Netflix and LGBTQ representation in animation
[1] Scholars have stated that LGBTQ characters on streaming services, such as Netflix, "made more displays of affection" than on broadcast networks.
[6] GLAAD continually praised Netflix for having the highest number of "LGBTQ regular and recurring characters,"[7][8][9] Some scholarship said that the streaming service, like Hulu and Amazon, caters to "niche audiences" and had more "displays of affection" than broadcast television.
[2] Netflix has cancelled some shows with LGBTQ+ characters over the years, such as Tuca & Bertie, Q-Force, Hoops, BoJack Horseman, and Dead End: Paranormal Park.
Julia Alexander of The Verge, in describing the cancellation, stated that Netflix had become a "sea of content" and that shows were competing to find viewers while "the streamer’s biggest projects received top billing on the homepage.
[16] In September 2019, due to the abrupt ending of Twelve Forever, Shadi Petosky, one of the executive producers, stated they will not be able to further explore protagonist Reggie Abbott as a "canon queer" character.
Others praised Rachel Bighead as a trans female character in Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling, which was released in August 2019.
[33] In May 2020, ND Stevenson, the showrunner of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power stated that while the romantic relationship between Adora and Catra was planned from the show's conception, they were not sure how overt he could portray it.
[37] In June 2020, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts series creator Radford "Rad" Sechrist, and co-screenwriter Bill Wolkoff, confirmed that the characters Benson and Troy were gay, noting that when he had pitched the idea to the studio, Chief Creative Officer Peter Gal approved but instructed the production staff to have the character say the words "I'm gay," something that he and Bill were happy to hear to oblige.
"[40][41] In another interview, Wolkoff acknowledged that past coming-of-age stories "about kids being gay and dealing with that" often got pushback, but that in this case DreamWorks was open to it.
[43] The film's writers, Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe, wrote the character of Katie to be LGBT but without necessarily drawing attention to her sexuality as a lesbian.
[46] Ridley Jones, which ran from July 2021 to March 2023, part of a slate of animated preschool series on the streaming service, with others including Spirit Rangers and Ada Twist, Scientist, of which Nee is the showrunner.
[51][52][53] Some claimed the show had followed a stereotype known as "burying that gay", prompting show-runner Joaquim Dos Santos to apologize to fans.
In the latter case, however, some criticized it as an oversimplification of the "relationship between private parts and gender identity," even as her existence was praised as putting the show ahead of "most television representations of sexual expression.
[citation needed] From 2018 to 2025, sixteen animated series were nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021),[63][64][65][66] Twelve Forever (2020),[65] Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2021)[66] Centaurworld (2022),[67] Dead End: Paranormal Park (2023),[68] The Dragon Prince (2023, 2024),[68][69] Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2023),[68] and Battle Kitty (2023),[68] Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City (2024),[69] Ada Twist, Scientist (2024),[69] Princess Power (2024, 2025),[69][70] Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,[69] Ridley Jones (2024).
[79] Previously, in 2020, episodes of BoJack Horseman and Big Mouth were nominated for the American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Animation.
