In 2005, in response to criticism from Focus on the Family, a Christian fundamentalist organization, and the American Family Association, also a Christian fundamentalist organization, series creator Stephen Hillenburg described him as asexual, not gay. The confirmation of SpongeBob in SpongeBob SquarePants as asexual was not done directly in the show. Another organization that opposed this episode was the Parents Television Council who claimed they had no problem with same-sex parents but did not think it was appropriate for Nickelodeon's young target audience. This program was subject to much criticism from Christian organizations, such as the Washington-based Traditional Values Coalition, who believed the program pushed a "pro-homosexual agenda" and was not suitable for children. Produced by Linda Ellerbee's Lucky Duck Productions and hosted by Ellerbee, My Family Is Different featured children of gay and lesbian parents talking with children from households that oppose equal rights for gay and lesbian families. On June 18, 2002, children's cable network Nickelodeon ran a program entitled Nick News Special Edition: My Family Is Different. 7 LGBT representation on Discovery Family.4 LGBT representation on Disney Channel.3 LGBT representation on Cartoon Network.In 1986, HBO broadcast The Truth About Alex, which told the story of a high school athlete who discovers that his best friend Alex is gay. The episode was nominated for five Daytime Emmys, winning for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Special, Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special ( Justin Whalin) and Outstanding Sound Mixing in a Children's Special. The 1993 episode "Other Mothers" featured a boy who was afraid that his friends would think he was gay because he has two mothers. It was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Direction in Children's Programming. The episode told the story of a teenage boy struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. "What If I'm Gay?" originally aired on March 31, 1987. LGBT representation in children's programming was often uncommon to non-existent for much of television's history up to the 2010s, but has significantly increased since then.Įarly children's programming addressing LGBT-related subject matter in the United States includes two episodes of CBS Schoolbreak Special. LGBT representation in children's television programming is representation of LGBT topics, themes, and people in television programming meant for children.
Rebecca Sugar, a creator devoted to creating LGBT children's media, speaking at New York Comic Con 2014