Disney confirmed that one of its shows features the channel’s first bisexual character in a new animated series, numerous sources reported.
“The Owl House” includes a bisexual main character, the channel’s first after a number of openly LGTBQ characters, CNN reported.
The show follows the adventures of a 14-year-old girl who at different parts of the show expresses attraction to both male and female characters. In some of the most recent episodes, the character, named Luz Noceda, has a relationship with a recurring female character.
The series creator Dana Terrace confirmed that the show was portraying a bisexual character, according to Variety.
When I was first developing Owl House I always wanted to do a prom episode to make up for my own experiences. Back then PROM was an anagram for “Perennial Ritual Offering Maiden”. I’m so INCREDIBLY grateful for the crew working to make this episode so badass. pic.twitter.com/Ak8dNVMAdo
— Dana Terrace (@DanaTerrace) August 9, 2020
“In [development] I was very open about my intention to put queer kids in the main cast. I’m a horrible liar so sneaking it in would’ve been hard,” Terrace wrote, according to Variety. “When we were greenlit I was told by certain Disney leadership that I could not represent any form of bi or gay relationship on the channel.”
The storyboards for the dance. This was a collaboration between Hayley Foster and myself. At some point I got carried away and timed it to Veo Lu Sluice by Kumi Tanioka.
This was my first time getting to do anything even remotely queer, and I’ve never been prouder of any board. pic.twitter.com/r0ljIGRxTV
— Spencer Wan (@SpencerWan) August 9, 2020
Terrace pushed Disney to include the bisexual character, saying the “stubbornness paid off” and that Disney leadership backed the decision.
Disney has introduced LGBTQ storylines in the past, including in a popular series “Andi Mack” in 2017. The children’s series depicted one of its 13-year-old male characters realizing he might have developed romantic feelings for another young male classmate. (RELATED: Disney Channel To Introduce Gay Storyline On Children’s Sitcom)
Other companies that create entertainment for young audiences have also moved to include LGBTQ characters in their productions, including Marvel, which announced in January that Marvel Cinematic Universe is shooting a movie that would feature the company’s first transgender character.