History of LGBTQ characters in animated series: 2010s

In the 2010s, LGBT issues became increasingly visible in Japan[7]^:50 with an increased interest in LGBT issues across Japanese society, with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) trying to promote Japan as "LGBT friendly."[8] This aligned with the estimated market size of 21.3 billion yen for the Boy's Love genre in 2010,[9] which is aimed at young women,[10] who are the main consumers of the content itself, even though some heterosexual men read it.[11] At the same time, the anime home video market, which peaked in 2002, dropped 46% between 2005 and 2010,[12] while total sales of anime products stood in the billions of dollars.

The 2010s would be eventful for Japanese anime, and for those shows which had LGBTQ characters. For instance, in 2010, The Qwaser of Stigmata featured dominatrix Ekaterina “Katja” Kurae,[13] who makes Hana Katsuragi her "pet," engaging in S&M scenes with her.[14] The same year, Princess Jellyfish, otherwise known as Kuragehime, would premiere, following a group of "female otaku who live in a female-only apartment building."[15] Unlike the manga, this series would focus on crossdressers who were not not LGBTQ+ characters. The following year, two directors of previous shows with LGBTQ+ characters would enter the scene, once more. The first of these was Masayoshi Nishida, who had directed the 1999 anime film of Princess Knight. He would storyboard episodes of two shows with LGBTQ+ characters: Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Baka and Test. The second was Kunihiko Ikuhara, who had worked on Sweet Blue Flowers and Revolutionary Girl Utena. He would storyboard many of the show's episodes and direct a few others while serving as the music director. Of these shows, Puella Magi Madoka Magica had subtext implying that all the characters who were magical queers were "queer in some way" although some, like Homura Akemi, were clearly in love with other characters, specifically Madoka Kaname.[16] Also that year, Steins;Gate featured character, Ruka “Rukako” Urushibara who struggles with her identity,[17] whose birth gender is male but she dresses like a girl, pointed out by the show's protagonist, with her friends ultimately accepting her chosen gender identity. On the other hand, the show Tiger & Bunny featured a superhero, Fire Emblem (Nathan Seymour) who is genderfluid, gay, and able to control fire, showing themself as heroic and upstanding as any of the other heroes, with the show's sequel movie, Tiger & Bunny: The Rising exploring their backstory where they faced homophobic bullying, affirming their "mix of both masculine and feminine qualities as a major strength."[16]

In early 2011, Wandering Son, known as Hōrō Musuko in Japan, would premiere on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block. The anime, would be praised as a "breakout show in the transgender drama genre" for its delicate art, empathetic story, and focus on characters.[18] Others would describe it as artful and gorgeous series, with intricate characters, which fairly treats transgender identity, recognizing the challenges characters like Shuichi Nitori, Makoto "Mako" Ariga, and Yoshino Takatsuki have to face.[19] One reviewer argued that the show showed characters like Nitori trying to wade through a "cissexist school environment."[20] Another person pointed out that while the series as an important "piece of transgender literature within manga, anime and Japanese popular culture," Takatsuki assimilates "into a cis female identity" by the end of the anime, and asks whether the series has held back transgender fiction.[21] They also argue that the series reinforces the gender binary. This series also included a bisexual woman (Anne Suehiro) and a trans woman (Hiroyuki Yoshida). This contrasts with Gatchaman Crowds, a series shown on Japanese television a few years later which included O.D., a flaybuoyant genderqueer character who acted in a stereotypical manner, along with an androgynous alien shapeshifter named Berg Katze and an ambiguously gendered character (in season 2) named Hajime Ichinose, after she fuses with Katze.[22]

Later years introduced other LGBTQ+ characters. For instance, Attack on Titan featured two gay characters: Ymir and Christa, along with a character who has a lack of interest in woman (Reiner) and another with an ambiguous gender (Hange).[16] while and Yuyushiki, a comedic anime, featured four lesbian characters: Yuzuko Nonohara, Yukari Hinata, Chiho Aikawa, and Kei Okano.[23] In the years that followed, there were lesbian characters in Mayo Chiki!,[24] Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere,[25] Sakura Trick,[26] Riddle Story of Devil,[27] and Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san,[28] to name a few. Also, Lieutenant Oscar, an androgynous male character, had a key role in the anime, Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine[29][30] while Knights of Sidonia (Izana Shinatose) featured a character who belongs to a third gender[31] and Gugure! Kokkuri-san had a character (Inugami) who often switches genders.[32] 2014 was a banner year, not because the domestic market size of the Boy's Love genre had reached over $190 million,[33] or the underground culture growing up around anime,[34]^:3 but the premiere of two shows: Love Stage!! and Kill la Kill. The first of these anime, squarely within the yaoi genre, was directed by Ken'ichi Kasai, who had previously directed Sweet Blue Flowers. Specifically, Rei Sagara and Shogo Sena were gay characters[35] while Izumi Sena and Ryoma Ichijo were bisexual characters.[36] The second one ended with lesbian kiss in the final episode between Mako Makanshoku and Ryuko Matoi, with Mako asking Ryuko out.[16] The 2010s also included shows such as Bon Kurei's Okama Kempo in One Piece[37] along with others, such as The World's Greatest First Love, Psycho-Pass, and Dramatical Murder, all featuring LGBTQ+ characters.

2010 was an important year for LGBTQ+ representation in animated shows in Western countries. A Canadian show named 6Teen introduce a one-time lesbian character named Jean,[38] Mary Shelley's Frankenhole premiered with a gay character named Sanguinaire Polidori,[39] Family Guy introduced Ida Davis, who had sex reassignment surgery to become a trans woman,[40] a character who became recurring by Season 17,[41] which began in 2018, and Venture Bros. had a "hint of queerness."[42] Apart from that, Adventure Time began on April 5 with the broadcast of the episode "Slumber Party Panic" on Cartoon Network, with Rebecca Sugar joining the show as a storyboarder,[43] becoming aware of what was being said by excluding LGBTQ+ characters.[44] She began working hard to put "LGBTQIA characters in G-rated content" in the years to follow. Specifically, the show introduced viewers to two bisexual characters (Marceline "Marcy" the Vampire Queen and Princess Bonnibel "Bonnie" Bubblegum), whose relationship Sugar tried to foster through her work on the show,[45] and one genderqueer character (BMO).[46] Adventure Time would set the stage for other groundbreaking shows in the future. 2010 also saw the premiere of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which introduced lesbian aunts for the character Scootaloo.[47]

In the following years, GLAAD highlighted LGBTQ+ characters in American Dad, The Simpsons, Archer, Allen Gregory, The Cleveland Show, and South Park.[48][49] Later years would continue to note that The Simpsons and South Park as having ongoing LGBTQ+ characters,[50] while also pointing to characters in American Dad! and The Cleveland Show.[51] During these two years, Good Vibes introduced a bisexual character (Voneeta Teets[52]), Brickleberry included a lesbian character (Connie Cunaman[53]), and Crash Canyon introduced a stereotypical gay character (Stéphane[54]), while Bob's Burgers and The Amazing World of Gumball featured various transgender characters: Leslie,[55] Marshmellow,[56] Marbles,[57] Glitter,[57] and Cha-Cha.[57] At the same time, Young Justice writer, Greg Weisman, confirmed two LGBTQ+ characters in the series: Marie Logan (lesbian or bisexual)[58] and Kaldur'ahm (polysexual).[59] Also, the show Bubble Guppies saw drag queen RuPaul guest-star in the episode "Costume Boxing!" and the show The Amazing World of Gumball had an episode called "The Love", which featured a man falling in love with a man and a woman falling in a love with a woman. In this environment, Adventure Time began hinting at romantic subtext[60] between two characters, Marcy and Bonnie, with the airing of the episode "What Was Missing" on September 26, 2011.[61] With another Cartoon Network show, Gumball, censored for supposed "homosexual overtones" by various countries,[62] some of those behind Adventure Time played down the relationship between Marcy and Bonnie, called "Bubbline" by fans, even leading to the taking down a video about the subject. This was in-keeping with how the industry operated: same-sex couplings were shown in coded waysso illusions to gay relationships could "fly under the radar"[63] at a time that the National Expert Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality in Ukraine advised the banning of SpongeBob SquarePants on the grounds that it promoted homosexuality.[62][64] Even so, Sugar and Natasha Allegri, on the show's creative team, referenced the relationship between their two characters, with Bitch magazine lamenting about the glimmer for hope that the "queer cartoon subtext" turns into "a queer cartoon subplot" or even a main plot in the future.[65] Others even pointed to the Adventure Time Presents Marceline and the Scream Queens comic, created as part of the franchise, as fleshing out this relationship.[66] Despite this, some reviewers later argued that the show dealt with topics such as "implied queer female sexuality," sexual assault, and other tough topics, arguing it served as one of the most adventurous kid's TV programs ever.[67]

The next two years, 2013 and 2014, had the premiere of shows on Adult Swim, MTV, and Teen Nick with LGBTQ+ characters,[68] like Superjail! and Venture Bros.,[69] while Netflix came onto the scene, making "impressive strides in viewership and impact," in the words of GLAAD.[70] One show,SheZow has a gender-bending character named Guy Hamdon, who transforms into the titular heroine. Lesbian characters also appeared on shows such as Dofus: The Treasures of Kerubim (Simone and Julie)[71] and The Awesomes (Tomboy),[72] There were bisexual characters on Bravest Warriors (Plum),[73] The Crumpets (Grownboy & Steve),[74] and The Boondocks (Walter Sweetlove).[75] Also, there were gay characters in The Awesomes (Zip Danger / "Frantic"),[76] Chozen (Chozen and Hunter),[77] and Mike Tyson Mysteries (Marquess of Queensbury).[78] A few shows stood apart. The first of these was Steven Universe, created by Rebecca Sugar. It came at a time that people were unhappy at the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters on TV, calling for better representation.[79] The groundwork for the show had been set the previous year,[80] with much of the show, including the final seasons mapped out already.[81] The show focused on a half-alien, half-Gem child named Steven Universe, who is raised by three non-binary space aliens:[61] Pearl, Garnet (a fusion of Ruby and Sapphire), and Amethyst, which are female-presenting, using she/her pronouns, in a non-traditional family,[82] with a Steven's father, Greg, living in a van and running a car wash. During the creation of the show, Sugar was influenced by the game Zelda: Ocarina of Time and the One Piece anime.[83] The show, tailored to appeal to queer youth, focused on themes such as bisexuality, same-sex attraction, trauma, grief, consent, and many other complex subjects in its run of over five seasons and 160 episodes,[43] continuing Sugar's work of moving "LGBT stories from the margins into the mainstream."[1] The show was also Cartoon Network's first show "created solely by a woman"[84][85] and having overly queer themes. Sugar and others who worked on the show were inspired by the finale of the 1990s magical-girl series, Ojamajo Doremi,[80] with the show later becoming the "gold standard" for Cartoon Network itself.[86] In later years, Ian Jones-Quartey, who left the show in 2015 to develop his own show (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), noted how the focus of Steven Universe on identity struck a chord with audiences,[81] while Noelle Stevenson, then a web comic cartoonist, described the show's effect on LGBTQ+ representation in Western animation:

Steven Universe changed the landscape of animated shows when it first hit the air...There's been an idea of 'cartoons are for kids,' and they're either aimed at kids in this very optimistic but simplistic way or they're more aimed at adults who then bring in more of that fanboy-fangirl crowd. Those are the cartoons that get to be a little bit more hard-hitting by being more 'serious.' What I loved about Steven Universe was that it was solidly both things: it delved into complicated themes while never losing the optimism...Every show that is pursuing representation and pushing the limits of what we can do in animation, that's the biggest kind of benefit to others who are making stories in the same industry. We can point and be like, 'Look! They did this.' So often you just don't have anything to point at.

Other shows also made strides forward, such as BoJack Horseman which included lesbian and gay characters (Kelsey Jennings[87] and Herb Kaazzaz[88]), Clarence which introduced the two mothers of the series protagonist,[61][89] and The Legend of Korra with Asami Sato and Korra holding hands at the end of the season finale,[90] showing they are in a relationship.[64][84] There were some moves forward, like Olivia Olson confirming that Bonnie and Marcy had dated[91] and Bojack Horseman portraying homosexuality in a realist fashion.[64] Even so, censorship continued: Cartoon Network eliminated a kiss between two male characters in the episode "Neighborhood Grill"[62][64] and Disney executives axed a proposed lesbian relationship in Gravity Falls.[62] In this context, there were debates about "queer representation in children's media" after the season finale of The Legend of Korra,[92] with some noting that while the relationship was built up during the course of the series, the words "I love you" were never uttered, nor did the characters kiss.[93] GLAAD, for their part, again cited The Simpsons and South Park as series with recurring LGBTQ+ characters,[94] but also cited Olson's confirmation in their report, prefaced by the observation that "children’s programming has been slow to reflect the diversity its audience is experiencing in its daily life."[95]

By 2015, anime was on the rise, with overall sales of Japanese anime rising from $144 billion in 2020 to $195 billion in 2014, with 322 anime programs broadcast, the highest up to that point as distribution through the internet rose.[96] By March 2015, three of the top series that year were Gurren Lagann, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, and One Piece.[97] Of these shows, One Piece had LGBTQ+ characters, as previously described, as did Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, which featured Norba Shino, a slightly flamboyant, and bisexual, eccentric person who reciprocates another boy's romantic affections.[98] The same year, there were two important developments: Yōsuke Kuroda, who has written the Puni Puni Poemy series, worked on Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid (2015), and Kunihiko Ikuhara would storyboard various episodes of Yurikuma Arashi, serve as the music director, and direct the ending of the series. Kuroda would also be a part of the staff for My Hero Academia, and Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online in later years. Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid and Yurikuma Arashi would feature various LGBTQ+ characters.

In 2016, the yaoi market was described as "huge throughout Asia"[99] although the media would continue to reinforce stereotypes about LGBTQ+ people in Japan itself.[100] Also, the series Yuri on Ice would feature a gay love story between Yuri Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov, consistent with its yaoi themes.[16] The same year, industry experts argued that the Japanese animation industry had begun enjoying its third anime boom which exceeded the third anime boom in the mid-2000s.[101] 2017 would bring shows like Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid which focused on a character, Tohru, who is an openly lesbian character[16] while Netflix would devote more of its future spending toward "new and original anime" due to its huge popularity worldwide.[102] A report released the following year would show that the anime industry was growing, crossing the 2 trillion yen mark, for the first time, in 2017, after years of positive growth.[103] While profits from some methods of distribution increased, such as movies and music, and others, like TV and merchandising, decreased. 2018 would bring Devilman Crybaby featuring a genderless angel named Ryo, along with various lesbian, and otherwise queer, characters to the mix.[16] Also, Masayuki Sakoi, who directed the Strawberry Panic and Saint Beast, would direct Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online, which featured numerous LGBTQ+ characters. Specifically, Pitohui[104] and Clarence[105] were bisexual characters. The following year, industry experts would write that the anime market had been growing for eight consecutive years, with five years of "record-breaking high sales," with specific increases in TV, internet distribution, live entertainment, and overseas markets.[106] These increasing profits didn't offset the quality of representation in anime. Some argued that Japan did not have good quality representation of queer people in anime due to cultural stigma, with characters often portrayed as stereotypes, which can be either empowering or "incredibly offensive."[16] This, the critic argued, is manifested in the yaoi and yuri genres which focus on same-sex relationships, often in a "very unrealistic and fetishized manner," although the LGBT rights movement in Japan, may be leading to an "increase in more respectful and believable portrayals."

By 2019, Japanese popular had become a global phenomenon but fandom in Japan itself remained "insular and socially marginal" with otaku and fujoshi regarded by Japanese society as "undersocialized, immature, and even dangerous."[107] Even so, in the latter part of 2019, the show, Stars Align would be broadcast, serving as an anime which explored and discussed gender identity, including non-binary identities, better than shows like Zombie Land Saga and My Hero Academia which featured trans characters, as one critic argued.[21] This critic also pointed out manga which focused on trans experiences like Bokura no Hentai and Bride was a Boy, stating that discussion of these works in English language is rare. This perspective aligns with the fact that homosexuality is often present in anime but these anime are "rarely translated into English" due to homophobia in Western countries[108] even as Japan itself is one of the "centers of queer(ing) media and fan practices" in Asia as some scholars have argued.[109] On January 1, 2020, Michelle Liu wrote on Anime News Network about what they considered the "best" LGBTQ+ characters in anime the past year, highlighting Momoko Sudo in O Maidens in Your Savage Season, Lio Fotia and Galo Thymos in Promare, Akihiko Kaji and the cast of Given, Reo and Mabu in Sarazanmai, Luca Esposito in Astra Lost in Space, Yu Asuka in Stars Align, and Waver Velvet in The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II.[110] Another reviewer who focuses specifically on anime with yuri themes, noted that Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka, Manaria Friends, Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita!, Senki Zesshou Symphogear XV, Kandagawa Jet Girls, Mini Yuri, and an OVA of Yuru Yuri had strong yuri themes, while Endro~!, Ikkitousen: Western Wolves, Carole & Tuesday, Granbelm, Sounan Desu ka? and Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu had weaker yuri themes.[111]

During the 2010s, LGBTQ+ representation in Western animation dramatically advanced. In 2015, Star vs. the Forces of Evil introduced Jackie Lynn Thomas, who become a bisexual character as shown in later episodes, writers of Rick and Morty confirmed that Rick Sanchez is pansexual[112] while Sleepy Gary is shown as a gay character.[113] The Awesomes featured an episode on the "Gay Mafia"[114] including Steven, Christopher, and The Gayfather, all of whom are gay. Al Jean, a showrunner for The Simpsons also said that Waylon Smithers will be coming out the closet, officially, as gay.[64] Another article highlighted the two lesbian moms in Good Luck Charlie, lesbian characters in The Legend of Korra, and LGBTQ+ representation in Clarence and Adventure Time.[61] Some critics argued that the latter show mainly expressed its queerness through the relationship between Bonnie and Marcy, how some fans took issue with Olivia Olson (who voices Marcy) pulling back her response that Bonnie and Marcy dated, saying that international versions of Cartoon Network have censored Adventure Time episodes, but that small moments in the show create stories for characters "that exist outside of the heavily gendered norms of children’s television."[115] Around 2015 or 2016, Noelle Stevenson began working on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, something she would work on for almost the next five years until the premiere of the final season in May 2020.[116]

In their report the same year, GLAAD highlighted Bojack Horseman again.[117] They also committed themselves to expand their analysis to include LGBTQ+ characters on stream services like Amazon and Netflix for the first time.[118] They also mentioned Steven Universe for the first time, stating that the show reflected the "diversity of the real world," noting that one of the show's protagonists, Garnet, is "the physical form of two female-presenting Gem beings who are in love"[119] as shown in the episode Jail Break. Some critics called the episode "one of the queerest episodes of a children’s cartoon in the history of television" as it involved Ruby and Sapphire, the two Gem beings, celebrating their relationship.[93] Sugar began working on the episode in 2014, with Cartoon Network recognizing that she was "LGBTQIA+ characters and themes into the show" and warned here the show would be cancelled if conservative countries noticed and objected to those themes, so she avoided, at the time, certain questions about the show's queer representation.[86] At the same time, also that year, a pansexual character named Rose Quartz was introduced in the same show, as was a non-binary and intersex character named Stevonnie, a fusion between Steven and Connie[82] in the episode Alone Together, using they/them pronouns.[64] This was reflected Sugar's talk about how the show played "with the simiotics of gender" in children's cartoons,[120] and saying that Stevonnie challenges gender norms as a "metaphor for all the terrifying firsts in a first relationship."[121] She undoubtedly recognized that LGBTQ+ representation allowed LGBTQ+ people to see a "reflection of themselves...in mainstream entertainment," with LGBTQ+ representation in media for children increasing.[122][123] At a time that UK broadcasters censored a 2015 episode with Pearl and Quartz dancing together in a romantic fashion, deeming that the song was "too risque,"[62] those working on Steven Universe began planing for what would become the end of the show, even a Steven Universe movie.[124]

The next year, there were further promising developments. Smithers came out, officially, in The Simpsons, as gay.[125][126] Although some called the episode disappointing,[127] or critical of Smithers as a form of gay representation,[128][129] others cited it as an example of how LGBTQ+ characters in television had become more accepted.[130][131][132] Talking broadly, GLAAD reported that the highest number of LGBTQ characters they had recorded yet appeared in the 2016-2017 television season,[133] which included the gay couple (Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland) in the series finale of Gravity Falls,[134] characters in Adventure Time,[135] and gay dads in The Loud House.[44] The latter was censored by a South African broadcast, DStv.[62] The same year, the season three finale of Bojack Horseman had Todd Chavez stake his claim as an asexual character,[136] explored in later years,[137] while Red vs. Blue confirmed two lesbian characters (Agent Ohio / "Vera" and Sherry),[138] Voltron: Legendary Defender introduced Takashi Shirogane, Adam, and Curtis, with gay relationships between them up and down in the years to come,[139][140] and Prisoner Zero, an Australian show, introduced a gay couple (Del Rev and Bowi Rev).[141] When it came to Steven Universe, there was a further step forward in LGBTQ+ representation. The series creator, Rebecca Sugar, come out as bisexual[86] at the show's panel at that year's San Diego Comic-Con, become more vocal about "the need for LGBTQ narratives in children’s television," translating to the show itself, beginning to push for more episodes.[80] On January 4, the episode "The Answer" aired,[85] focusing on how the romantic relationship between Ruby and Sapphire, who were in a permafusion named Garnet (an embodiment of their love), developed, leading some to say the show has "heavy queer undertones."[135] Others note that the show had other LGBTQ+ characters, like Pearl, who had feelings for Rose Quartz, the mother of the series protagonist, Steven, and a genderqueer character, Stevonnie, in a show which focuses on embracing difference.[142][143]

LGBTQ+ characters advanced in Western animation in 2017, just as they had in 2016. In their annual report, GLAAD praised the increase of LGBTQ+ characters on streaming services like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu,[144] while highlighting shows like DreamWorks Dragons which an LGBTQ+ character, Gobber, who is also a double apputee.[145] The same year, RWBY introduced a lesbian character named Ilia Amitola,[146] Dawn of the Croods had two characters who kiss in the show's season 4 finale and final episode,[147] Freedom Fighters: The Ray included a gay couple and gay characters,[148] Bob's Burgers introduced the boyfriend of one of the show's characters,[149] and Big Mouth featured Ali, a pansexual character.[150] Castlevania introduced two bisexual characters (Carmilla and Alucard)[151][152] Kya of Legend of Korra was shown to be lesbian in the graphic novel following the series finale,[153] and Doc McStuffins featured a lesbian (and interracial) married couple.[154][155][1] A few characters had characters which stood apart. In OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Red Action went on her first date with a female character,[156] while Zarya Moonwolf and Kitty Boon were a lesbian couple in Mysticons. In the latter case, the show's creator, Sean Jara, confirmed the two as a couple, noting that only one version of the episode was created and that the show's creative team fought for a kiss, but lost even though they managed "to keep the integrity of the love story."[157] He specifically stated that the show portrayed a "beautiful love story" between Zarya and Kitty, shipped as the "MoonBoon," stated the importance of showing "love between LGBTQ characters on TV," and said that the kiss was cut from the episode because of "systemic homophobia" in the kids television industry.[158] Apart from crediting Rebecca Sugar for making strides, citing an article about LGBTQ+ representation in cartoons [159], and praising battles for more representation, he referred to the 37th episode of the series, "The Princess and the Pirate" as the one that would have included a kiss if it wasn't cut.

Around the same time, a Steven Universe storyboarder stated that Harold Smiley and Quentin Frowney were a gay couple[160] while a minor show character, Kiki Pizza, was shown as a pansexual character in the comics, which are level 2 canon for the show, when she asked out Stevonnie on a date.[161] An official artbook released the same year, titled Steven Universe: Art & Origins, noted in the episode concepts for "Future Boy Zoltron" that Mr. Smiley and Mr. Frowney were in a relationship.[162] More prominently than the Chinese show, Spiritpact which introduced two LGBTQ+ characters: Yang Jinghua (bisexual) and Duanmu Xi (gay),[163] was a short-lived show on Netflix titled Danger & Eggs.[164][165] The show was filled with LGBTQ+ characters: a femme "brown-skinned energetic creative" named Reina,[166] a genderqueer character named Milo, who uses they/them pronouns[167][168] Furthermore, the voice of Milo, an agender model named Tyler Ford said their character is an "accurate representation" of them.[166] The show's final episode introduced the dads of Corporate Raider Jim,[167] a new trans teen who sings about acceptance and helps the series protagonists understand the meaning of a chosen family.[169] However, while GLAAD and others were praising the growth in the number of LGBTQ+ characters in broadcast, primetime television,[170][171][172] LGBTQ+ characters in animated television were still somewhat rare[173][174] with some having to defend existing representation, creator Greg Weisman of Young Justice getting angry at fans who talked about LGBTQ+ characters in his show[175] and Kenyan officials banned shows they saw as pro-gay, such as Legend of Korra, Hey Arnold!, Steven Universe, The Loud House, Gravity Falls, and Clarence.[62]

In 2018, LGBTQ+ characters moved forward as never seen before. In their report from the previous year, covering shows which aired from 2017 to 2018, GLAAD noted that while Netflix was featuring more LGBTQ+ people of color,[176] CW Seed launched two shows with "queer heroes": Freedom Fighters: The Ray and Constantine.[177] They also focused on how Bojack Horseman expanded the story of Todd, the "only asexual character on streaming originals" as they described it, and Gobber, an LGBTQ+ character in DreamWorks Dragons.[178] Other shows expanded LGBTQ+ representation. For example, The Loud House featured a gay couple (Howard and Harold McBride) which Michael Rubiner said was only natural,[44] Bob's Burgers introduced a lesbian character (Nat Kinkle),[179] RWBY featured a lesbian couple (Saphron and Terra Cotta-Arc),[180] Summer Camp Island[181] featured a gay couple as did Disenchantment[182] and 16 Hudson.[183] Apart from that, the Pete the Cat series showed the two fathers of Sally Squirrel in the Christmas special, "Pete the Cat: A Very Groovy Christmas."[184]

On the other hand, the Brazilian show, Super Drags featured Donizete, Patrick, and Ralph, drag queens who protect the LGBTQ+ community,[185] and drag queen RuPaul made an appearance in The Simpsons[186] At the same time, Transformers: Cyberverse debuted a genderqueer character named Acid Storm with a writer saying they like to switch between male and female genders,[187] Craig of the Creek featured a lesbian couple (Courtney and Tabitha) which kissed in the episode "The Haunted Dollhouse",[188] Nomad of Nowhere featured a lesbian protagonist named Skout[189] Bojack Horseman introduced a married lesbian couple: Mary-Beth and Dr Indria,[190] and a Chinese show, Mo Dao Zu Shi included two LGBTQ+ characters: Wei Wuxian (bisexual) and Lan Wanji (gay).[191] Prominently, the season finale of Adventure Time, Come Along With Me confirmed Marcy and Bonnie as a couple, an event for which Rebecca Sugar laid the groundwork for when working as a writer and storyboarder for the show.[1] Some argued that the on-screen confirmation of the same-sex romance showed that the "cartoon landscape has changed during Adventure Time’s run,"[192][193] inviting viewers to re-examine the past interactions of Bonnie and Marcy "through a queer lens," while Mey Rude in Them noted the series impact on the animation world and TV industry.[194] Rude also argued that without the show, there would be no Steven Universe, Clarence, Summer Camp Island, or Rick and Morty. While some said the show made "great strides for gay fans,"[195] the kiss itself in the episode was not scripted, as series creator Adam Muto admitted, only added after a storyboard artist, Hanna K. Nyström, advocated for it.[196][197] This initial hesitance fell in line with former show writer Mark Saltzman of Seasame Street first calling Bert and Ernie as gay and then retracting this statement,[198][199][200] Voltron: Legendary Defender killing off a gay character,[44][192] with some saying the show was following a stereotype known as "burying that gay", leading showrunner Joaquim Dos Santos to apologize to fans.[198][201] This was not a surprise as "not all queer presentation" was created equal as one scholar noted, with representation of bisexual and transgender characters lagging behind lesbians and gay men in some respects,[202] with this representation important in the U.S. political climate while GLAAD called for Hollywood to produce more characters with LGBTQ+ characters.[203][204]

Steven Universe made headlines with a gay wedding between two characters: Ruby and Sapphire, challenging the Cartoon Network's history of "not overtly depicting same-sex marriage"[63] as Sugar struggled to get any LGBTQ+ representation on the show, with the network ultimately accepting her reasoning.[81][83] The episode, Reunited, which she and the crew had worked on for years,[205] was praised as an example of the network's frank portrayal of "sexuality and gender identity in children's programming," and positively received by the LGBTQ+ community and fans.[193][198][63][206][207] This episode made Steven Universe the first kid's show on U.S. television to feature a lesbian wedding[6] and it broke down the assumption that same-sex romance is "inherently more adult," in Sugar's words.[1] Episodes like "Reunited" were the reason that the creator of Gravity Falls, Alex Hirsch, believed that Sugar was moving everyone in kid's programming forward in terms of LGBTQ+ representation.[44][206] Even so, Sugar criticized the casual absence of LGBTQ+ representation, but praised the effort by various shows to increase "LGBTQIA content...in G-rated entertainment."[44][205] Noelle Stevenson, who would be the series creator of a show that would premiere later that year, praised the episode as "bold and courageous," serving as a moment which "knocked down so many walls" for other storytellers.[81] Despite this, the show was still pulled from broadcasting in South Africa.[44]

In November 2018, Stevenson's show, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power premiered on Netflix and was praised for its LGBTQ+ representation. Before the show began streaming, two gay characters, the fathers of series protagonist, Bow, were revealed at a panel.[208] Some stated that the show had a lot in common with shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Steven Universe and Sailor Moon, including characters which can be read as "fluidly on the gender and sexuality spectrum."[5] Others noted that the show included a lesbian couple, Netossa & Spinnerella,[209] which are "closely bonded characters," and noted the "queer romance" manifested by the Adora-Catra relationship.[84][209][210] Stevenson noted the importance of featuring LGBTQ+ representation in kids animation, saying shows before made She-Ra's "range of queer representation" possible,[211] with some arguing she had roots in "queer fandom"[212] and called the show one of the "most LGBTQ-inclusive and diverse shows on television."[213] Stevenson and the crew of the show were strongly influenced by anime (especially those with magical girls),[214] fantasy roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons,[215] sci-fi in the 1970s and 1980s, paying homage to the original She-Ra: Princess of Power show.[216] The following year, the show would have a recurring non-binary character named Double Trouble.[217] Stevenson began working on She-Ra at the same time she began dating Molly Ostertag,[218] who ended up becoming very influential for the show, even "from the very beginning."[219] Ostertag was the one who came with the plot idea that the planet of Etheria was a weapon, employed in the season 4 finale, "Destiny Part 2".[220]

In 2019, the amount of LGBTQ+ characters further increased, whether in primetime scripted broadcast shows, screamed programming on sites like Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix, especially in "daytime kids and family television" as GLAAD pointed out in their annual "Where We Are on TV" reports in 2018 and 2019.[221][222] In the first of these reports, for the 2018–2019 season, they highlighted Shiro in Voltron: Legendary Defender, Todd Chavez in BoJack Horseman (calling him "the only asexual character on streaming services"), Ruby and Sapphire in Steven Universe, Marcy and Bonnie in Adventure Time,[4] Luna, Sam, Howard and Harold McBride in The Loud House, America Chavez in Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors.[223] In their second annual report, on the 2019–2020 season, they again noted BoJack Horsesman but also pointed to She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Twelve Forever, The Bravest Knight,[224] Steven Universe, Arthur,[225] My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes and the upcoming Q-Force.[226] Even this wide range of examples missed LGBTQ+ characters which premiered in other animated shows. For example, RWBY featured a trans woman named May Marigold,[227] while gen:LOCK featured a genderfluid character named Val/entina Romanyszyn,[228] and Big Mouth included two bisexual characters (Shannon Glaser[229] and Jay Bilzerian[230]) and the boyfriend of a recurring character on the show, Matthew MacDell.[231] Furthermore, The Dragon Prince included a genderqueer character named Kazi,[232][233][234] a lesbian couple (Annika and Neha),[235] and a gay couple (Runaan and Ethari).[236] At the same time, an episode of 3Below: Tales of Arcadia included a lesbian kiss between two characters,[237] and Young Justice introduced Wyynde, a gay character.[238] The same year, Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano released two animated productions, both of which had LGBTQ+ characters. The first of these productions was Hazbin Hotel which introduced a gay pornstar named Angel Dust, a bisexual character named Charlie, a lesbian character named Vaggie, and an azeual character named Alastor.[239][240][241][242] Her other production, Helluva Boss introduced Stolas, a bisexual character.[243] Also, according to one of the animators of Hazbin Hotel, Faustisse, on the Inking the Hazbin Hotel ALASTOR Comic stream, Husk is pansexual.[244] A number of other shows featured LGBTQ+ characters: Middle School Moguls had a character (Yuna Pak) with two mothers,[245] and a non-binary fashion moa.vgul (Wren),[246] while Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling worked with GLAAD to ensure that the transgender character, Rachel Bighead, was respectful to the LGBTQ+ community and fit within the show itself.[247] The same year, Craig of the Creek introduced a non-binary character named Angel which is voiced by an angender storyboard artist for the show, Angel Lorenzana, who also uses they/them pronouns.[248] In later tweets, they added that their "cartoon self" used they/them before themselves, gave a shoutout to the show's crew, and said that while this is a small contribution to LGBT representation, they hope "fans can take comfort knowing that there’s also non-binary people working behind the scenes" on every of the show's episodes.

Apart from a showrunner for The Simpsons[249] teasing the polyamorous sexuality of Lisa Simpsons[250] and Family Guy committing to phase out its jokes about the LGBTQ+ community,[251] Steven Universe completed its final season with the finale named Change Your Mind,[63] including characters like Fluorite, the representation of a polyamorous relationship,[1] with some calling the show "the most inclusive and most influential" animated show of the 2010s.[252] Later in the year, the Steven Universe Movie broadcast on Cartoon Network,[83][80] attracting over 1.5 million viewers,[124][43] and on December 7, the limited epilogue series, Steven Universe Future began airing on the same channel.[81] The series included one-time non-binary characters like Shep.[253] At the same time, the finale of RWBY showed Yang Xiao Long, openly expressing feelings for her teammate, Blake Beladonna, as their foreheads touch each other[254] and she comforts Blake[255] after they work together to kill Blake's abusive ex-boyfriend and villain, Adam Taurus.[256] In the next season of the show, Yang tries to compliment Blake on her new haircut,[257] goes on a mission with Blake to eliminate Beowolves in abandoned mines,[258] and goes to a dance with Blake.[259]

• List of yuri anime and manga
• List of LGBT-related films by year
• Cross-dressing in film and television
• List of yuri works
• List of animated series with crossdressing characters
• List of anime by release date (1946–1959)
• List of animated films with LGBT characters