February marks the beginning of LGBTQ+ History Month, an annual month-long celebration of LGBTQ+ history! The theme this year is “Behind the Lens”, which celebrates the contribution of LGBTQ+ people to cinema and film.
In the article below, Dr Jacqueline Ristola, a Lecturer in Animation (Digital) in the Department of Film and Television at the University of Bristol, discusses both the successes and challenges of the fight for increased LGBTQ+ representation in animation.
One of the hardest areas where the fight for LGBTQ representation is most difficult is in children’s media. This is because of the toxic assumption that the very existence of LGBTQ folx is perceived as ‘unsuitable’ for children. Recent animated children’s television, however, has made great strides to combat this. Popular series such as Steven Universe (Rebecca Sugar, 2013-2020) and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (ND Stevenson, 2018-2020) have paved the way in terms of explicit queer representation on screen. Both series, for example, feature female/female-coded characters explicitly declaring their love for each other and kissing, something unthinkable only a decade or so ago. Both series have also been trailblazing behind the screen as well, as each series was created by a nonbinary person (Sugar and Stevenson), as well as a diverse production staff.
While this representation on and off screen is incredibly important in increasing diversity within media (particularly for children), I want to highlight how these stories are sometimes co-opted by the media conglomerates that supposedly support their development.
While these series have been lauded for their excellence, as well as their progressive qualities, these accolades don’t always remain with the creators alone. Warner Bros Discovery, for example, uses the diverse and inclusive aspects of the series Steven Universe and its creators to bolster the company’s own claims around their equity and inclusion. One of their recent Equity & Inclusion Report asserts that “Our animation shows representation,”[1] pointing out the significant LGBTQ representation both on screen in Steven Universe, and off screen in the production of the series.
This is ironic, however, as Sugar and their staff struggled to get Steven Universe produced by the very conglomerate that frames itself as an ally. Sugar was told initially by studio executives that queer romance was not a possibility, and that any discussion of LGBTQ relationships on the show would cause the removal of it from many countries and end the series.[2] Similarly, Stevenson of She-Ra was also initially told “point-blank” that queer relationships were not possible on their show.[3]
While each series creator was told that LGBTQ romance was impossible, both Sugar and Stevenson, alongside their staff, worked cleverly and tirelessly to ensure LGBTQ representation could make it on the screen. In order to win their fight for said representation, each creator meticulously constructed each show to both flesh out the world building and the character relationships so that LGBTQ relationships were the only logical and satisfying conclusions. This wasn’t done without struggle, and creators had to carefully negotiate and push back against internal censorship (intentional or otherwise) within each company. In short, both creators had to fight behind the screen to get explicit LGBTQ representation on the screen, a struggle that corporate performances of allyship conveniently elide.
In sum, when we think about LGBTQ representation both on and behind the screen, we should also consider how this form of representation might be appropriated in other contexts. We should be wary of how creators work hard behind the scenes to tell stories of marginalized groups, and how corporations co-opt this media for its veneer of progressiveness in public, despite making such representation difficult or near-impossible in the actually production process. Such corporate performance of queer “allyship” around these queer animated series upstages the real star performers: the queer creative staffs, whose immense struggles to create their animation succeed in spite of, and not because of, their corporate bosses. We should celebrate series like Steven Universe and She-Ra, not only for their excellent LGBTQ representation, but for the material work they have put into securing a space of LGBTQ representation in the future.
[1] WarnerMedia, ‘Equity & Inclusion Report 2020/21’, 2021, https://www.warnermedia.com/ca/equity-inclusion-report?language_content_entity=en&fb, 35.
[2] Matt Moen, “In Conversation: Rebecca Sugar and Noelle Stevenson,” Paper Magazine, August 5, 2020, https://www.papermag.com/rebecca-sugar-noelle-stevenson-2646446747.html.
[3] Moen, “In Conversation.”