Disney’s first gay storyline – Andi Mack

October 27 marked a landmark for Disney Channel after its comedy-drama series, Andi Mack featured the channel’s first ever gay storyline. The regular character, Cyrus (Joshua Rush) came out to a friend in its second season premiere, a storyline that is promised to continue as the character comes to terms with his identity. The channel has explored LGBTQ+ representation in the past – most notably the guest appearance of a lesbian couple in the sitcom, Good Luck Charlie – but this marks the first time a show has featured a regular who identifies within the gay community. Naturally, this news has already attracted backlash from conservative groups such as One Million Moms who blasted Disney for “choosing to abandon family-friendly entertainment” with the introduction of the storyline. Kenya has even banned the show as a result of it. But is representation overdue in children’s entertainment?

Undeniably, the media content in children’s lives influence and shape their worldview. Therefore, the messages and ideologies expressed in television and film are extremely important in providing a place for LGBTQ+ youth to find representation as they begin to discover their own identity.

Realising and coming to terms with sexuality as a teenager can be an incredibly difficult process. This process is exacerbated by heteronormative media and entertainment, which teaches us to consider this as the norm. Young people can then fall into isolation, loss of identity and depression when they don’t fit into these confirmed stereotypes of who they should be. It is imperative that the media showcases LGBTQ+ characters so that all young people can identify with someone they see in day-to-day entertainment.  Representation on regular broadcast television is at an all-time high according to GLAAD’s 2016 report – it’s about time this was reflected in children’s entertainment.

They can provide these underrepresented groups with voices

In family media, it is also vital for there to be representation as it can positively influence and encourage its young viewers to support equality and diversity. By illustrating the fictional worlds, they engage themselves with realities which are diverse and accepting of LGBTQ+ characters, it spreads the idea that the real world should also be this way. Ultimately, this can only truly be done with proper representation – this is why Andi Mack’s introduction of a gay character is an important floodgate to be opened, showing queer identity is a common feature in youth culture and should be respected and represented.

For years, children’s television and films have used stereotypes coding their characters as gay, usually for comedic purposes, only to ignore this coding and either not acknowledge the character’s sexuality or give them a heterosexual love interest. Disney Channel is just one culprit, but it’s refreshing to see them finally break through into accurate representation with Cyrus and Andi Mack.

Hopefully this will be the first of more representation for the LGBTQ+ community in media targeting children and families. Disney and other networks should not just stop after a gay male character and give other members of the community – as well as other minority groups – the representation they deserve. In turn, they can provide these underrepresented groups with voices, and teach the youth of the world equality and acceptance.