Gay animated characters
Vaishnavi Srivastava
Have you ever rediscovered one of your childhood cartoons and wondered, “Hey! That seems a lot like the hand putting on nail paint emoji to me!”. Well, you’re not quite wrong. Certain characters in media possess been queer-coded and it is pretty evident if you just put on your rainbow-coloured lenses. Now what exactly is “Queer Coding,” you ask? It is essentially a phenomenon in pop culture wherein the sexuality of a certain character is not blatantly mentioned, it however persists in the create of a subtext. Homosexual coding was initiated in order to follow certain censorship guidelines and a way for creators to seek-in a representation of an “obviously gay” traits in their media via stereotypical mannerisms and ethics storylines.
Quick Read
Well, we at Abir Pothi have compiled a list of our favourite queer-coded animated characters below:
1. Him, The Powerpuff Girls
One of the most fabulous villains in children’s television history, (and my personal favourite) is the character of Him from The Powerpuff Girls. Him is one of the most powerful and spine-chilling villains in the history of kids television. The high-pitched voice, t
The 10 Best LGBTQ+ Couples in Animation
Over the past several years, animation studios and creators have made a greater effort to include and represent Diverse characters and relationships. For a long time, it was taboo even to show them in an animated show unless it was for a swift gag, and usually only relegated to adult animation like Family Guy or South Park.
RELATED: Why the Casual LGBTQ+ Representation in ‘Komi Can’t Communicate’ Matters
Thankfully, we've made significant steps since then as we've seen numerous shows aimed at both kids and adults take the principle more seriously. While some shows still drop the ball — fans still aren't quite over the whole Voltron: Legendary Defender debacle — there are several that manage to nail it, and the world is all the better for it.
Adora and Catra — 'She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'
Throughout its five-season run, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power spent a lot of hour developing the complex association between Adora (Aimee Carrero) and Catra (AJ Michalka). Both Adora and Catra were raised to be a part of the Horde, b
Disney seemingly has a lot of gay characters. But if someone asked me what I thought of Disney’s first openly same-sex attracted character, I’d only contain one thing to say: which one? ZING!
Disney is very fond of giving themselves a pat on the back for including the LGBTQ+ community in scenes of its major blockbusters. It’s become something of a meme in online spaces, particularly among queer TV/Film fans, who much like myself are unable to resist poking the billionaire company and it’s abysmal care when it comes to telling queer stories.
There’s an argument to be made that in reality gender non-conforming fans shouldn’t care about Disney’s shit LGBTQ+ visibility, and truly I perceive it. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that no matter how much you direct and shove people towards smaller ‘indie’ LGBTQ+ creators, it won’t stop them from wanting better from the billionaire company they are ride-or-die for. It sucks, but that’s just how it is.
To further bully Disney in the hope of actually producing another movie that actually has great gender non-conforming representation (hello Strange World), I’ve compiled a li
10 Great Representations of Homosexual Couples From Western Animation
LGBTQ representation has gone a long way in the past two decades, especially in series that are geared toward a younger demographic. Before, the universe of characters that weren't firmly heterosexual was actively censored by institutions. Now, slowly but surely, audiences are seeing more diverse casts in western animation.
In particular, couples have been getting some much-needed screentime. Not only that, they aren't treated as token characters on a checklist. They were purposefully introduced in a non-invasive way, perfectly fitting the narrative of the show. At the end of the day, the goal of representation is to demonstrate audiences these characters are just like anybody else.
OK KO - Joff and Nick Army
A very subtle example, but that's exactly why it's important. Oftentimes, a lot of media make the mistake of making a big deal out of a character's sexuality. Yes, for stories that highlight on the struggles of coming out, this is a valid way to present the story. In a silly superhero performance though, representation can be just as simple as pairing two oddballs who love each ot
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