howard in Nickelodeon's The Loud House
These panelists have created major moments in children’s television over the past couple of years, including Sullivan, who wrote two scenes for The Loud House that featuring gay dads (July 2016) and a Loud sibling having a crush on another girl (June 2017), Nee’s Doc McStuffins episode that came out in August 2017 featuring Portia de Rossi and Wanda Sykes as a gay couple, and Minsky, who crafted a scene during Andi Mack that saw main character Cyrus coming out to his friends in October 2017.
Lane is in the midst of writing a storyline for Marvel Rising where one character comes out to her friends at dinner, even though she has conservative Muslim parents. And he is excited about how that will play out on screen and in conversations people have about the show.
Luna Loud in Nickelodeon's The Loud House
Of course, these strides in kids television have not been lost on GLAAD, which for the first time is introducing a kids and family category in its annual GLAAD Media Awards. This year’s five nominees are The Loud House, Nickelodeon; Steven Universe, Cartoon Network; Danger & Eggs, Amazon Studios; “The Emergency Plan,” Doc McStuffins, Disney Channel; and Andi Mack, Disney Channel. (Award winners will be announced at a ceremony on April 12.)
Ellis believes that if more LGBTQ-inclusive content continues to be made, the group’s awards could expand to include multiple categories like teen, tween and preschool. And as Lane noted, GLAAD’s awards can be an incentive for broadcasters and executives to include more of these stories.
The motivation should also be toward helping kids cope with their own identities. Ellis said that in terms of raw numbers, LGBTQ kids have higher suicide and homeless rates than other youth, and more representation on TV can really change how these young people view themselves. Plus, television can reach places that advocacy groups can’t.
As for backlash from conservative groups opposed to LGBTQ representation in children’s television, Ellis said GLAAD has strategies in place to support producers and broadcasters airing this important and necessary content. “We’ve got your back,” she promised.
Also, from C21 Media:
GLAAD urges more LGBTQ progress
The head of LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD has called on children’s producers to include more LGBTQ characters in their series and pledged to help them rebuff any backlash from conservative groups.
Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD’s CEO, told delegates here at the Kidscreen Summit in Miami yesterday that the growing number of US children’s series featuring characters from an LGBTQ background was vital at a time when “human rights are under attack.”
Kate Ellis acknowledged that shows such as Doc McStuffins and Andi Mack had provoked protests from US conservative advocacy groups after they included LGBTQ characters.
Doc McStuffins featured an episode with two lesbian parents, while Andi Mack included a storyline in which a male character revealed to his best friend that he has feelings for his male classmate.
Kate Ellis said that children’s TV producers and broadcasters including LGBTQ characters could improve attitudes towards homosexuality in society and potentially reduce rates of suicide, homelessness and unemployment amongst the LGBTQ community.
The exec added that GLAAD would be willing to help those who were concerned about a negative backlash from groups opposed to LGBTQ characters in children’s television.
“We have your back when you go out there. Bring us in early; we’re happy to consult and give you our opinions on how best to handle it and then we get ahead of the press. We’ve done it with Disney many times,” said Kate Ellis.
“If, for some reason, it takes a wrong turn, we’ll be there for that as well and navigate the narrative and counter it quickly. That’s what we do for a living.”
It comes after the advocacy organisation last month announced it had added a new category to its annual Media Awards that would celebrate kids and family programming for the first time.
Nominated in the category are Andi Mack (Disney Channel), Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior), The Loud House (Nickelodeon), Steven Universe (Cartoon Network) and Danger & Eggs (Amazon), which is the first children’s animated series to be co-created by an openly transgender person, Shadi Petosky.
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