LGBTQ Characters Get Animated
A new animated short about two boys falling in love is going viral—but it’s not the only new cartoon about LGBTQ characters.
Take a look.
Entertainment
Harry Potter and the LGBTQ Family
I wrote this for my Mombian newspaper column at the end of June; I’m reposting it here in honor of Harry Potter and J. K. Rowling’s birthdays today.
June 26 is an auspicious date. Not only did the U.S. Supreme Court issue its marriage equality decision on that day in 2015, but 20 years ago, on June 26, 1997, the world first learned of a boy named Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione. I’ve read J. K. Rowling’s series three times to myself and once out loud to my son (who then re-read it on his own a few years later), and wanted to mark the combined anniversary with a few lessons from Harry Potter for LGBTQ families.
“Families Like Yours” Film about LGBT Families Gets World Premiere
Families Like Yours, a new documentary “exploring the love, compassion, sacrifice, and success of LGBT families in America,” premiered in New York City yesterday, and will soon make its way to LGBT film festivals and conferences around the world. Watch a trailer.
The L Word and LGBTQ Parents, Redux
Back in ancient times, between Seasons 2 and 3 of The L Word, I began this blog, and for some time tracked the parenting storylines in the series. Now, with news of a reboot, I have some thoughts and questions.
A Pride Parade on Sesame Street?
Venerable children’s television show Sesame Street took a step towards LGBTQ inclusion last Friday in its social media feeds—but does this mean the show will actually include clearly LGBTQ characters?
Ellen and Early Queer Parents on TV
The groundbreaking coming-out episode of Ellen DeGeneres’ sitcom Ellen, saw its 20th anniversary recently. DeGeneres’ pioneering role as the first out actor and character to head a television series is worth celebrating in itself—but it’s also worth noting that her show gave us one of best representations up to that time of an LGBTQ parent and their child on TV. Let’s look at what she did and at some of the previous portrayals.
Ellen’s Coming-Out Arc Advanced Representation for Kids with Lesbian Moms, Too
This month marks the 20th anniversary of Ellen DeGeneres coming out in person and as her character on television. Let’s not forget, too, that her show also gave us one of earliest (though not the first) representations of an LGBTQ parent and their child on TV.
LGBTQ Characters Need More than a “Moment” in Children’s Media
Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast is a prime example of how not to please anyone when it comes to LGBTQ representation in children’s media. After enormous hoopla over the first gay character in a Disney film—who would have, director Bill Condon said, an “exclusively gay moment”—the moment was too brief and inconclusive for me as a queer person to celebrate. At the same time, the mere announcement of a gay character inflamed many conservatives.
“The Fosters”: Groundbreaking Role Models for Queer Teens (and Moms, too)
When The Fosters premiered in 2013, I suspected it was going to give us one of the best treatments of a two-mom family we’ve seen on TV. What I didn’t predict was that, parenting aside, it would be groundbreaking in its representation of queer teens as well.
SNL and the Lesbian Moms of “Cherry Grove”
Saturday Night Live spoofed Logo’s new show Fire Island by creating Cherry Grove, a fictional show about a group of “affluent lesbians” raising children.