Why Isn't LGBT in Kids Movies

Yeah, Pleakley is the closest to LGBT you can see from Disney. Don't forget Timon and Pumba, the supposed "gay dads" that also caused quite a stir.

One of the reasons I think LGBT isn't in kid's movies is because it would be very very hard for the shows to be successful. LGBT is a minority. Not many people care about LGBT. Movies with main characters being LGBT are going to appeal only a small amount of people. The Princess and the Frog wasn't successful, despite being very beautifully hand-drawn and with a strong, independent female lead, because the princess was black! Tada! Having LGBT only as a side story/minor characters can be done though.

And let's face it, people are still very LGBT illiterate. It's still a sensitive subject and parents are still afraid that it somehow will affect their kids (and violence won't, sigh)!

 

When you think about it... I don't feel America is ready for a film/show about LGBT kids yet. I mean, its just now getting over racism- (cue disney the princess and the frog FINALLY an african american princess!) and We all know how long that took. It'll probably take between 10-15 hears befot they might start coming up with ways to introduce a subject like this in a childrens' movie. I look forward to it

 

I know what you meant by this (a black Disney princess was long overdue, we're in total agreement), but your post reminded me of that scene from 30 Rock. xD

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3rRNlYOjSA[/YOUTUBE]

 

I can see a few issues with LGBT individuals in Disney movies:

1. Its not really a 'kids issue' as such. Even a lot of gay (in later life) kids still have aspirations of falling in love with a woman and being dad/grandpa or something. A lot of Disney movies revolve around fantasy elements, love is a very minor part.

2. Homosexuality is a minority issue without significant support in some places (yet). If Disney did go ahead with such a thing, it would kick up a storm, and I don't think Disney wants such bad publicity.

3. Introducing it would be a big shift in social norms, to a degree. As a little kid, I did not know what 'gay' was. If two men were holding hands, I'd probably think they're really good friends, or something like that. Maybe that's because I was never judgemental and/or really insulated from the world as a child. But it's partly the issue of children being 'untouched' from ideas such as sex.

 

Wait, what?

I'd definitely just call that a cooking vs. sports story. Just because he has a dilemma of doing what he wants vs. what his parents want doesn't automatically constitute a "coming out" story. :/

If anything it's about breaking gender roles. In fact, it definitely is about breaking gender roles. But it really wasn't anything forward or progressive for the time.

 

Personally I don't care if there is gay people or whatever in a movie, it's going to mean the same thing to me in the end. They are never gonna put enough lgbt in their movies to make the lgbt community happy anyway.

I thought it was a big leap for them to feature a little red headed kid in one of their movies lol. Nothing against gingers, but they get made fun of a lot obviously. Brave by the way, was the most emotional, inspirational movie I've seen in a long while, and their accents were amazing.

 

i know that LGBT will probably not surface in any disney movies or cartoons, but Sesamee Street has been featuring Bert and Ernie since the 80's. although most kids don't actually know that they're gay, not just roommates, it is still opening their eyes to other possibilities when they see characters like Elmo and Abby Cadabby talking and laughing and even helping Bert and Ernie. Jim Henson definetly did some groundbreaking things allowing there to be gay characters on a little kids' show.

he made a really good point. it really isnt a kids issue and while exposing it as "OK" would be a huge step forward in LGBT rights and the social structure of America, most kids aren't capable of comprehending that one of their classmates can have two daddies or two mommies who love eachother, just like mommy and daddy love eachother.

 

:lol:

I saw this the other day actually and thought the exact same thing. People on YouTube were so pissed off in the comments because of how the characters treated one another (like shit), but yes, the movie is, very clearly, a coming out story disguised. The gay community can be pretty clever and creative at times.

I've always wondered how this got past the head of Disney, or if they realized it and just let it through. Because with a little thinking it's actually quite obvious.

 

my friends had ideas about sex by ages 4 or 5 or 6. That is about same time they get to see 1st movies. They can't read good yet. The fact is we role play as kids from what we not only see but are told and taught is normal. Parents do not want kids gay. Period. But IF it is a natural thing in some body's to grow up to be gay, and many kids said they are aware of being transgender by age 3, then having LGBT characters that are good and kind from a young age is far more beneficial than in teen years seeing made for TV movies that portrait scary Transexual men as Gays who prey on others, and get shot to bloody death by the good clean-cut HEROS in the end...and everybody cheers. :/

Right?

 

Was I the only one who thought The Muppet Movie was also a coming out story in disguise?

 

There is a gay couple on The Three Friends And Jerry. But they are only in the background. I think they don't even have names but they wear these spike neck collars and one of them (the tall, thin and bald one) is a hairdresser

 

two little things:
1. rugrats really was an amazing show. someone else already mentioned an episode with same gender parents, and that reminded me of the episode "clan of the duck" in which chuckie wears a dress (i forget why) to a fair and is chased by bullies, then the rugrats are defended by a group of scottish kids wearing kilts. they assure everyone that boys can wear dressies if they want to.
2. about pleakley ("lilo & stitch"), i always felt like his cross-dressing was an homage to his voice actor (kevin mcdonald) who was a member of the sketch comedy group "the kids in the hall," who are 5 guys who often play the women in their sketches. also, about cross-dressing characters in general, i feel there is a difference between "HAHA THAT MAN IS DRESSED LIKE A WOMAN, THAT'S SILLY!" and "oh, that man dresses like a woman and the other characters are okay with that. i should be okay with that, too."

 

I was wondering about this as well but you know of the close-minded people protest and go on and on about us "shoving our lifestyles (ugh!) down their throats" whenever a gay couple is featured in adult movies, just imagine the scandal they would make if we were featured in kids movies.

 

I personally don't think that a children's movie is the place for any hefty LGBT stories/topics. Especially transgender stories, because kids can't relate to that and it would most likely make no sense to them so it wouldn't be much entertainment to watch someone deal with it...
Maybe a small coming out story or something, or even just as a secondary plot-line, but I think the thing with characters is that they're either:
a) Straight, as in the whole "mom and dad" situation because that's what most kids understand, or
b) Not anything, because a lot of characters don't exhibit any attraction to anyone... Because as I said, that wouldn't make any sense to kids. Kids don't have sexual or romantic attraction so...

King x

 

I always thought buttercup from the powerpuff girls was a lesbian, and spinelli from recess oh and Velma from scooby doo gives me lez vibes lol.

 

fair point hmmm

 

Another thing about kids' entertainment is that it tends to promote acceptance of differences, support for the underdog, which is exactly what an lgbt character would do anyway. The need for lgbt kids' characters is not as valid as a need for lgbt characters in adolescent & adult entertainment. Kids see acceptance on their shows and movies but then learn the opposite from hateful older people.

 

Well, like someone said before me, kids films are not supposed to be realistic or to include anything that is controversial. After all, children are still supposed to be innoccent in the media, even though sadly this is not true anymore nowadays (children are growing up way too fast and missing on their fun years of being innoccent and happy). Maybe one day there will be an LGBT character, though of course it will take much longer for this character to get into a relationship and kiss somebody. But to be realistic, disney would sadly show this character being bullied and suffering for being who he/she is, and we all know childrens films show a very saccarine world, where there isnt a single unnattractive good person and the endings are always happy.

 

Well, Quasimodo, the ugly duckling, the frog prince, Shrek, there are definitely unattractive protagonists in kids' stories. And would you want to be around a kid who just watched a movie with an unhappy ending? Lol happy kids are definitely preferable.

 

Here's my two cents. In order for a kid to see a movie, the parent has to approve it first. A lot more people are accepting gays these days, but there's still a lot that hate them. If they found out a movie had an LGBT character, they would boycott it and write letters. The movie companies don't want that, so they avoid that. No LGBT = more money. Money always wins.