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LGBT News Disney cartoon shows same-sex couple (gasp)

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by StarRunner, Aug 26, 2017.

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  1. StarRunner

    StarRunner
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    I wasn't sure if this should be posted in current events or entertainment, but because of the controversy, I posted here. (It's my first thread so cut me some slack!).

    I never heard of the Disney cartoon series 'Doc McStuffins' until recently. A recent episode showed two parents teaching their kids what to do if there was an earthquake. The parents were a same-sex interracial couple. These characteristics were not a plot point nor was it even memtioned in the episode. It was simply an acknowledgement that such relations do exist, or that we exist for that matter. Good for Disney!

    And then the controversy began.

    http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/08/0...acial-gay-parents-one-million-moms-freak-out/

    An anti-LGBT group, One Million Moms, threatened to boycott of Disney for corrupting children and promoting homosexuality. The group, One Million Moms, apparently has less than four thousand members, most of whom are men. The group claims that the show would create a premature discussion on homosexuality that is completely unnecessary and could have harmful outcomes for children.

    I think the sad part of this is that people are getting drawn into a discussion about what is age apporopriate, while the real motive is to continue denying that LGBT people exist or that we should be seen. It's not a sex education class, it simply shows that there is more than one type of parent, or parents. What kids talk about in the schoolyard or see on the internet would indicate that kids know more than many parents give them credit for, not to mention that children are more open to different relationships than some adults. Disney is just showing one aspect of the real world. It may lead to kids asking questions, but that should also lead to an open discussion with their parents about how and who people love in our society. Disney ooened the door to that discussion in a respectful sensitive way. It's up to parents to take the next step and talk to their kids about it. Based on the reaction of this One Dozen Moms group, it is evident that not every parent has the capacity or willingness to talk about such issues with their own kids. It highlights the need for schools to include sexuality in an age appropriate curriculum.
     
    #1 StarRunner, Aug 26, 2017
  2. Creativemind

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    Agreed,

    Disney has never fully sugarcoated and shown "purely child friendly material" to begin with. One big example is death. They may not have shown detailed gory deaths, but they have shown plenty of in character deaths that have scared children (including me when I was that young). Nowadays, some of the older disney movies could have be seen as inappropriate or "too violent" for kids. They've also shown heterosexual content with deep kissing scenes....that could easily be seen as more sexual compared to some of the cartoony gay stuff I see now.

    Overall, people are complaining over nothing. Some kids have same sex parents, so sheltering it away from kids is just going to lead to more confusion and bullying. I think Disney is brave for doing something new, and that we have no right to complain considering they have always shown things that could be seen as "mature" today. Times are changing and homosexuality is becoming less mature in nature.
     
    #2 Creativemind, Aug 26, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2017
  3. kibou97

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    Good on Disney but I can't say I'm surprised about the reaction it's gotten.
     
    #3 kibou97, Aug 26, 2017
  4. NallaV

    NallaV
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    From what I understood when I read an article about it a few weeks ago, the producer of the show is a lesbian and wanted her child to see a representation of their family on the screen.
     
    #4 NallaV, Aug 29, 2017
  5. Devil Dave

    Devil Dave
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    If the kids watching the show are of school age, then there's every possibility that a kid in their class has two mums or two dads instead of a mum and a dad. TV shows with same sex couples are including these kids' situations into their stories. Seeing only straight parents on TV shows all the time would probably make the kids with gay parents feel excluded and "not normal".

    When I see people complaining about homosexuality on TV, whether it's an adult scene or a family friendly depiction of a same sex couple, it just makes me think they are denying the existence of homosexuals in their own reality. They aren't considering the possibility that gay people, or people with gay family members, are watching the show as well, and so the complainers feel betrayed about the fact that the show is not catering just for the "normal" straight people.

    You can deny LGBT people in your own life all you want, but if you are bringing children into the world and raising them in a world where LGBT issues are becoming part of their reality, then you're going to have to face up to your prejudices sooner or later.
     
    #5 Devil Dave, Aug 29, 2017
  6. StarRunner

    StarRunner
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    Something that occurred to me is that Disney has actually had a long history of controversy in its portrayal of minority groups and a lot of the criticism is warrented. Although much of it was a result of the era in which the movies were produced, there was very little outcry from 'the majority' in the past when various minority groups were written with negative and demeaning stereotypes.

    Examples:

    "The Jungle Book" was an allegory for Britain's perspective of India, with Mowgli representing Britain, and the animals as Indians. Although he learns that humans are just as strange to animals as they are to them, the first movie, particularly, emphasises to children the importance of 'staying with your own kind.' The majority of audiences were not angered with this perspective nor was there much uproar from those who were not affected.

    In the movie "Dumbo," the title character meets a group of black crows, all of them portrayed as lazy, jive talking, cigar smoking. All of the voices were provided by African-Americans and reinforced the stereotypes of Blacks at the time the movie was made. Why was there no anger then from the majority to condemn it?

    The portrayal of Native Americans in "Peter Pan" was hugely offensive, with Natives being compared as wild to the more civilized white man and being shown as living in teepees with feathers in their hair. It was known for the song "What Makes the Red Man Red?" Again, no uproar from the white majority against such negative, uninformed portrayals of a minority group..

    The Siamese cats in "Lady and the Tramp" were depicted with the worst stereotypical traits of Asians, with heavily slanted eyes thick accents and tanned skin so there could be no mistaking, they were shown to be greedy, manipulative, conniving, and careless.


    So, it's safe to say that Disney has had a long history of controversy in its depiction of minority groups. And now, for once, Disney is actually getting it right, by showing a same-sex couple with children and depicting them as caring, loving parents without making a big fuss about it. And now, people choose to get upset with the portrayal of a minority group, simply because, this time, it is not based on offensive, demeaning stereotypes and displays them as equal.
     
    #6 StarRunner, Aug 29, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2017
  7. GalleyGirl

    GalleyGirl
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    Urgh, I've heard of that group. They lashed out after Neil Gaiman made Sandman too, claiming it wasn't appropriate for a children's comic.
     
    #7 GalleyGirl, Aug 29, 2017
  8. Farmgal

    Farmgal Guest

    Disney was in the news a few years back because this group was boycotting them. They have a show called Good Luck Charlie and the whole plot of the episode was the mom and dad both met their daughters friends mom. I think they ended up fighting over who had actually met the real mom. They invite the friend over for a playdate and ended up the mom was actually moms and they were a married lesbian couple. That group really freaked out over that.
     
    #8 Farmgal, Sep 9, 2017
  9. PlantSoul

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    I remember there was controversy when Disney's comedy sitcom, 'Good Luck Charlie', featured a lesbian couple. It was the first TV show for young people to do that so, Disney has been pretty ahead of the curve for some time. I think the first cartoon show to do it may have been 'Clarence' on Cartoon Network. The character, Jeff, had two moms.

    Anyway, you can't keep your kids in a bubble. What are these people going to do if, god forbid, their kid sees a same-sex couple/family when they go out or their kid meets/befriends someone from that type of family unit?
     
    #9 PlantSoul, Sep 10, 2017
  10. GalleyGirl

    GalleyGirl
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    That actually sounds really funny
     
    #10 GalleyGirl, Sep 15, 2017
  11. HuskyPup

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    My first thought was, were they the same species? That could have added a whole other edge of controversy, say, if the fox from Robin Hood started dating Timon the Meerkat, from The Lion King.

    I hope Disney keeps mixing things up, more and more. I'd like to see more same sex couples, across the spectrum, from two princesses getting married, to various animals, so that examples that its normal to like the same sex could be better normalized at a young age, and thus, people would feel less guilty, and there would be less pain and suffering in the world.
     
    #11 HuskyPup, Sep 16, 2017
  12. Zoe Izumi

    Zoe Izumi
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    well, we do have Korra from the legend of korra being bi. but i agree with you, we do need to see more equality and stuff in media.
     
    #12 Zoe Izumi, Sep 22, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2017
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