Alright I just discovered that some people in the Owl House fandom have been viciously bashing other cartoons with queer rep for “not being enough” and as someone who is LITERALLY writing an entire ass essay on the evolution of queerness in western cartoons, this PISSES ME OFF.
I’m so happy yall don’t remember a time when something like Lumity was unheard of. I’m glad you live in a society where LGBT+ rep exists enough for you to compare them all. I really am glad you guys have this. But you NEED to understand, life just wasn’t like this a few years ago.
I grew up in the early 2000s. Being queer was still considered a Bad Thing, and people hadn’t even heard of the word transgender.
When Legend of Korra came out in 2014, it was REVOLUTIONARY. I still remember pausing the moment they held hands, tears in my eyes, and thinking “this is the start of something big.” Mike and Bryan (the creators of Avatar and LOK) fought tooth and nail for them to get together, and getting them to hold hands and look into each other’s eyes??? That was equal to a passionate kiss now. Gay marriage hadn’t even been legalized in the US yet when Korra ended.
Every single creator who fought to get queer rep in their shows deserves to be applauded, and they paved the way for those who came after.
I know it’s popular to hate Steven Universe now, but do you understand how goddamn revolutionary it was?????? Wlw characters, nonbinary characters, FEMALE PRESENTING CHARACTERS KISSING ON SCREEN. Rebecca Sugar broke barriers, and people started thinking “hey, maybe I can do that too.”
Shera having the two main characters get together??????? Unbelievable. Shera came out around the time SU was winding down, and Noelle Stevenson definitely rode on the high that Rebecca Sugar left behind.
These shows walked so The Owl House can run. The only reason you have Lumity today is because of these shows, and a few more.
I know life is still hard for LGBT+ kids, trust me. But for just a few moments, try to imagine a world where none of these shows existed. Where there were zero queer characters in cartoons. That was the reality until only a few years ago. It was so easy to feel alone.
So before you start bashing other shows for “not doing enough”, stop and think. Stop and thank them. Because the only reason you have canon Lumity today is because two bisexual POC held hands in 2014.
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