Bara_no_Hime said:
I completely agree.
Positive role models are important for children, and there aren't enough gay ones.
It has been shown that many children are aware they are gay long before they are aware of sexuality or romantic issues - they just know. Having a character who they can relate to as part of the television they watch is essential for developing self-esteem and confidence.
There is no reason to bring 'sex' into it either - if a female character can have a crush on a boy, a female character can have a crush on a girl - we already have characters having crushes in children's shows, so nothing more needs to be added other than changing who the target of the crush is.
I agree, but don't know what kind of kick ass shows you lot are watching (MLP I guess heh), but last I checked there were barely any cartoons targeted towards children that had even "crushes" available. The topic of romance is kept at a 1950's level in toons for kids, making sexual preference a huge taboo to talk about. Even the topic of a common crush is really treated like a supremely watered down "birds and bees" thing in most cases, having an entire episode devoted to it and then never really talked about again. A character falls in love, is shunned by the target of his/her affections or goes into a mini-relationship but soon breaks up, and then is told that life brings a lot of fluttering hearts and shattering hearts. End of special episode. Next week Gary the Gray Bear gets into a whacky mess and ends up in trouble! UH-OOOHH~
If there is a show that has a crush thing going on that's for children and not young adults, then I
guess a gay character would be alright. But knowing cartoons for children (least in U.S.)they'd probably be ridiculously flamboyant for comical effect >_>
_However, a show that's for pre-teens DEFINITELY should have at least one respectable, normal gay character. Make their homosexuality not even a real topic until they have a crush (special episode time again) or until it naturally comes up in the story. This way young gay pre-teens would feel normal about their preferences despite what the others kids spout out at them, and straight kids would grow up seeing a natural human being (preferably a/the best friend character) who just happens to be gay. No big show about it. No ongoing subplot about it. They're just a gay individual who is no different than anyone else aside from their sexual preference. Making it natural is paramount.
_Hell, shows do that already with other characters! Why do you think the best friend character is often nerdy or black, or both? It's showing that they're people too. Those shows (often) don't have entire episodes devoted to how that character is nerdy or asocial or of a certain race either. All you need to do is add in the sexual preference and WALLA a beautifully relatable gay character.
The reason I say pre-teens and up instead of younger kids is because, well... That's when I would want my son or daughter learning more about such things. In this day and age pre-teens know almost as much about sex as adults, aside from how to do it right(which saddens me, since it really makes dealing with those hormonal changes even harder). By the time they're 12 or so they'll know at least five sex jokes, have seen at least one porn, and will fully understand what homosexuality is...
...and how to makes jokes about it. : /
_It's this age that really needs role models more than anything, since it's here where our children stop becoming children, even to themselves. Peer pressure becomes a big issue, and if it isn't gay teens being ostracized for their preferences it's religious kids being picked on because the others think they hate gay teens (for some fucking stupid reason). If done right, maybe society at large can breed a generation of people who respect both sexual preference and religion. The Catholic girlfriend of the main character who's best buddy is gay, and they're all the greatest of friends.
...But I seriously doubt such a show will ever exist, and if it does, it'll go the way of that cartoon about the wheelchair bound highschool student...and fade into obscurity. V_V