Poll: Should There be Gay Characters in Kid's Shows/Films?

[Fetzenfisch]

I don't think kid's shows should have any type of sexual connotations.

I'm in total agreement with this statement.

Well, it wouldnt be more of a sexual connotation as the usual "this is my mom and dad, they are married n'stuff", just that it would be "these are my neighbours Bob and Jim, they are married n'stuff ".
Just to depict it as part of normality.

 

[DarkRyter]

Ar... Are you oimplying that South Park and Family Guy are meant for kids?
Dude... What the fuck?
Even The Simpsons wasn't really intended for childeren origionally.

Hit point remains valid. Erny and Bert alone would have been enough to prove it.
Just because you don't stamp sombody with the mark "Gay" doesn't mean that there aren't any homosexual characters.

Bert and Erny are brothers.

Though to be honest, I always thought people should be a bit more accepting of incest.

 

[Squeaky]

No, there is no need to highlight someones sexuality, acceptance comes when people stop making a big fucking deal about it and stops concentrating on other peoples sexual preferences.

"LOOK, LOOK, THIS GUY IS GAY AND HE'S IN OUR TV SHOW, LOOK AT HIM, HE'S DIFFERENT AND WE STILL LET HIM ON OUR SHOW! WE'RE SO ACCEPTING."

thank you, it shouldnt really matter but....

Spoiler

Hell no... It's too messed up... Sorry but teaching "being gay is an alright choice" Doesn't sit well with me.

Anyway why the hell is there sexuality in a kids show?

The far more important question, in my mind at least, is why kids shows need to be talking about any kind of sexuality in the first place.

Neither hetero or homo.

Kids really don't give a fuck about sexuality. Just focus on the counting puppets and friendly dinosaurs.

Traditionally kids shows have almost no sexual themes what-so-ever and you could argue that all the characters are asexual in the context of the show.

I don't think that sexuality should be a part of kids' shows at all.

However, I remember back when 'Arthur' had an episode where they had a little girl that had two moms. That's fine, and should be treated as exactly what it is: equal.

I honestly don't think kid's shows need sexual connotations in general.

Why do all of you assume that this has anything to do with sexuality?

A wonderful example of a gay character, as noted by DuctTapeJedi, is when a character has "two moms" or "two dads". That's all we're talking about here - introducing the idea that gay people are a normal part of society.

As I mentioned above, I was already an adolescent and already struggling with being bisexual when I first learned that gay people even existed. If I had known that liking girls was okay (that there wasn't anything wrong with me) then I would have been far less freaked out by it at the time.

I was harmed by the lack of gay characters in children's programming. It isn't about sexuality, it's about saying that gay people exist. It's as simple as "two mommys".

Edit: fixed a typo

Edit 2: And no one said "every" show - just some. Parents (or teenaged flirtations) are the best way to handle this - if neither exists in the show, then it doesn't matter. The issue is that, when there are parents or flirtations, they are always hetero.

I think the main reasons people thought what we did was because there's only so many ways to indicate that a character is gay.
There are good examples of how to do this for kids, but it's a delicate subject to address any sexual preference as a characterization and not have actual sex factor in.

Again, though-- "Post Cards with Buster" from Arthur showing a little girl with two moms=fantastic method of exposing kids to diversity while staying kid friendly.

I like the idea of subtle things like that to introduce maybe 11/12 year olds to the idea not everyone is into the opposite sex.

 

[Stephanos132]

Not in a 'ZOMG, look at how gay we are!' way. Make it seem perfectly normal, to the point that hardly any of the characters comment on it.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

But aren't you kind of.. recruiting kids to be homosexual if you confront them with it too much? I'm sorry if it sounds crude but I don't think that our current situation represses homosexuality, aside from bullying and such ofcourse. In fact, the people I know who are homosexual have known all their lives, without kids shows telling them that it's an option.

What?! Are you serious? How is saying "Jenna has two moms" recruiting?

Wait, no, worse - do you actually think it is POSSIBLE to recruit someone to be gay? Really?

I didn't need a show to tell me I was gay. I needed a show to tell me that OTHER people were gay, so I'd feel less alone.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

I think that homo sexuality should be represented in children shows, although not everything. Not because I think our precious little darlings shouldn't be exposed to such things (sarcasm by the way), but because I don't think that;
a)It shouldnt be shoehorned in, and;
b)I dont think that sex should be too heavily represented in children's shows, just because they shouldn't really be thinking about it too much.

 

[Nova Helix]

There's no reason there shouldn't a few nontraditional relationships in a show.

 

[Torrasque]

So long as they are a character of the show, and it works, then sure why not?
Not "that gay guy" that is added just for "equality" sake.

For me, a homosexual person should be able to be considered for any role a heterosexual person is, so long as is it fits the story.

 

[MorteSphere]

Yo.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

Ar... Are you oimplying that South Park and Family Guy are meant for kids?
Dude... What the fuck?
Even The Simpsons wasn't really intended for childeren origionally.

Hit point remains valid. Erny and Bert alone would have been enough to prove it.
Just because you don't stamp sombody with the mark "Gay" doesn't mean that there aren't any homosexual characters.

Bert and Erny are brothers.

Though to be honest, I always thought people should be a bit more accepting of incest.

I can only assume that's a joke because incest is frowned upon for both moral and biological reasons.

 

[elvor0]

Sure, don't make a big thing about it, but stick it in where it's actually appropriate (I know that's akward for a gay character in a kids show, but y'know what I mean), if it's there from the start, in a generation or two homophobia should be more or less gone, as it would be seen as normal by kids, gay people will come to terms with who they are quicker, and everyone would be happier and less prejudice for it.

But aren't you kind of.. recruiting kids to be homosexual if you confront them with it too much? I'm sorry if it sounds crude but I don't think that our current situation represses homosexuality, aside from bullying and such ofcourse. In fact, the people I know who are homosexual have known all their lives, without kids shows telling them that it's an option.

What?! Are you serious? How is saying "Jenna has two moms" recruiting?

Wait, no, worse - do you actually think it is POSSIBLE to recruit someone to be gay? Really?

I didn't need a show to tell me I was gay. I needed a show to tell me that OTHER people were gay, so I'd feel less alone.

Lies! We all know that's how gays reproduce, through brainwashing and recruitment through tv shows! Once in you slowly turn. I'm on to you village people *shakes fist* /sarcasm

But yeah I totally agree with you, try and get it explained early through a comfortable medium and it would be a lot better for everyone. Kids are way more likely to just go "okay so it's two guys/gals", and it would be normal for them growing up.

 

[funguy2121]

snip

Damn you, google! An ignorant and (far too) religious co-worker told me very recently that Burt and Ernie recently came out on Sesame St. Apparently, this is bullshit, and a simple tweet was misinterpreted. Sesame St's producers said in '93 that they are not meant to portray a gay couple. Opportunity to inflame the righteous indignation of the (never) right, shot down!

The opposition will tell you, first and forever, that sexuality has no place on a children's program. And this is the perfect charlatan's argument, because by boldly proclaiming what we already agree on, they sidestep the debate altogether.

That's something the homophobes always bring up when it comes to gay issues in the workplace or on television, and it involves a quintessentially conservative leap in logic: "We don't want to hear about your sexuality. We don't talk about OUR sex lives in the workplace." Which of course, they all do, and most of us probably have at one point or another. But homosexuality isn't just -sexuality. It isn't just whom (we'll call him) Ted is fucking. It's whom Ted falls in love with, whom he has a crush on, who he is going to marry (well, not marry, mind you, this IS the United States).

So I say, Hell, yeah! Get the message to the kids before their parents do. Spare the local community another serial killer.

Also, why do I have to capitalize "Hell" for Escapist's spellcheck? Is it indeed a real place, because Satan's checks have been bouncing lately and that son of a ***** never includes a return address.

 

[headshotcatcher]

But aren't you kind of.. recruiting kids to be homosexual if you confront them with it too much? I'm sorry if it sounds crude but I don't think that our current situation represses homosexuality, aside from bullying and such ofcourse. In fact, the people I know who are homosexual have known all their lives, without kids shows telling them that it's an option.

What?! Are you serious? How is saying "Jenna has two moms" recruiting?

Wait, no, worse - do you actually think it is POSSIBLE to recruit someone to be gay? Really?

I didn't need a show to tell me I was gay. I needed a show to tell me that OTHER people were gay, so I'd feel less alone.

Forgive me, I didn't mean for it to be offensive, really. 'Jenna has two moms' isn't recruiting, by no means! But I thought the OP meant for like the protagonist to be gay and whatever. If you'd have a popular kids' show that's about a guy exploring his homosexuality, the kids would be imprinted to believe that homosexuality is the normal thing to do. At least that's what I believe. Feel free to disagree or prove me wrong, in fact I'd like it if you'd at least give your opinion on this

I understand I can sound like I'm homophobic or whatever, but please trust me, I'm not.

 

[ultimateownage]

snip

Spongebob And Patric aren't gay, and South park and Family Guy aren't children's shows.
O.T. Sure, but as long as their main character trait isn't their homosexuality. Not because I have anything against them, but because gays have more hobby's than just being gay. Paying attention to it will make children think incorrectly.

 

[CarlMin]

Movies for children often have homosexuals characters, though these are often not openly homosexual, or refereed to as homosexual by the other characters. However, their role and the problems they have to deal with are often linked to the process of coming out the closet or fighting against intolerance and so forth

 

[redisforever]

Well, Doctor Who. If that counts as a kids show, which I guess it doesn't, as much as a show for everyone in the family, It has gay characters, and either way, children learn from television now, so better for them to learn it's normal now, than later.

 

[Catalyst6]

Yes, but it shouldn't be forced. It's like having the Token Black Kid in there; it's obvious that they're only there so that they can call it "multicultural", even though it only serves to draw attention to the differences.

So, yes, they should be in there. But they should be characters that *just so happen* to be gay, not the "gay character".

 

[KingofallCosmos]

I grew up watching Theo en Thea

This really was a kids show in holland starring two homosexual actors playing (a kid version of) themselves. It actually had a lot of sexual content in between all it's silliness, but the important part is it showed kids everything is acceptable. I loved it.

 

[Wolfenbarg]

I've seen kids shows already tackling issues of homosexuality and transgenderism, and they handled it pretty well without beating the audience over the head with it. The only thing I find offensive are the shows themselves. I might have just lost my sense of childlike wonder and amusement, but I can't stand any modern kids shows. Don't know how they can sit through them.

 

[Raistlinhawke]

Sexuality doesn't always have to be anything overt or explicit, and it would be nice for a character to have cartoon hearts floating over their head for the same sex once in a while.