I hadn't watched anything from the Disney Channel in over a decade, but I recently found out that this scene aired on their show Andi Mack: As someone who never had any gay representation on family shows when I was a kid, I think this is a huge deal! I felt like a freak in middle and high school because I was gay and having channels like Disney pretend that gay people did not exist did nothing to help the matter. So it makes me so happy to know that today's children get to see people onscreen that they could identify with. This will no doubt cause some conservative groups to go nuts, but it is a step in the right direction. To get context for this scene, I saw some of the earlier episodes of the show. It's about a teenage girl who finds out that her older sister is actually her mother and that the woman she believed to be her mother is actually her grandmother. Kind of a bold premise for a Disney show, but I'm glad they are taking risks.
I just find it funny, and puzzling. There was a lesbian couple on Good Luck Charlie that moved in next door. Nothing major or outrage was done because of that. It was a very funny scene and no queer or LGBT discussion was apart of it. They just came to visit, and like I said, it was a very dismissive plot. In fact, it was like as if they were a nuclear man and woman couple. I believe it was because it was a comedy scene, and lesbians were involved. They were kinda lipstick looking lesbians. If one or both of them were butch, I'm not sure how it would have went down, but whatever. Now with this show, they are making a very big dramatic, climatic point of this story line . It seems like a very depressing and intense scene. So maybe that's why it's a bigger deal. It's not seen as a joke. So maybe if we are seen as a joke or parody or being made fun of or ignored, it's okay. When it's a dramatic issue and big deal, people riot and it's a big controversy. It's also involving gay male issues, which for some reason, people get more angry about. I also find it odd that gay situations are sparking more anger and upset for some reason. I think it's because lesbian discussion is probably easier to deal with. Are lesbians bashed on? Hell yes they are. But in my perspective, they are tolerated a hell of a lot better than gay or queer or transgender people would be. So I find it funny that when it was a lesbian story line, nobody cared and it's was whatever. Not it's a gay story line, it's an issue, and now you're not allowed to do this now. Ugh. So I just find it puzzling in this instance.
I think you might be onto something. Some homophobes may not mind seeing gay or lesbian characters when they are the butt of the joke. But when they are asked to take them seriously and try to empathize with our struggles, they get uncomfortable. That's one of the reasons why I was so underwhelmed by the LeFou being gay in the Beauty and the Beast remake. Disney tried to act like it was a major progressive moment, but basically all we got was a comical stereotype. He was a bumbling, bafoonish side character whose sole purpose was to obsess over Gaston. He was funny, but not exactly the representation gay people deserve. I think that's why I was much more impressed with Andi Mack. Because it involves a main character and it is treated somewhat seriously. I suspect that the lesbian couple in Good Luck Charlie was just Disney testing the waters to see if they could get away with gay characters on their channel.
Oh my God, I've already seen the Cyrus coming out scene and I'm not gonna lie but it made me cry Kind of reminds me of my coming out tbh.
I think at one point one of the Disney junior shows had a lesbian couple in it for one episode. No one was thrilled when that happened. Its about time Disney got with the times. People always seem to be worried about what kids see. I remember during the debates for gay marriage in Ireland one of the opposing groups was all worried about children thinking that gay was normal or okay. And then childline said think of the gay kids and kind of crushed their argument. So we need more gay characters on tv who aren't stereotyped or killed off or who just leave. Kids shows are hard though because the backlash from all those homophobic groups can be difficult. I don't think a kids show with one gay person is enough but it's a start.
I watch Andi Mack and this episode this character Cyrus comes out to his best friend Buffy and he is not only very confused but also scared because he just entered a relationship with his first ever girlfriend at the time. Buffy handles the situation great. A few episodes later when he is on a date things kind of come to a head with his girlfriend but really to this point nothing much more has been said about his sexuality.
My guess is that they are going to take their time with this storyline. It will probably be a year before we see him actually get into a relationship with a guy.