īig Mouth began airing in September 2017. He explores the identity further in season 4 and accepts his asexuality, while meeting others who share his orientation. In the July 2016 season 3 finale of BoJack Horseman, "That Went Well," Todd Chavez confides in his friend Emily that he doesn't think he is either straight or gay, and in fact "might be nothing". Fellow show-runner Lauren Montgomery also acknowledged the limitations regarding LGBT relationships behind the scenes in her apology, saying, "there’s so much that I would do differently, but so little we could’ve done differently." He also acknowledged that there were boundaries in place as to how they could portray LGBT representation in the show. Metadeen stated that making a "five-second blip of the e off as a publicity stunt." On August 13, 2018, show-runner Joaquim Dos Santos posted an apology on his Twitter. More controversy was aimed at the on-screen wedding between Shiro and Curtis, with several critics and viewers characterizing it as poor LGBT representation. Some claimed the show had followed a stereotype known as " burying that gay", prompting show-runner Joaquim Dos Santos to apologize to fans. However, the show was criticized for its treatment of LGBT characters, particularly over Adam's death that occurred in the later half of Season 7.
The series is notably the first to depict an on-screen wedding between two male characters in a Western children's animated series. In the series finale, Shiro marries Curtis, a background character introduced in Season 7. Shiro and Adam are shown to be romantic partners at first, but eventually break up. Voltron: Legendary Defender, which aired on Netflix from 2016 to 2018, features three gay characters, Shiro, Adam, and Curtis. The show also featured a gay therapist of Bojack, Doctor Champ, and a closeted gay man named Herb Kazaaz." ĭreamWorks Dragons, streaming from 2014 to 2018, which features a gay character, Gobber, who is also a double amputee. With this, some critics praised the show for portraying homosexuality in a realist fashion. Hollyhock, a female teenage horse and Bojack's sister, has eight adoptive fathers (Dashawn Manheim, Steve Mannheim, Jose Guerrero, Cupe Robinson III, Otto Zilberschlag, Arturo "Ice Man" Fonzerelli, Gregory Hsung, and Quackers McQuack) in a consensual polyamorous gay relationship. Gay characters also prominently appeared in BoJack Horseman. For instance, Kelsey Jannings reveals she had an ex-wife in the episode "Later." The show also featured a married lesbian couple, Mary-Beth and Dr Indria. The show had a number of LGBTQ+ characters. Īnother show that became very prominent was Bojack Horseman, airing from 2014 to 2020 on the streaming service. In January 2021, GLAAD specifically highlighted the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series finale which confirmed "its lead two characters, Catra and Adora, were queer and in love," and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts which starred Benson, a gay character, and his love interest, Troy. Examples of original Netflix animated series with a large presence of LGBTQ characters include Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. GLAAD described Netflix as a company taking "impressive strides in viewership and impact," when it came to LGBTQ representation. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, and transgender characters have appeared in various animated series, and some animated films on the streaming platform.
Netflix has contributed substantially to LGBTQ representation in animation throughout the 2010s and 2020s.
ND Stevenson, Aimee Carrero and AJ Michalka speaking at the 2019 WonderCon, for She-Ra and the Princess of Power, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, in July 2019