Nine shows and creators have just been named winners of the second annual Velma Awards, created to highlight LGBTQ representation in kids and family programming. But the awards’ founders warn of the increasing erasure of LGBTQ stories in children’s media.
The Velma Award Winners
The Velmas were conceived and developed by three-time Emmy Award-winning children’s television screenwriter and producer Chris Nee (Doc McStuffins, Ridley Jones), Emmy Award-winning animation casting and voice director Kristi Reed (Steven Universe, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, DeadEnd: Paranormal Park), and media and entertainment executive Jeremy Blacklow (Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios). The awards are the main initiative of The Rainbow Project, which the trio launched last year “to celebrate and elevate LGBTQ+ representation in Children’s Media.”
Reed asserted in a statement, “This year, The Rainbow Project isn’t just important—it’s essential. We’re watching LGBTQ+ stories quietly disappear from children’s content, and that loss has real impact on young viewers. Our mission is to safeguard visibility, belonging, and truth in the stories that shape kids’ lives. No child should ever have their story erased.”
This year’s winners are:
- Best Queer Break Up, That’s Just a Break Up: Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, S3.E5, “Boiling Over” (Netflix)
- The One Mom is Good But Two Moms Are Great Award: Firebuds, S2 E24, “Mothers’ Day Mess” (Disney+)
- The Show So Great and Inclusive We Wish it Would Adopt Us Award: Let’s Go Bananas, S1.E26, “Birth Day Tales/Meer-Kitties” (Cartoon Network)
- Respecting Pronouns & Gender Identity Is So Simple Even a Preschooler Can Understand It Award: The Bravest Knight, Season 2B – Episode 208 “Cedric & Pirate Cove” (Hulu) [Read more about the episode in my post here.]
- Most Adorkable Dads Who Say, “I Love You” Award: Jane, S3.3, “Diomedea exulans” (Apple TV)
- Most Fabulous Celebration of all the Shades of Queerness: Fionna & Cake, entire series. (HBO Max)
- The Preschool Teachers We all Wish We Had Award: The Fabulous Show with Fay and Fluffy, entire series. (Family Jr. (Canada))
- The Let’s Be Clear, I have Two Moms Award: Be@rbrick, S1 E6 (Apple TV)
- Legacy Award: Linda Simensky, Arthur, Season 22, Episode “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” (PBS Kids)
Even as we celebrate these shows, however, we need to recognize the increasing difficulty of bringing LGBTQ stories to the screen. Read on.
The Growing Threat to LGBTQ Representation in Children’s Media
The eligible winners for the Velmas this year are down nearly 40 percent from 2024, according to The Rainbow Project. Blacklow explained, “Whereas in 2024 we had a plethora of honorees, this year we find our numbers basically cut in half. Rather than retreat, we need to push forward and remind the industry not to be scared of great LGBTQ+ characters and storytelling.”
Only 1.5% of all characters and 1.4% of lead characters in 2024 popular programming were LGBTQIA+, per the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media’s 2025 See Jane report, The Rainbow Project notes. And GLAAD’s most recent Studio Responsibility Index report found that only two animated/family films out of all tracked releases in 2024 were LGBTQ-inclusive, about 8% of the category, and “part of an overall trend of decreased representation of LGBTQ+ characters on TV.”
The Rainbow Project asserts, “The effects of this erasure are far from symbolic: when children don’t see themselves, their families, or their identities reflected in the stories they consume, the consequences ripple across self-esteem, belonging, and emotional wellbeing. As media researchers emphasize, inclusive characters are not just ‘nice to have’—they communicate to young viewers that, ‘you matter, you exist, you are part of the world.'”
Fighting for More
The LGBTQ representation that did make it to the screen was hard won. Nee explained, “We know that every storyline you see with an LGBTQ+ positive narrative for kids is the end result of a battle that someone waged on behalf of the queer youth under attack in this country. It was always hard to get these storylines on the air, but now it’s near impossible. It only happens when someone behind the scenes has passionately championed it. The Velmas were created to passionately champion all of those brave creators fighting this fight, and remind them that what they’re doing is making a difference.”
In order to help them, The Rainbow Project has also just launched a groundbreaking archive of stories from creators, producers, and others about how they managed to get queer narratives through the studio system, offering “honest, unfiltered insight into the battles, breakthroughs, and quiet acts of resistance that shaped these projects.” The project calls the archive “both a record and a lifeline”—a place where creators can fine “guidance, solidarity, and proof that persistence can prevail.” The archive is not public, but can be accessed after “a quick vetting” by the project team.
I’m grateful to The Rainbow Project for its work; my own work on LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books has reinforced my belief in the importance of LGBTQ representation across children’s media of all types. I also know there are many great LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books that would make terrific TV shows or movies, if studios and networks were willing to take a chance on them.
Please support the Velma winners by watching the shows and episodes above, talking about them with your friends and on social media, and tagging the networks that broadcast them, so that they know such content is valued. Thanks to all who have helped bring these stories to our screens and to children’s lives.