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Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term's use as a reference to male homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but its use gradually increased in the mid-20th century.^[1] In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the community, practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. In the 1960s, gay became the word favored by homosexual men to describe their sexual orientation.^[2] By the end of the 20th century, the word gay was recommended by major LGBT groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex,^[3]^[4] although it is more commonly used to refer specifically to men.^[5] At about the same time, a new, pejorative use became prevalent in some parts of the world. Among younger speakers, the word has a meaning ranging from derision (e.g., equivalent to rubbish or stupid) to a light-hearted mockery or ridicule (e.g., equivalent to weak, unmanly, or lame). The extent to which these usages still retain connotations of homosexuality has been debated and harshly criticized.^[6]^[7] This page examines gay characters in fictional works as a whole, focusing on characters and tropes in cinema and fantasy.

For more information about fictional characters in other parts of the LGBTQ community, see the corresponding pages about pansexual, and non-binary and intersex characters in fiction.

Gay characters and tropes

Two men kissing, celebrating Pride on a tree in June 2019

In U.S. television and other media, gay or lesbian characters tend to die or meet another unhappy ending, such as becoming insane, more often than other characters. Fans call this trope "bury your gays" or more specifically "dead lesbian syndrome".^[8] Increasing awareness and criticism of the trope has made creators attempt to avoid it. In 2018, Star Trek: Discovery aired an episode in which a gay character played by Wilson Cruz was killed. Immediately after the episode aired, Cruz, GLAAD, and the showrunners released reassuring statements intimating that the character's death may not be final, with specific reference to avoiding this trope.^[9] Indeed, in the following season, Cruz's character returned from the dead by science-fictional means, and Cruz was added to the main cast. But efforts to avoid the trope may also limit the range of stories that are told about queer characters: When the final season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power premiered in 2020, showrunner ND Stevenson said that they couldn't "see another gay character die on TV for the moment. Maybe one day we can have a tragic gay romance again, but that has been, like, the only norm for so long."^[10]

Apart from this, in many forms of popular entertainment, gay men are portrayed stereotypically as promiscuous, flashy, flamboyant, and bold, while the reverse is often true of how lesbians are portrayed. Media representations of bisexual and transgender people tend to either completely erase them, or depict them as morally corrupt or mentally unstable. Similar to race-, religion-, and class-based caricatures, these stereotypical stock character representations vilify or make light of marginalized and misunderstood groups.^[11] There is currently a widespread view that references to gay people should be omitted from child-related entertainment. When such references do occur they almost invariably generate controversy. In 1997, when American comedian Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet on her popular sitcom, many sponsors, such as the Wendy's fast-food chain, pulled their advertising. In news, the emergence of more explicit and serious segments of LGBT people began to emerge. In 1967, CBC released a news segment on homosexuality. This segment, however, was a compilation of negative stereotypes of gay men.^[12] The 1970s marked an increase in visibility for LGBT communities in media with the 1972 ABC show That Certain Summer. This show was about a gay man raising his family, and although it did not show any explicit relations between the men, it contained no negative stereotypes.^[12]

Furthermore, Popular television shows like Will & Grace, Sex and the City, Brothers and Sisters, and Modern Family routinely depict gay men but "most televisual representations" are usually of white men.^[13] Having both a queer and black or non-white character is creating multi-faceted "otherness", which is not normally represented on television.^[13] Additionally, while many shows depict LGBT people of color, they are often used as a plot device or in some type of trope. Moreover, non-white LGBT characters are often depicted as "race neutral".^[13] For example, on the ABC Family show, GRΣΣK, Calvin Owens is openly gay and many of his storylines, struggles, and plots revolve around his self-identification as LGBT. However, while being physically African-American, it is never mentioned in the show, and he is never seen as "explicitly black".^[13] Starting with hits like Modern Family, gay homonormativity is becoming a mainstay on broadcast television. There has been a cultural shift from white, gay men being depicted as non-monogamous sex-seekers, stemming from the AIDS epidemic to being "just like everyone else" in their quest to be fathers.^[14] Later, the final episode of the animated Disney Channel show Gravity Falls revealed two male cops, Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland, as a romantic pair.^[15] Additionally, the movie Love, Simon is notable as the first film by a major Hollywood studio to focus on a gay teenage romance.^[16]

In 2017, Disney Channel's Andi Mack made history with the depiction of the character Cyrus Goodman (portrayed by Joshua Rush), making him Disney Channel's first-ever character to come out as gay. On February 9, 2019, "Andi Mack" yet again made television history when Cyrus came out to his male best friend, Jonah Beck (Asher Angel), saying "I'm gay", making him the first Disney character to ever use the word "gay" in its modern meaning.^[17] Cyrus developed mutual feelings for the captain of the basketball team, TJ Kippen (portrayed by Luke Mullen) and in the series finale, these feelings were made apparent and the two held hands, marking the start of the first romance between two male characters and the first gay romance involving a main character in Disney history.^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21]

Prominent examples

There are many gay characters who have prominently appeared in media other than those previously listed in this article, including in literature, teen fiction, yaoi stories, slash fiction, bara mangas, pulp fiction, along with in animated series, webcomics, and other media. This included Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar in the short story, Brokeback Mountain, where Jack and Ennis have a long term sexual and romantic relationship despite both being married to women and fathering children.^[22]^[23] There was also Oshima in Kafka on the Shore. Oshima is a 21-year-old intellectual gay trans man who is a librarian and owner of a cabin in the mountains near Komura Memorial Library.^[24] He becomes the mentor of Kafka as he guides him to the answers that he's seeking on his journey. On a similar note, webcomics like Kyle's Bed & Breakfast, Homestuck, Check, Please!, and Lumberjanes all included gay characters. Specifically, in Kyle's Bed & Breakfast, there are various LGBT characters, such as Jeff Olsen, a gay man with HIV, Mark Masterson, a gay scholar, and Kristian Janson, a Jamaican gay man,^[25] while in Homestuck, Dirk Strider states he is only attracted to guys.^[26] Furthermore, Check, Please! centers around a gay protagonist on a college hockey team^[27] and Jo, a trans woman of color and an "expert on what it means to be a Lumberjane" to the fellow campers, has two dads.^[28]^[29] Similarly, tomboy Charlotte "Charlie" in Molly Ostertag's Witch Boy series has two dads who appear in all three graphic novels as recurring characters^[30]^[a] and are the only explicitly LGBTQ characters shown in the graphic novels^[31]^[32]^[33]

Video games and graphic novels also feature various gay characters. For instance, Saied in the 1989 game, Circuit's Edge, a gay man, is alleged to be the former lover of Yasmin,^[34] a trans woman, while Damien Bloodmarch is a gay trans man in the 2017 game Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator.^[35] Graphic novels include even more characters. Northstar in Uncanny X-Men, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men #120 (1979), was the first openly gay superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.^[36] Additionally, Andy Lippincott in Doonsbury, who first appeared in 1976, was the first openly gay character to appear in a mainstream comic strip.^[37] Other than these two characters Midnighter and Apollo, who appeared in the Midnighter comic book series, from 2006 to 2008 and 2015 to 2016 respectfully. Midnighter is one of DC Comics' most prominent gay superheroes and his relationship with Apollo is one of the most prominent gay relationships in DC Comics.^[38]

Film and live-action television had their share of characters as well. In the novel upon which the 1941 film, The Maltese Falcon, is based, Joel Cairo is referred to as "queer" and "fairy" but, in the film, his sexuality isn't directly addressed, likely a decision by filmmakers in order to comply with the Hays Code, which banned the depiction of homosexuality in American films.^[39]^[40]^[41] Later, in the 1959 film South, Jan Wicziewsky is a Polish army officer living in exile in the antebellum South, who is torn by his feelings for fellow officer Eric MacClure (Graydon Gould), and the film is believed to be the earliest television film dealing with homosexual themes.^[42]^[43] There is also Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter film series. The films are based on the Harry Potter series of fantasy novels. While Dumbledore's sexuality is not openly portrayed or explicitly mentioned either in the books or the films, J.K. Rowling, the author of the books, revealed that he is gay.^[44] At the same time, there is Hikaru Sulu in the films Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond, who is a gay character, as noted by John Cho who plays him in the 2009 film. However, George Takei, who portrayed him in the original series, said this was "really unfortunate" and claimed that Sulu "had who had been straight all this time."^[45] As for live-action TV series, the Stephen Colbert character in The Colbert Report was gay, confirmed in an episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,^[46] as was Blaine Anderson in Glee^[47] and a gay couple (Sir and Charles) in A Series of Unfortunate Events.^[48]

Gay characters appear in anime and Western animation just as much, if not more, than in other media. In anime, some of the first were an openly gay couple (Zoisite and Kunzite) in Sailor Moon,^[49] along with Yukito Tsukishiro and Touya Kinomoto in Cardcaptor Sakura who are a couple,^[50] with Yukito rejecting Sakura's feelings because he is in love with Touya.^[51] The Dragon Ball franchise, despite having hundreds of characters, has only two confirmed LGBT, General Blue and Otokosuki (a word that in Japanese means "man lover"), and both are loaded with very negative gay male stereotypes.^[52] In the 2000s, Bobby Margot in Macross Frontier was the flamboyant helmsman of the Macross Quarter and close friends with Ozma Lee, whom he has unrequited feelings for^[53] and Yusuko Ono in Antique Bakery is often out of job because "he is irresistible to men," leading coworkers to fight for his affection.^[54] In later years, Nathan Seymour / Fire Emblem appeared in Tiger & Bunny. Nathan is a highly effeminate homosexual man^[55] who identifies as genderqueer though he prefers to be identified as a woman at times,^[50] often spending more time with the female heroes while flirting with the male heroes.^[56]^[b] In the past, they tried to present themselves femininely but was harshly criticized, and they still hold a strong romantic infatuation towards men. They also run their own successful company, Helios Energy, and have been described as a "confident canonically agender queer POC."^[57]

In Western animation, gay characters were not always as prominent, with some closeted or not revealed until years later. For instance, Waylon Smithers of The Simpsons, for much of the show's run, was a semi-closeted gay man, not coming out, officially, as gay until the 2016 episode "The Burns Cage."^[58]^[59]^[60] In the 1990s, South Park featured Big Gay Al, a stereotypical homosexual man known for his flamboyant and positive demeanor introduced in the episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride".^[61] Big Gay Al openly displays his homosexuality and is an advocate for gay rights. He is Mr. Garrison's ex-boyfriend, and is married to Mr. Slave as shown in the episode "Follow That Egg!"^[62] Other than Big Gay Al, the British series Crapston Villas was one of the first animated series on British television to present openly gay characters.^[63]^[64] In later years, shows such as Queer Duck prominently featured gay characters like Adam Seymour Duckstein and Steven Arlo Gator,^[65]^[66] while Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World had two gay couples: Rick Brocka and Steve Ball,^[67]^[68] Chuck Masters and Evan Martinez,^[69]^[70] In the 2016, Howard and Harold McBride in The Loud House became the first pair of married male characters to be depicted on a Nickelodeon series.^[71]^[72] Then, in 2019, the Hulu original series, The Bravest Knight became one of the first all-ages animations to have an "openly gay main character."^[73]^[74]^[75]^[76] The series later won the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence award in kids’ programming at the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence awards in October 2019.^[77]^[78]^[79] The same year, Nigel Ratburn and another man, Patrick, get married in the season 22 premiere of Arthur, which aired on May 13, 2019.^[80] As a result, he and his husband are the first LGBT characters in the series.^[81]^[82] In 2020, the series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts featured Benson and Troy as a gay couple, with Benson as one of the first characters to say the words "I'm gay" in an animated series.^[83]^[84]

Notes

^ One or both of Charlie's Dads are also featured on pages 32, 33, and 34 of The Hidden Witch as Aster has dinner with them, and later on pages 92, 125, 127, 129, and 137. Also, they appear either individually, or together, on pages 18, 19, 20, 21, 39, 58, and 59 of The Midwinter Witch.
^ YouTube vlogger, Miles Jai Daron Wilson, who produces LGBTQ content, has said that Nathan Seymour is "the only time I have LITERALLY seen myself in an anime...with the exception of being a hero with pyrokinesis of course."

References

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Sources

Mehta, Ilisha (2018). An Analysis of Gender and Sexual Identities in Cardcaptor Sakura (Bachelors Dissertation). Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University. Retrieved July 14, 2020.

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 Jack and Ennis have a long term sexual and romantic relationship despite both being married to women and fathering children.<ref name="BBM">{{cite book | last=Phillips | first=Richard | author2=Diane Watt | title=De-Centering Sexualities: Politics and Representations Beyond the Metropolis | publisher=[[Routledge]] | year=2000 | pages=2–5 | url=https://www.google.com/books?id=E12_RAKMz6sC | isbn=978-0-415-19465-5}}</ref><ref name="BBM2">{{cite book | last=Rood | first=Karen Lane | title=Understanding Annie Proulx | publisher=University of South Carolina Press | year=2001 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/understandingann00rood/page/187 187–190] | url=https://archive.org/details/understandingann00rood/page/187 | isbn=978-1-57003-402-2 }}</ref> There was also Oshima in ''[[Kafka on the Shore]]''.  Oshima is a 21-year-old intellectual gay trans man who is a librarian and owner of a cabin in the mountains near Komura Memorial Library.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mitchell |first=David|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/jan/08/fiction.harukimurakami |title=Kill me or the cat gets it|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=January 8, 2005|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108093408/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/jan/08/fiction.harukimurakami|archive-date=November 8, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> He becomes the mentor of Kafka as he guides him to the answers that he's seeking on his journey. On a similar note, webcomics like ''[[Kyle's Bed & Breakfast]]'', ''[[Homestuck]]'', ''[[Check, Please! (webcomic)|Check, Please!]]'', and ''[[Lumberjanes]]'' all included gay characters. Specifically, in ''Kyle's Bed & Breakfast'', there are various LGBT characters, such as Jeff Olsen, a gay man with HIV, Mark Masterson, a gay scholar, and Kristian Janson, a Jamaican gay man,<ref>{{cite news|title= Meet the Cast of Kyle's B n B !!! |url=https://kylesbnb.blogspot.com/p/meet-cast-of-kyles-b.html|work=Kyle's Bed & Breakfast by Grey Fox|date=June 16, 2020|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616234429/https://kylesbnb.blogspot.com/p/meet-cast-of-kyles-b.html|archive-date=June 16, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> while in ''Homestuck'', Dirk Strider states he is only attracted to guys.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.homestuck.com/story/5798|title= ==> ==>|website=Homestuck|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810221632/https://www.homestuck.com/story/5798|archive-date=August 10, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Furthermore, ''Check, Please!'' centers around a gay protagonist on a college hockey team<ref>{{cite news|url=http://comicsalliance.com/check-please-readers-guide/ |work=[[Comics Alliance]] |title=Baking, Bros And Beyonce: Should You Be Reading 'Check, Please'? |last=Lawson |first=Emma |date=April 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413023635/http://comicsalliance.com/check-please-readers-guide/ |archive-date=April 13, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> and Jo, a trans woman of color and an "expert on what it means to be a Lumberjane" to the fellow campers, has two dads.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/most-intriguing-lgbt-characters-2015 |publisher=[[GLAAD]] |title=The Most Intriguing LGBT Characters of 2015 |author= GLAAD's Entertainment Media Team |date=December 25, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103012941/https://www.glaad.org/blog/most-intriguing-lgbt-characters-2015 |archive-date=November 3, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/lumberjanes-issue-17-continues-positive-representation-as-jo-talks-about-being-trans-303008/ |publisher=[[Autostraddle]] |title=In Lumberjanes Issue #17, Jo Comes Out As Trans and It's So Awesome |last1=Rude |first1=Mey |date=August 26, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608190735/https://www.autostraddle.com/lumberjanes-issue-17-continues-positive-representation-as-jo-talks-about-being-trans-303008/ |archive-date=June 8, 2020 }}</ref> Similarly, [[tomboy]] Charlotte "Charlie" in Molly Ostertag's ''Witch Boy series'' has two dads who appear in all three graphic novels as recurring characters<ref>{{Cite comic | cartoonist = [[Molly Ostertag]] | story = | title = '''The Witch Boy''' | volume = | issue = | date = 2017 | publisher = [[Graphix]] | location = United States | page = 147 | panel = 3 | id = }}</ref>{{efn|One or both of Charlie's Dads are also featured on pages 32, 33, and 34 of ''The Hidden Witch'' as Aster has dinner with them, and later on pages 92, 125, 127, 129, and 137. Also, they appear either individually, or together, on pages 18, 19, 20, 21, 39, 58, and 59 of ''The Midwinter Witch''.}} and are the only explicitly LGBTQ characters shown in the graphic novels<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/molly-knox-ostertag/the-hidden-witch/ | title=The Hidden Witch [Review] | date=September 2, 2018 | website=[[Kirkus Reviews]] | access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028203012/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/molly-knox-ostertag/the-hidden-witch/ |archive-date=October 28, 2019 |url-status=live |quote=Ostertag’s sophomore effort is every bit as wonderful as its predecessor....its approachable and diverse cast that...[includes] same-sex relationships. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Pennington | first1=Latonya | url=https://www.pride.com/geek/2018/5/17/witch-boy-heroic-tale-proves-magic-has-no-gender | title=The Witch Boy Is a Heroic Tale That Proves Magic Has No Gender | date=May 17, 2018 | website=[[Pride.com]] | access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619070244/https://www.pride.com/geek/2018/5/17/witch-boy-heroic-tale-proves-magic-has-no-gender |archive-date=June 19, 2020 |url-status=live |quote=Furthermore, the world of The Witch Boy casually mentions that a secondary character [Charlie] has two dads, so it's possible for other queer characters to exist. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Cardno | first1=Anthony | url=http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/reviews/the-hidden-witch-by-molly-ostertag/ | title=The Hidden Witch by Molly Ostertag [Review] | date=August 5, 2019 | website=[[Strange Horizons]] | access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926094814/http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/reviews/the-hidden-witch-by-molly-ostertag/ |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-Video games and graphic novels also feature various gay characters. For instance, Saied in the 1989 game, ''[[Circuit's Edge]]'', a gay man, is alleged to be the former lover of Yasmin,<ref name=dailydot2014>{{cite web |last1=Flanagan |first1=Jack |title=The complete history of LGBT video game characters |url=https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/gay-characters-video-games-history/ |website=[[The Daily Dot]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003014445/https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/gay-characters-video-games-history/ |archive-date=October 3, 2018 |date=May 16, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> a trans woman, while Damien Bloodmarch is a gay trans man in the 2017 game ''[[Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator]]''.<ref>{{cite tweet |user=graylish |number=888316619168006144 |last=Gray |first=Leighton |title=yes! |date=21 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815170923/https://twitter.com/graylish/status/888316619168006144|archive-date=August 15, 2017|access-date=December 19, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Graphic novels include even more characters. Northstar in Uncanny X-Men, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men #120 (1979), was the first openly gay superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.<ref name="Misiroglu2012">{{cite book|last=Misiroglu|first=Gina|title=The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BlKKx5aOSukC&pg=PT112|access-date=December 19, 2020|date=2012-04-01|publisher=Visible Ink Press|isbn=9781578593958|pages=112–}}</ref> Additionally, Andy Lippincott in Doonsbury, who first appeared in 1976, was the first openly gay character to appear in a mainstream comic strip.<ref name="Booker2010">{{cite book|last=Booker|first=M. Keith|title=Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels [2 volumes]: [Two Volumes]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YbkJ0QJrEZ8C&pg=PA246|access-date=December 19, 2020|date=2010-05-11|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313357473|pages=246–}}</ref> Other than these two characters Midnighter and Apollo, who appeared in the ''Midnighter'' comic book series, from [[Midnighter (2006 comic book)|2006 to 2008]] and [[Midnighter (2015 comic book)|2015 to 2016]] respectfully. Midnighter is one of [[DC Comics]]' most prominent gay superheroes and his relationship with Apollo is one of the most prominent gay relationships in DC Comics.<ref name=midnighter1>{{cite web|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/midnighter-is-the-best-portrayal-of-a-gay-superhero-in-1715225013|title=Midnighter is The Best Portrayal of a Gay Superhero in Mainstream Comics|work=[[io9]]|date=July 1, 2015|first=James|last=Whitbrook|archive-date=September 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921153325/https://io9.gizmodo.com/midnighter-is-the-best-portrayal-of-a-gay-superhero-in-1715225013|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2020}}</ref>
+Video games and graphic novels also feature various gay characters. For instance, Saied in the 1989 game, ''[[Circuit's Edge]]'', a gay man, is alleged to be the former lover of Yasmin,<ref name=dailydot2014>{{cite web |last1=Flanagan |first1=Jack |title=The complete history of LGBT video game characters |url=https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/gay-characters-video-games-history/ |website=[[The Daily Dot]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003014445/https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/gay-characters-video-games-history/ |archive-date=October 3, 2018 |date=May 16, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> a trans woman, while Damien Bloodmarch is a gay trans man in the 2017 game ''[[Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator]]''.<ref>{{cite tweet |user=graylish |number=888316619168006144 |last=Gray |first=Leighton |title=yes! |date=21 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815170923/https://twitter.com/graylish/status/888316619168006144|archive-date=August 15, 2017|access-date=December 19, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Graphic novels include even more characters. Northstar in Uncanny X-Men, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men #120 (1979), was the first openly gay superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.<ref name="Misiroglu2012">{{cite book|last=Misiroglu|first=Gina|title=The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BlKKx5aOSukC&pg=PT112|access-date=December 19, 2020|date=2012-04-01|publisher=Visible Ink Press|isbn=9781578593958|pages=112–}}</ref> Additionally, Andy Lippincott in Doonsbury, who first appeared in 1976, was the first openly gay character to appear in a mainstream comic strip.<ref name="Booker2010">{{cite book|last=Booker|first=M. Keith|title=Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels [2 volumes]: [Two Volumes]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YbkJ0QJrEZ8C&pg=PA246|access-date=December 19, 2020|date=2010-05-11|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313357473|pages=246–}}</ref> Other than these two characters [[Midnighter]] and [[Apollo (comics)|Apollo]], who appeared in the ''Midnighter'' comic book series, from [[Midnighter (2006 comic book)|2006 to 2008]] and [[Midnighter (2015 comic book)|2015 to 2016]] respectfully. Midnighter is one of [[DC Comics]]' most prominent gay superheroes and his relationship with Apollo is one of the most prominent gay relationships in DC Comics.<ref name=midnighter1>{{cite web|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/midnighter-is-the-best-portrayal-of-a-gay-superhero-in-1715225013|title=Midnighter is The Best Portrayal of a Gay Superhero in Mainstream Comics|work=[[io9]]|date=July 1, 2015|first=James|last=Whitbrook|archive-date=September 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921153325/https://io9.gizmodo.com/midnighter-is-the-best-portrayal-of-a-gay-superhero-in-1715225013|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2020}}</ref>
 [[File:George Takei Sulu Star Trek.JPG|thumb|Photo of George Takei as Sulu from the television program Star Trek]]
 Film and live-action television had their share of characters as well. In [[The Maltese Falcon (novel)|the novel]] upon which the 1941 film, ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'', is based, Joel Cairo is referred to as "queer" and "fairy" but, in the film, his sexuality isn't directly addressed, likely a decision by filmmakers in order to comply with the [[Hays Code]], which banned the depiction of homosexuality in American films.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://emanuellevy.com/comment/gay-textsubtext-maltese-falcon-1941/|title=Gay Culture: Maltese Falcon (1941)–Queer Text/Subtext|last=Levy|first=Emmanuel|language=en-US|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413221215/http://emanuellevy.com/comment/gay-textsubtext-maltese-falcon-1941/|archive-date=April 13, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.out.com/armond-white/2016/7/15/decoding-gay-subtext-hollywood-classic-maltese-falcon|title=Decoding the Gay Subtext in the Hollywood Classic, 'The Maltese Falcon'|date=July 15, 2016|website=[[Out (magazine)|Out]]|language=en|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809205048/https://www.out.com/armond-white/2016/7/15/decoding-gay-subtext-hollywood-classic-maltese-falcon|archive-date=August 9, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/@sophiecleg/how-did-the-hollywood-production-code-of-1930-shape-the-representation-of-lgbt-characters-in-film-93e92a4fec62|title=Film: The Hollywood Production Code of 1930 and LGBT Characters|last=Cleghorn|first=Sophie|date=November 6, 2017|website=[[Medium (website)|Medium]]|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200912063542/https://medium.com/@sophiecleg/how-did-the-hollywood-production-code-of-1930-shape-the-representation-of-lgbt-characters-in-film-93e92a4fec62|archive-date=September 12, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, in the 1959 film South, Jan Wicziewsky is a Polish army officer living in exile in the antebellum South, who is torn by his feelings for fellow officer Eric MacClure (Graydon Gould), and the film is believed to be the earliest television film dealing with homosexual themes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/festival-gem-south |title=Festival gem: South |last=McCallum |first=Simon |date=April 1, 2016 |website=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814165328/https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/festival-gem-south |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/mar/16/itv-play-gay-television |title=Newly unearthed ITV play could be first ever gay television drama |last=Brown |first=Mark |date=March 16, 2013 |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108113618/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/mar/16/itv-play-gay-television |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> There is also [[Albus Dumbledore]] in the ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' film series. The films are based on the Harry Potter series of fantasy novels. While Dumbledore's sexuality is not openly portrayed or explicitly mentioned either in the books or the films, J.K. Rowling, the author of the books, revealed that he is gay.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=3755544&page=1|title=Dumbledore Is Gay and Some Are Miffed|date=February 12, 2009|website=[[ABC News]]|language=en|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307161450/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=3755544&page=1|archive-date=March 7, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> At the same time, there is Hikaru Sulu in the films ''[[Star Trek (film)|''Star Trek'']]'', ''[[Star Trek Into Darkness]]'', and ''[[Star Trek Beyond]]'', who is a gay character, as noted by John Cho who plays him in the 2009 film. However, George Takei, who portrayed him in the original series, said this was "really unfortunate" and claimed that Sulu "had who had been straight all this time."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/george-takei-reacts-gay-sulu-909154|title=George Takei Reacts to Gay Sulu News: "I Think It's Really Unfortunate"|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=7 July 2016|language=en|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206123633/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/george-takei-reacts-gay-sulu-909154|archive-date=December 6, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> As for live-action TV series, the [[Stephen Colbert (character)|Stephen Colbert]] character in ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' was gay, confirmed in an episode of ''[[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'',<ref>{{cite web|last1=Colbert|first1=Stephen|title=WERD: The Lesser of Two Evils|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvkFkzpVYJ4|website=[[The Colbert Report]]|publisher=[[Comedy Central]]|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101010840/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvkFkzpVYJ4|archive-date=January 1, 2020|url-status=live}} In this video, Colbert has his "cousin," a double of himself, come on the show, with the character saying the following about Colbert: "I'm pretty sure he's gay. Where there's smoke, there's fire."</ref> as was Blaine Anderson in ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/11/darren-criss-battled-a-bear-to-get-on-glee-and-now-he-and-the-bear-are-very-good-friends|title=Glee's Darren Criss—Kurt's New Squeeze?—Describes His Character as "Tom Ford-ish." Perfect!|last=Berk|first=Brett|website=HWD|date=November 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413144118/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/11/darren-criss-battled-a-bear-to-get-on-glee-and-now-he-and-the-bear-are-very-good-friends|archive-date=April 13, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and a gay couple (Sir and Charles) in ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)|A Series of Unfortunate Events]]''.<ref name=Lemony>{{cite web|last=Reynolds |first=Daniel |url=http://www.advocate.com/television/2017/1/17/lemony-snicket-has-gay-tv-villains-weve-been-waiting |title='Lemony Snicket' Has the Gay TV Villains We've Been Waiting For |website=Advocate.com |date=January 17, 2017 |access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207143541/https://www.advocate.com/television/2017/1/17/lemony-snicket-has-gay-tv-villains-weve-been-waiting|archive-date=December 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
-Gay characters appear in [[List of gay characters in anime|anime]] and [[List of gay characters in animation|Western animation]] just as much, if not more, than in other media. In anime, some of the first were an openly gay couple ([[Dark Kingdom#Zoisite|Zoisite]] and [[Dark Kingdom#Kunzite|Kunzite]]) in  ''[[Sailor Moon (TV series)|Sailor Moon]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gooding-Call |first1=Anna |title=Sailor Moon: 20 Really Weird Fan Theories That Were Actually Confirmed |url=https://screenrant.com/sailor-moon-weird-fan-theories-confirmed/ |website=[[Screen Rant]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116055434/https://screenrant.com/sailor-moon-weird-fan-theories-confirmed/ |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |date=November 9, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> along with [[Yukito Tsukishiro]] and Touya in ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' who are a couple,<ref name="Baron2018">{{cite web |last1=Baron |first1=Rueben |title=20 Crucial Queer Representations In Anime (For Better Or Worse) |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] |url=https://www.cbr.com/queer-anime-characters/ |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926174900/https://www.cbr.com/queer-anime-characters/ |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |date=June 24, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> with Yukita rejecting Sakura's feelings because he is in love with Touya.{{Sfn | Mehta | 2018 | p = 60-62}} In the 2000s, Bobby Margot in ''[[Macross Frontier]]'' was the flamboyant helmsman of the Macross Quarter and close friends with Ozma Lee, whom he has unrequited feelings for<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://macrossf.com/character/chara09.html|title=Official character page for Bobby Margot|date=2008|website=Official Macross frontier website|language=ja|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081102211122/http://macrossf.com/character/chara09.html|archive-date=November 2, 2008}} A translated version of his page describes him a S.M.S battleship pilot, says his heart is "completely a girl's," that he is "longed by female crews as a good understanding person" and has a "loving love that is not rewarded for [by] Ozma."</ref> and Yusuko Ono in ''[[Antique Bakery]]'' is often out of job because "he is irresistible to men," leading coworkers to fight for his affection.<ref name="Hutchinson">{{cite web|last1=Hutchinson|first1=Sam|title=10 LGBTQ+ Anime You Need To Watch|url=https://www.cbr.com/must-watch-lgbtq-anime/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807010642/https://www.cbr.com/must-watch-lgbtq-anime/|archive-date=August 7, 2020|website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]|date=August 1, 2020|access-date=December 19, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In later years, Nathan Seymour / Fire Emblem appeared in ''[[Tiger & Bunny]]''. Nathan is a highly effeminate homosexual man<ref>{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Theron|title=Tiger & Bunny Episodes 1-2 [Review]|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/tiger-and-bunny/episodes-1-2/.160048|website=[[Anime News Network]]|date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623034823/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/tiger-and-bunny/episodes-1-2/.160048|archive-date=June 23, 2020|access-date=December 19, 2020|url-status=live|quote= Fire Emblem is an ostentatiously gay black man who wields fire-based powers...The series looks like nothing else out there in anime, whether it's the sharp full-body battle suits of Kotetsu and Barnaby or the more flamboyant outfits of Blue Rose and Fire Emblem.}}</ref> who identifies as genderqueer though he prefers to be identified as a woman at times,<ref name="Baron2018" /> often spending more time with the female heroes while flirting with the male heroes.<ref>{{cite AV media | people=Yonetani,  Yoshitomo (Director) | date=February 8, 2014 | title=Tiger & Bunny: The Rising  | trans-title=Gekijouban Tiger & Bunny: The Rising | medium=Motion picture | location=Japan | publisher=Sunrise}} In the film he says "They say a man is made of courage and a woman is made of love. So what does that mean for people who are both? We are invincible."</ref>{{efn|YouTube vlogger, Miles Jai Daron Wilson, who produces LGBTQ content, [https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw20uqaAn8D/ has said] that Nathan Seymour is "the only time I have LITERALLY seen myself in an anime...with the exception of being a hero with pyrokinesis of course."}} In the past, they tried to present themselves femininely but was harshly criticized, and they still hold a strong romantic infatuation towards men. They also run their own successful company, Helios Energy, and have been described as a "confident canonically agender queer POC."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theodysseyonline.com/14-gender-nonconforming-beauties-in-anime-and-manga|title=14 Gender Nonconforming Beauties In Anime And Manga|first=Diana|last=Rodriguez|date=January 2, 2017|via=[[Odyssey (publication)|Odyssey]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328155826/https://www.theodysseyonline.com/14-gender-nonconforming-beauties-in-anime-and-manga|archive-date=March 28, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
+Gay characters appear in [[List of gay characters in anime|anime]] and [[List of gay characters in animation|Western animation]] just as much, if not more, than in other media. In anime, some of the first were an openly gay couple ([[Dark Kingdom#Zoisite|Zoisite]] and [[Dark Kingdom#Kunzite|Kunzite]]) in  ''[[Sailor Moon (TV series)|Sailor Moon]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gooding-Call |first1=Anna |title=Sailor Moon: 20 Really Weird Fan Theories That Were Actually Confirmed |url=https://screenrant.com/sailor-moon-weird-fan-theories-confirmed/ |website=[[Screen Rant]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116055434/https://screenrant.com/sailor-moon-weird-fan-theories-confirmed/ |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |date=November 9, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> along with [[Yukito Tsukishiro]] and [[Touya Kinomoto]] in ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' who are a couple,<ref name="Baron2018">{{cite web |last1=Baron |first1=Rueben |title=20 Crucial Queer Representations In Anime (For Better Or Worse) |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] |url=https://www.cbr.com/queer-anime-characters/ |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926174900/https://www.cbr.com/queer-anime-characters/ |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |date=June 24, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> with Yukito rejecting Sakura's feelings because he is in love with Touya.{{Sfn | Mehta | 2018 | p = 60-62}} The [[Dragon Ball]] franchise, despite having hundreds of characters, has only two confirmed LGBT, General Blue and Otokosuki (a word that in Japanese means "man lover"), and both are loaded with very negative gay male stereotypes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Greenall |first1=Jonathon |title=20 Dragon Ball's Terrible LGBT Representation - and Why It Needs to Be Fixed |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] |https://www.cbr.com/dragon-balls-terrible-lgbt-representation/ |access-date=July 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624093816/https://www.cbr.com/dragon-balls-terrible-lgbt-representation/ |archive-date=July 11, 2022 |date=April 28, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2000s, Bobby Margot in ''[[Macross Frontier]]'' was the flamboyant helmsman of the Macross Quarter and close friends with Ozma Lee, whom he has unrequited feelings for<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://macrossf.com/character/chara09.html|title=Official character page for Bobby Margot|date=2008|website=Official Macross frontier website|language=ja|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081102211122/http://macrossf.com/character/chara09.html|archive-date=November 2, 2008}} A translated version of his page describes him a S.M.S battleship pilot, says his heart is "completely a girl's," that he is "longed by female crews as a good understanding person" and has a "loving love that is not rewarded for [by] Ozma."</ref> and Yusuko Ono in ''[[Antique Bakery]]'' is often out of job because "he is irresistible to men," leading coworkers to fight for his affection.<ref name="Hutchinson">{{cite web|last1=Hutchinson|first1=Sam|title=10 LGBTQ+ Anime You Need To Watch|url=https://www.cbr.com/must-watch-lgbtq-anime/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807010642/https://www.cbr.com/must-watch-lgbtq-anime/|archive-date=August 7, 2020|website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]|date=August 1, 2020|access-date=December 19, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In later years, Nathan Seymour / Fire Emblem appeared in ''[[Tiger & Bunny]]''. Nathan is a highly effeminate homosexual man<ref>{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Theron|title=Tiger & Bunny Episodes 1-2 [Review]|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/tiger-and-bunny/episodes-1-2/.160048|website=[[Anime News Network]]|date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623034823/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/tiger-and-bunny/episodes-1-2/.160048|archive-date=June 23, 2020|access-date=December 19, 2020|url-status=live|quote= Fire Emblem is an ostentatiously gay black man who wields fire-based powers...The series looks like nothing else out there in anime, whether it's the sharp full-body battle suits of Kotetsu and Barnaby or the more flamboyant outfits of Blue Rose and Fire Emblem.}}</ref> who identifies as genderqueer though he prefers to be identified as a woman at times,<ref name="Baron2018" /> often spending more time with the female heroes while flirting with the male heroes.<ref>{{cite AV media | people=Yonetani,  Yoshitomo (Director) | date=February 8, 2014 | title=Tiger & Bunny: The Rising  | trans-title=Gekijouban Tiger & Bunny: The Rising | medium=Motion picture | location=Japan | publisher=Sunrise}} In the film he says "They say a man is made of courage and a woman is made of love. So what does that mean for people who are both? We are invincible."</ref>{{efn|YouTube vlogger, Miles Jai Daron Wilson, who produces LGBTQ content, [https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw20uqaAn8D/ has said] that Nathan Seymour is "the only time I have LITERALLY seen myself in an anime...with the exception of being a hero with pyrokinesis of course."}} In the past, they tried to present themselves femininely but was harshly criticized, and they still hold a strong romantic infatuation towards men. They also run their own successful company, Helios Energy, and have been described as a "confident canonically agender queer POC."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theodysseyonline.com/14-gender-nonconforming-beauties-in-anime-and-manga|title=14 Gender Nonconforming Beauties In Anime And Manga|first=Diana|last=Rodriguez|date=January 2, 2017|via=[[Odyssey (publication)|Odyssey]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328155826/https://www.theodysseyonline.com/14-gender-nonconforming-beauties-in-anime-and-manga|archive-date=March 28, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
 In Western animation, gay characters were not always as prominent, with some closeted or not revealed until years later. For instance, [[Waylon Smithers]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', for much of the show's run, was a semi-closeted gay man, not coming out, officially, as gay until the 2016 episode "The Burns Cage."<ref name="Queer America">{{cite book |last=Johnson|first=Jo|editor-first=Jim |editor-last=Ellidge |title=Queers in American Popular Culture |publisher=Praeger |pages=255–280 |chapter="We'll Have a Gay Old Time!": Queer Representation in American Prime-Time Animation from the Cartoon Short to the Family Sitcom. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qp52mROzDMYC&q=gribble%27s+smithers |isbn=9780313354571|year=2010}}</ref><ref name="Curve">{{cite web |author=Curve Staff |title=5 Best LGBTQ+ Characters On Kids TV And Why They Matter |url=https://www.curvemag.com/film-club/film-collection/5-best-lgbtq-characters-on-kids-tv-and-why-they-matter/ |magazine=[[Curve (magazine)|Curve]] |publisher=Avalon Media |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710030052/https://www.curvemag.com/film-club/film-collection/5-best-lgbtq-characters-on-kids-tv-and-why-they-matter/ |archive-date=July 10, 2020 |date=September 13, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sky.com/story/1560770/smithers-to-come-out-as-gay-to-mr-burns|title=Smithers To Come Out As Gay To Mr Burns|publisher=[[Sky News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930183034/http://news.sky.com/story/1560770/smithers-to-come-out-as-gay-to-mr-burns|archive-date=September 30, 2015}}</ref> In the 1990s, ''[[South Park]]'' featured [[Big Gay Al]], a [[LGBT stereotypes|stereotypical]] homosexual man known for his flamboyant and positive demeanor introduced in the episode "[[Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride]]".<ref name="Weinstock2008">{{cite book|last=Weinstock|first=Jeffrey Andrew|title=Taking South Park Seriously|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7OEFij0QkgC&pg=PA155|access-date=December 19, 2020|date=2008-09-11|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=9780791475669|pages=155–}}</ref> Big Gay Al openly displays his homosexuality and is an advocate for gay rights. He is Mr. Garrison's ex-boyfriend, and is married to Mr. Slave as shown in the episode "Follow That Egg!"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.southpark.cc.com/wiki/Big_Gay_Al|title=Big Gay Al|publisher=Official South Park Studios Wiki|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319095410/https://wiki.southpark.cc.com/wiki/Big_Gay_Al|archive-date=March 19, 2019|access-date=December 19, 2020 }}</ref> Other than Big Gay Al, the British series ''[[Crapston Villas]]'' was one of the first animated series on British television to present openly gay characters.<ref name="Norris2014">{{cite book|last=Norris|first=Van|title=British Television Animation 1997–2010: Drawing Comic Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMJCBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA221|access-date=December 19, 2020|date=2014-08-01|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9781137330949|pages=221–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Tilke|first1=Matt|title=Take A Trip Back To Channel 4's Crapston Villas|url=https://www.retroheadz.com/classic-tv/crapston-villas|website=RetroHeads|date=29 January 2020|access-date=December 19, 2020}}</ref> In later years, shows such as ''[[Queer Duck]]'' prominently featured gay characters like Adam Seymour Duckstein and Steven Arlo Gator,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Multi Channel News Staff |title=Queer Duck Crosses the Pond  |url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/queer-duck-crosses-pond-163975 |website=Multichannel News |publisher=Future Publishing Limited Quay House |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710131107/https://www.multichannel.com/news/queer-duck-crosses-pond-163975 |archive-date=July 10, 2020 |date=March 29, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="Meisler">{{Cite web |last1=Meisler |first1=Andy |title=Television/Radio; 'Queer Duck,' a Web-Footed Survivor, Migrates to TV |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/07/arts/television-radio-queer-duck-a-web-footed-survivor-migrates-to-tv.html |website=[[New York Times]]  |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325230440/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/07/arts/television-radio-queer-duck-a-web-footed-survivor-migrates-to-tv.html |archive-date=March 25, 2020 |date=April 7, 2002 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> while ''[[Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World]]'' had two gay couples: Rick Brocka and Steve Ball,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Washington |first1=Terri |title=PICS: It's Hard To Find Committed, Recurring Gay Couples In Animated TV |url=https://hornet.com/stories/pics-its-hard-to-find-committed-recurring-gay-couples-in-animated-tv/ |website=Hortnet |publisher=Hornet Networks Ltd. |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200720223205/https://hornet.com/stories/pics-its-hard-to-find-committed-recurring-gay-couples-in-animated-tv/ |archive-date=July 20, 2020 |date=August 22, 2015 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Smithson |first1=Nick |title=Rick and Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in all the World - DVD Review |url=http://www.reviewgraveyard.com/2008_reviews/dvd/08-10-27_rick-steve-gay.htm |website=Review Graveyard |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720223534/http://www.reviewgraveyard.com/2008_reviews/dvd/08-10-27_rick-steve-gay.htm |archive-date=July 20, 2020 |date=2008 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Chuck Masters and Evan Martinez,<ref name="ClarkeEllis2010">{{cite book|last1=Clarke|first1=Victoria|last2=Ellis|first2=Sonja J.|last3=Peel|first3=Elizabeth|author4=Damien W. Riggs|title=Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer Psychology: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ot8UW1qzi4kC&pg=PA276|access-date=December 19, 2020|date=2010-04-01|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781139487238|pages=276–}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |date=2007 |title=Where We Are on TV Report: 2007–2008 |url=https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/whereweareontv2007-2008.pdf |publisher=[[GLAAD]] |page=8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325225628/https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/whereweareontv2007-2008.pdf |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-date=2020-03-25 |quote="Logo premiered  the stop-motion animated  series Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World in late  summer,  a satiric  comedy notably  featuring  the  only  Filipino-American and gay lead character on television, even if he is a plastic toy."}}</ref> In the 2016, Howard and Harold McBride in ''[[The Loud House]]'' became the first pair of married male characters to be depicted on a Nickelodeon series.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Roshanian |first1=Arya |title=Nickelodeon's 'Loud House' to Feature Married Gay Couple |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/loud-house-gay-couple-nickelodeon-1201816592/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712203651/https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/loud-house-gay-couple-nickelodeon-1201816592/ |archive-date=July 12, 2018 |date=July 18, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/07/18/nickelodeon-makes-history-with-its-first-cartoon-gay-married-couple/ |title=Nickelodeon 'makes history' with its first cartoon gay married couple |publisher=[[PinkNews]] |date=July 18, 2016 |access-date=December 19, 2020}}</ref> Then, in 2019, the [[Hulu]] original series, ''[[The Bravest Knight]]'' became one of the first all-ages animations to have an "openly gay main character."<ref name="deadline">{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/tr-knight-bobby-moynihan-rupaul-the-bravest-knight-animated-kids-series-openly-gay-main-character-hulu-1202621288/ |title=Hulu Sets Animated Kids Series With Openly Gay Main Character; T.R. Knight, Bobby Moynihan, RuPaul & Others Add Voices 'The Bravest Knight' |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=May 23, 2019 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107235957/https://deadline.com/2019/05/tr-knight-bobby-moynihan-rupaul-the-bravest-knight-animated-kids-series-openly-gay-main-character-hulu-1202621288/ |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="today">{{cite web |url=https://www.today.com/video/bobby-moynihan-t-r-knight-talk-groundbreaking-bravest-knight-62406213645 |title=Bobby Moynihan, T.R. Knight talk groundbreaking 'Bravest Knight' |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=June 21, 2019 |website=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922131110/https://www.today.com/video/bobby-moynihan-t-r-knight-talk-groundbreaking-bravest-knight-62406213645 |archive-date=September 22, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/5/23/hulus-bravest-knight-features-two-dads-too-cute-handle |title=Hulu's The Bravest Knight Features Two Dads & Is Too Cute to Handle |last=Ermac |first=Raffy |date=May 23, 2019 |website=[[Pride.com]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601180632/https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/5/23/hulus-bravest-knight-features-two-dads-too-cute-handle |archive-date=June 1, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |last1=Squires |first1=Mitchell |last2=Levine |first2=Heather |date=May 22, 2019 |title=Hulu Announces One of a Kind New Original Animated Kids Series "The Bravest Knight" |url=https://press.hulu.com/news/2019/05/22/hulu-announces-one-of-a-kind-new-original-animated-kids-series-the-bravest-knight/ |location=United States |agency=[[Hulu]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218225042/https://press.hulu.com/news/2019/05/22/hulu-announces-one-of-a-kind-new-original-animated-kids-series-the-bravest-knight/ |archive-date=December 18, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> The series later won the [[MIPCOM]] Diversify TV Excellence award in kids’ programming at the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence awards in October 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mipcom-starzs-vida-hulus-bravest-knight-win-diversity-awards-1247624 |title=MIPCOM: Starz's 'Vida,' Hulu's 'The Bravest Knight' Among Diversity Award Winners |last=Roxborough |first=Scott |date=October 15, 2019 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016175917/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mipcom-starzs-vida-hulus-bravest-knight-win-diversity-awards-1247624 |archive-date=October 16, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awn.com/news/hulus-bravest-knight-launching-8-new-episodes-october-11 |title=Hulu's 'The Bravest Knight' Launching 8 New Episodes October 11 |author=AWN Staff Editor |date=October 4, 2019 |website=[[Animation World Network]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930145001/https://www.awn.com/news/hulus-bravest-knight-launching-8-new-episodes-october-11 |archive-date=September 30, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rdvcanada.ca/en/success/the-bravest-knight-wins-diversity-prize-at-mipcom/ |title=The Bravest Knight wins diversity prize at MIPCOM |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=October 29, 2019 |website=RDV Canada |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803093329/https://rdvcanada.ca/en/success/the-bravest-knight-wins-diversity-prize-at-mipcom/ |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, Nigel Ratburn and another man, Patrick, get married in the season 22 premiere of Arthur, which aired on May 13, 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-48266870|title=US cartoon's gay wedding praised|last=Ryder|first=Sherie|date=May 14, 2019|access-date=December 19, 2020|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603102510/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-48266870|archive-date=June 3, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, he and his husband are the first LGBT characters in the series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/arthur-same-sex-marraige-gay-character-1203213875/|title='Arthur' Character Comes Out as Gay and Gets Married in Season 22 Premiere|first1=Dano|last1=Nissen|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123230830/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/arthur-same-sex-marraige-gay-character-1203213875/|archive-date=January 23, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a27462491/arthur-reveals-mr-ratburn-lgbtq/|title=Classic animated show Arthur reveals one of its main characters is LGBTQ+|last=Warner|first=Sam|date=May 14, 2019|website=[[Digital Spy]]|language=en-GB|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531103521/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a27462491/arthur-mr-ratburn-wedding-episode-lgbtq/|archive-date=May 31, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, the series ''[[Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts]]'' featured Benson and Troy as a gay couple, with Benson as one of the first characters to say the words "I'm gay" in an animated series.<ref name="Radulovic">{{cite web |last1=Radulovic |first1=Petrana |title=Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts treats coming out like just another part of life |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/15/21067505/kipo-and-the-age-of-wonderbeasts-coming-out-scene |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404051227/https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/15/21067505/kipo-and-the-age-of-wonderbeasts-coming-out-scene |archive-date=April 4, 2020 |date=January 19, 2020 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelley |first1=Shamus |title=Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts' Casual Diverse Queerness |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/kipo-and-the-age-of-the-wonderbeasts-casual-diverse-queerness/ |website=[[Den of Geek]] |publisher=Den of Geek World Ltd. |access-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627032721/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/kipo-and-the-age-of-the-wonderbeasts-casual-diverse-queerness/ |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |date=June 25, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>