Can there be a gay character in a children's show?
- Thread starter Sam_Winchester
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The picture is actually from an amusement park I went to afterwards. ^^;TheDarkEricDraven said:
(The damn monster nearly set my hair on fire, too.)
I'm supposed to have a picture where I'm standing in front of the Pride logo somewhere too, but the one I posted was easier to find.
*Brohoof*Caramel Frappe said:
Got it from a place called The Animal Lovers Store in Stockholm's Old Town, I believe. We just happened to see it as we passed by on the way to the Pride festival, and my friends convinced me that I absolutely had to have it.Caramel Frappe said:
There certainly can be a gay character.
Should there be gay indoctrination? No.
Should there be gay acceptance? Sure.
For instance, a "loud and proud" gay character is a really bad idea. You wouldn't invite Fred Phelps to read on Play School. A character who happens to be gay, but it isn't really brought up and certainly isn't the defining attribute of their character? No problem.
Should there be gay indoctrination? No.
Should there be gay acceptance? Sure.
For instance, a "loud and proud" gay character is a really bad idea. You wouldn't invite Fred Phelps to read on Play School. A character who happens to be gay, but it isn't really brought up and certainly isn't the defining attribute of their character? No problem.
Have you seen kid's TV shows, there are so many camp characters that I don't really care to count them. Whether they're gay or not is up for debate, because children's TV shows don't really deal with sexuality beyond presenting family models.
Having kid's TV characters sexually ambiguous is a good thing to my mind, because it basically treats homosexuality as "no big thing".
Having kid's TV characters sexually ambiguous is a good thing to my mind, because it basically treats homosexuality as "no big thing".
In America less so: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animated_television_programs_with_LGBT_characters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editing_of_anime_in_American_distribution
http://wikimoon.org/index.php?title=Homosexuality_in_Sailor_Moon
"As Japan is more open about portraying homosexuality in its children's media than many countries in the West,[1][2] several homosexual relationships appeared throughout the Sailor Moon series."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editing_of_anime_in_American_distribution
http://wikimoon.org/index.php?title=Homosexuality_in_Sailor_Moon
"As Japan is more open about portraying homosexuality in its children's media than many countries in the West,[1][2] several homosexual relationships appeared throughout the Sailor Moon series."
Could it? I don't really see why not. There'd be an outcry from some, more stupid circles, but they wouldn't do anything.
Should it? Definitely.
Would it? Ehhhh.
Should it? Definitely.
Would it? Ehhhh.
yeh but there is, boy fancies girl or boy thinks girls are gross but girl likes boy. You know.
But, I think a lot of us here are going about it the wrong way. We should just show intimacy, we should show relationships, people that are close to eachother, the way they fight, laugh and generaly spend time together. DOES IT REALLY NEED A LABEL?
Can't we just have two guys that always hang out, maybe its like a bert and ernie thing and they live together, as stewie griffin puts it "Just a guy you know! Someone to chill with, go see a movie."
Maybe ONE episode, LATER ON IN THE SERIES when the fans are more mature, have someone ask and they go "Nah nothing like that" while another pairing goes, "Yeh but we havent told anyone yet."
Heck there have been GAY characters in shows before, some anime examples are actually rewritten for you americans out there because you don't like that sort of thing. All I can say is as a kid i KNEW which couple was lesbian in sailor moon without them telling me OUT RIGHT and I KNEW that side-kick girl in card captors was lebian also.
We just show that there are relationships, and yeh, sometimes they are romantic, and yeh, sometimes its with someone of the same gender.
But, I think a lot of us here are going about it the wrong way. We should just show intimacy, we should show relationships, people that are close to eachother, the way they fight, laugh and generaly spend time together. DOES IT REALLY NEED A LABEL?
Can't we just have two guys that always hang out, maybe its like a bert and ernie thing and they live together, as stewie griffin puts it "Just a guy you know! Someone to chill with, go see a movie."
Maybe ONE episode, LATER ON IN THE SERIES when the fans are more mature, have someone ask and they go "Nah nothing like that" while another pairing goes, "Yeh but we havent told anyone yet."
Heck there have been GAY characters in shows before, some anime examples are actually rewritten for you americans out there because you don't like that sort of thing. All I can say is as a kid i KNEW which couple was lesbian in sailor moon without them telling me OUT RIGHT and I KNEW that side-kick girl in card captors was lebian also.
We just show that there are relationships, and yeh, sometimes they are romantic, and yeh, sometimes its with someone of the same gender.
WHAT! when did they! I LIKE PURPLE! Its a regal colour! Oh great had no problems with gays before but now I'm annoyed.
yeh but there is, boy fancies girl or boy thinks girls are gross but girl likes boy. You know.
But, I think a lot of us here are going about it the wrong way. We should just show intimacy, we should show relationships, people that are close to eachother, the way they fight, laugh and generaly spend time together. DOES IT REALLY NEED A LABEL?
Can't we just have two guys that always hang out, maybe its like a bert and ernie thing and they live together, as stewie griffin puts it "Just a guy you know! Someone to chill with, go see a movie."
Maybe ONE episode, LATER ON IN THE SERIES when the fans are more mature, have someone ask and they go "Nah nothing like that" while another pairing goes, "Yeh but we havent told anyone yet."
Heck there have been GAY characters in shows before, some anime examples are actually rewritten for you americans out there because you don't like that sort of thing. All I can say is as a kid i KNEW which couple was lesbian in sailor moon without them telling me OUT RIGHT and I KNEW that side-kick girl in card captors was lebian also.
We just show that there are relationships, and yeh, sometimes they are romantic, and yeh, sometimes its with someone of the same gender.
But, I think a lot of us here are going about it the wrong way. We should just show intimacy, we should show relationships, people that are close to eachother, the way they fight, laugh and generaly spend time together. DOES IT REALLY NEED A LABEL?
Can't we just have two guys that always hang out, maybe its like a bert and ernie thing and they live together, as stewie griffin puts it "Just a guy you know! Someone to chill with, go see a movie."
Maybe ONE episode, LATER ON IN THE SERIES when the fans are more mature, have someone ask and they go "Nah nothing like that" while another pairing goes, "Yeh but we havent told anyone yet."
Heck there have been GAY characters in shows before, some anime examples are actually rewritten for you americans out there because you don't like that sort of thing. All I can say is as a kid i KNEW which couple was lesbian in sailor moon without them telling me OUT RIGHT and I KNEW that side-kick girl in card captors was lebian also.
We just show that there are relationships, and yeh, sometimes they are romantic, and yeh, sometimes its with someone of the same gender.
yeh but there is, boy fancies girl or boy thinks girls are gross but girl likes boy. You know. WE ALREADY SHOW RELATIONSHIPS on kids tv. FRIENDS, family, that girl a guy thinks is cute, those are relationships. NOT romantic ones, except for the girl and guy etc etc etc.
But, I think a lot of us here are going about it the wrong way. We should just show intimacy, we should show relationships, people that are close to eachother, the way they fight, laugh and generaly spend time together. DOES IT REALLY NEED A LABEL?
Can't we just have two guys that always hang out, maybe its like a bert and ernie thing and they live together, as stewie griffin puts it "Just a guy you know! Someone to chill with, go see a movie."
Maybe ONE episode, LATER ON IN THE SERIES when the fans are more mature, have someone ask and they go "Nah nothing like that" while another pairing goes, "Yeh but we havent told anyone yet."
Heck there have been GAY characters in shows before, some anime examples are actually rewritten for you americans out there because you don't like that sort of thing. All I can say is as a kid i KNEW which couple was lesbian in sailor moon without them telling me OUT RIGHT and I KNEW that side-kick girl in card captors was lebian also.
We just show that there are relationships, and yeh, sometimes they are romantic, and yeh, sometimes its with someone of the same gender.
But, I think a lot of us here are going about it the wrong way. We should just show intimacy, we should show relationships, people that are close to eachother, the way they fight, laugh and generaly spend time together. DOES IT REALLY NEED A LABEL?
Can't we just have two guys that always hang out, maybe its like a bert and ernie thing and they live together, as stewie griffin puts it "Just a guy you know! Someone to chill with, go see a movie."
Maybe ONE episode, LATER ON IN THE SERIES when the fans are more mature, have someone ask and they go "Nah nothing like that" while another pairing goes, "Yeh but we havent told anyone yet."
Heck there have been GAY characters in shows before, some anime examples are actually rewritten for you americans out there because you don't like that sort of thing. All I can say is as a kid i KNEW which couple was lesbian in sailor moon without them telling me OUT RIGHT and I KNEW that side-kick girl in card captors was lebian also.
We just show that there are relationships, and yeh, sometimes they are romantic, and yeh, sometimes its with someone of the same gender.
I think thats a very simplified version of it but yehRedEyesBlackGamer said:
But, I think a lot of us here are going about it the wrong way. We should just show intimacy, we should show relationships, people that are close to eachother, the way they fight, laugh and generaly spend time together. DOES IT REALLY NEED A LABEL?
Can't we just have two guys that always hang out, maybe its like a bert and ernie thing and they live together, as stewie griffin puts it "Just a guy you know! Someone to chill with, go see a movie."
Heck there have been GAY characters in shows before, some anime examples are actually rewritten for you americans out there because you don't like that sort of thing. All I can say is as a kid i KNEW which couple was lesbian in sailor moon without them telling me OUT RIGHT and I KNEW that side-kick girl in card captors was lebian also.
We just show that there are relationships, and yeh, sometimes they are romantic, and yeh, sometimes its with someone of the same gender.
There can (Doctor Who Doctor Who Doctor Who) and should be. Despite the usual sexually-repressed old people desperately trying to convince us otherwise, kids generally develop some idea of what sex is by the time they're nine or so. Anyone else remember looking it up in a dictionary in class? We all did that in my class, in year 4 or 5 or so. In other words, we had a basic understanding of what sex is. And given that kids are capable of comprehending this knowledge without their fragile minds exploding, maybe if we were to stop hiding homosexuality under a rug people wouldn't consider it such a big deal and society in general could actually become sexually mature enough to live and let fucking live.
Not that kids' shows alone could achieve all this, but it might be a start.
EDIT: that swear in there was for emphasis. Not to be read as a verb.
Not that kids' shows alone could achieve all this, but it might be a start.
EDIT: that swear in there was for emphasis. Not to be read as a verb.
There is no problem with having a gay character in a children's show.
People need to get past the notion that all gay people insinuate that they want to bum every male around them, it just isn't true... They are people too, and have no more sexual urges than any straight person at that age.
People need to get past the notion that all gay people insinuate that they want to bum every male around them, it just isn't true... They are people too, and have no more sexual urges than any straight person at that age.
I guess it depends what you mean by "children". In shows aimed at toddlers and such, sexuality isn't presented much at all so it'd be kinda pointless to make one of them gay. In shows for the 8-13 bracket where romantic relationships are presented all the time I see no harm in including a homosexual one here and there. At worst the kids will be confused by the coupling and ask their parents, who will hopefully clue them in about it in a non-demonising manor.
The problem is more the rating system.. in any show aimed at children under the age of 7 sexuality is not shown, you cant really say that this character is gay this characters is straight in shows with no sexuality..
shows above a G rating than show that there is a connection or attraction but most in those cases are a peck on the cheek or hand holding, yes there is the whole conservative system and the people that run the consumer advice boards are pretty rigid about this stuff
shows above a G rating than show that there is a connection or attraction but most in those cases are a peck on the cheek or hand holding, yes there is the whole conservative system and the people that run the consumer advice boards are pretty rigid about this stuff
I think it could be done easily.
We can have Spike doting on Rarity and Rarity fawning all over Prince Blueblood, but the show doesn't and shouldn't involve sexuality?
It would be easy to introduce: Rainbow Dash (or another character) shows that she has a crush on some random single-episode pony. Hell, Rainbow Dash could just muse aloud about some crush on one of the female Wonderbolts to make it even more innocent. And if you want to use the episode to drive home the moral of acceptance, which I would argue is very appropriate given the degree to which the show typically addresses morals explicitly, have one of the core cast be weirded out by it and have them change their mind at the end of the episode. It wouldn't really be a "Very Special Episode" or a strangely singular mention of it either, since every episode of MLP is a Very Special Episode in this sense. And they could easily make offhand references to it later after an establishing episode. Or even deal with related issues like bullying due to it in later episodes.
These are real concerns that children can and do face from a very young age. Even if they're not at the point where these are personally relevant yet, they can easily witness bullying or name-calling for it and it would be nice to give them a positive view of it from somewhere they trust and enjoy rather than preventing them from learning about the issue by any means other than that creepy violent kid they saw kicking the effeminate boy at lunch.
It's not like this is a new concept or like showing such crushes is alien to media for this age bracket. The only difference is that everyone's afraid of stepping on the toes of bigoted parents with identical same-sex storylines. Good media, especially good children's media, should teach children values even when their parents don't possess them. Should we be afraid to tell children to share because their parents are selfish assholes?
It's also not like children in this age bracked don't start showing affection for the opposite sex. Sure a lot of them them are still thinking "ew boys", but plenty of children have innocent crushes by this age.
We can have Spike doting on Rarity and Rarity fawning all over Prince Blueblood, but the show doesn't and shouldn't involve sexuality?
It would be easy to introduce: Rainbow Dash (or another character) shows that she has a crush on some random single-episode pony. Hell, Rainbow Dash could just muse aloud about some crush on one of the female Wonderbolts to make it even more innocent. And if you want to use the episode to drive home the moral of acceptance, which I would argue is very appropriate given the degree to which the show typically addresses morals explicitly, have one of the core cast be weirded out by it and have them change their mind at the end of the episode. It wouldn't really be a "Very Special Episode" or a strangely singular mention of it either, since every episode of MLP is a Very Special Episode in this sense. And they could easily make offhand references to it later after an establishing episode. Or even deal with related issues like bullying due to it in later episodes.
These are real concerns that children can and do face from a very young age. Even if they're not at the point where these are personally relevant yet, they can easily witness bullying or name-calling for it and it would be nice to give them a positive view of it from somewhere they trust and enjoy rather than preventing them from learning about the issue by any means other than that creepy violent kid they saw kicking the effeminate boy at lunch.
It's not like this is a new concept or like showing such crushes is alien to media for this age bracket. The only difference is that everyone's afraid of stepping on the toes of bigoted parents with identical same-sex storylines. Good media, especially good children's media, should teach children values even when their parents don't possess them. Should we be afraid to tell children to share because their parents are selfish assholes?
It's also not like children in this age bracked don't start showing affection for the opposite sex. Sure a lot of them them are still thinking "ew boys", but plenty of children have innocent crushes by this age.