We no longer know what the cartoons the Disney Channel’s showing are anymore (and nothing will ever compare to our generation’s cartoons, fight us) but three cheers for Mickey Mouse and Co. for being progressive and championing diversity.
Star vs. The Forces of Evil, a cartoon about a princess from another dimension sent to Earth, features a kiss between two dudes, and it’s just there without too much unnecessary fanfare. This particular episode, “Just Friends,” sees our protagonist Star hit up a boyband concert with the guy she has a crush on. Said boyband performs a song called, uh, “Just Friends,” and the mood hits the crowd just enough to start kissing (even though the song is technically about putting someone in the friendzone). This is where the gay kiss is thrown in.
If it feels like Disney could do more than that, then it’s probably because they’re just testing the waters with this. It’s still a pretty bold step, though. We’re sure they’re about to get a barrage of complaints from concerned conservative parents worried that the Disney Channel is corrupting their children.
But if this seems like a huge win for cartoons, other than the fact that it is, it’s not the first time as Nickelodeon already beat them to it. Nick actually introduced a same-sex and interracial set of parents on their cartoon-we-also-don’t-know-about The Loud House, featuring Wayne Brady (calling back to a similar previous role).
It finally looks like cartoons are getting with the times, and there’s no better time to start teaching kids about the values of acceptance and the reality that same-sex love exists than when they’re actually kids, absorbing all that mainstream information on their TVs. Keep on keeping on, Disney and Nick.
[Mashable]