On December 25, 1994, Lokar, a locust alien and member of the Council of Doom, was introduced in the Space Ghost Coast to Coast Christmas special A Space Ghost Christmas. Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which aired on Cartoon Network (1994-1999 2001) Adult Swim (2001-2004), and GameTap (2006-2008), included a gay character. In the 1990s, queer coded characters appeared in various Cartoon Network series, such as Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Mission Hill, episodes of Dexter's Laboratory and Cow and Chicken, See also: History of LGBT characters in animation: 1990s In December 2020, Amy Friedman, head of programming for Cartoon Network and HBO Max Kids & Family, stated that they are looking "at ourselves across the inclusion and equity spectrum," including the LGBTQ+ community, to evaluate projects in production, development, and post-greenlighting.
Other series, like OK K.O.!: Let's Be Heroes and Craig of the Creek would have LGBTQ characters as well. The role of Cartoon Network shows in LGBTQ representation would continue in the 2020s, with the airing of Steven Universe Future on the network and Adventure Time: Distant Lands streaming on HBO Max, along with characters in DC Super Hero Girls. At the time the iconic wedding episode of Steven Universe was first drafted, gay marriage was not yet legal in most of the United States. This representation was difficult to achieve, as Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe, was told by executives that the inclusion of a central queer romance could have ended her show. The network hosted shows which were said to be "strong champions for LGBT representation," such as Adventure Time and Steven Universe. These characters include Garnet, Pearl, and Princess Bubblegum. In the 2010s, Cartoon Network featured multiple cartoons whose main characters expressed their identity and were featured in LGBT-focused storylines.
Since this list was published, a few more heartwarming queer anime have debuted and proved wholesome enough to meet the standards of this list.Rebecca Sugar gives an acceptance speech at the 78th annual Peabody Awards in July 2019Ĭartoon Network, an American TV channel which launched in 1992, and Adult Swim, its adult-oriented nighttime programming block which launched in 2001, has regularly featured lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) characters in its programming.
Updated on July 27th, 2021, by Leah Thomas: While BL still has a lot of growing up to do, progress is being made. Great BL should showcase healthy, loving, and consensual relationships between boys, no matter the storyline. Newcomers to BL could do no better than start with anime that depicts healthy queer relationships, and many of the more famous - or infamous - yaoi shows simply don't make the cut. RELATED: Pride Month: 10 BL Anime & Where To Watch Them
More and more often, positive queer representation has been normalized. Fortunately, as anime as a whole has evolved, so has BL. Given this, much of the criticism yaoi receives is warranted, and many of the relationships depicted in manga and anime have been damaging to the queer community. While representations of queer romance are invaluable, the genre has propagated some extremely toxic tropes over the decades.
Boys' Love, also known as BL or yaoi, has a problematic history.