Insider Entertainment Profile picture
Jul 1, 2021 12 tweets 6 min read Read on X
Kids cartoon's lack of gender diversity parallels underrepresentation behind the scenes. But queer women, trans, and nonbinary creatives are pushing for representation in an industry that, at times, isn’t welcoming. 👇

insider.com/queer-women-tr…
When Noelle Stevenson, the nonbinary lesbian showrunner of “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” rebooted the ‘80s classic into one of the queerest shows on TV, Stevenson inadvertently waded into a complex debate about what is “good” and “bad” representation.
The show's nonbinary shapeshifting alien Double Trouble was met with both praise and pushback.

Fans criticized the character's role as a villain and as another representation of a nonbinary character whose gender nonconformity was conflated with literal "alienness."
.@JacobTobia, the nonbinary actor who voices Double Trouble, said that while there needs to be nonbinary representation on screen that reflects the community's vast physical diversity, animation's nonhuman characters also make a statement to the viewers they represent.
According to Insider's database, transgender and nonbinary characters are increasingly being represented in kids' cartoons, but just 5% of the 259 LGBTQ characters Insider identified as human or a human-hybrid, compared to 49% of cisgender characters.

insider.com/lgbtq-cartoon-…
Double Trouble is just one example of the rapid rise in LGBTQ characters within kids' animation — including a newer and complicated wave of nonbinary, trans, and other gender minority representation.

And it isn’t a coincidence.

insider.com/queer-women-tr…
.@TheKristiReed, a voice director for "Summer Camp Island," chalked this up to others being less likely to fight "because they have other stories they want to tell."

insider.com/queer-women-tr…
But these creatives haven't always been in positions to fight for their characters.

Before Indiewire dubbed "#DocMcStuffins" creator Chris Nee "the Ryan Murphy of children's television," she was a young lesbian in the '90s, largely isolated in animation.

insider.com/queer-women-tr…
Shadi Petosky, the first known transgender showrunner in animation experienced many challenges while trying to produce her show, "#DangerAndEggs,” which features queer themes and elements of LGBTQ culture like chosen families and Pride.

insider.com/queer-women-tr…
@TanekaStotts, a genderfluid writer on "#StevenUniverse," told Insider that nonbinary, bisexual showrunner creator Rebecca Sugar similarly "went out of the way to make sure that their show was [staffed] as inclusive as possible."
But as nonbinary creators building gender-upending worlds, “we have an additional challenge, which is navigating that in a world where we as people are being dehumanized,” said Sugar.

insider.com/queer-women-tr…
As the animation industry adjusts to a wave of queer and gender minority representation, creatives are increasingly grappling on-screen and off with the complicated frontier of LGBTQ representation.

But for those most marginalized, they no longer have to do it alone.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Insider Entertainment

Insider Entertainment Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @insiderent

Oct 28, 2022
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has taken a huge hit to his empire this month.

Here’s how it all started. ⬇️

businessinsider.com/kanye-west-des…
The firestorm began when the rapper engaged in a series of controversial and offensive behaviors, which ultimately cost him several brand deals.

businessinsider.com/kanye-west-des…
The losses have cost Ye billions, he says, but he's unfazed. In an Instagram post Thursday, he said, "I lost 2 billion dollars in one day and I'm still alive."

As of Thursday morning, @Forbes estimates his net worth is $400 million.

businessinsider.com/kanye-west-los…
Read 13 tweets
Oct 27, 2022
Anthony Q. Farrell (@aqfarrell) is a showrunner and executive producer who used to be a writer on "The Office." After being laid off, he couldn't land another writers room job for years.

This is how staying creative led to his second big break. 👇

businessinsider.com/tv-writer-the-…
Farrell was a writer on "The Office'' for two seasons back in 2008 and 2009. It was his first TV writing job.

Prior to moving to LA, he was involved in theater, acting, writing, and directing, which led to comedy school and eventually writing.

businessinsider.com/tv-writer-the-… Graphic with quote from Anthony Q. Farrell, a Canadian writeGraphic with quote from Anthony Q. Farrell, a Canadian write
Farrell says that "The Office" was one of the better writers rooms in terms of having at least a few people of different cultures and ethnicities — it had more people of color in its writers room than most of the shows at the time.

businessinsider.com/tv-writer-the-… Graphic with quote from Anthony Q. Farrell, a Canadian write
Read 11 tweets
Oct 23, 2022
Tucked away in a conservative suburb of Los Angeles is a small, Christian school offering an unaccredited education the owner — Kanye West — claims could "actually turn your kids into, like, geniuses."

Here's what's going on. ⬇️

businessinsider.com/kanye-west-rel… A graphic with an image of ...
West, who claimed he's never read a book because "reading is like eating Brussels sprouts," opened Donda Academy in November 2021.

Since its opening, the rapper and designer has answered a few media questions about the school.

businessinsider.com/kanye-west-rel…
Initially registered with the state of California as a Kindergarten through 8th-grade academy, the school is named after West's late mother and currently offers classes for students in Pre-K through 12th grade, according to its website.

businessinsider.com/kanye-west-rel… A quote graphic from the Do...
Read 11 tweets
Oct 10, 2022
"Aspen" was the word on everyone's lips when the trailer for season 12 of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" hit the internet in April.

@BravoTV blogs and fan pages began reporting whispers of what had gone down on a trip there. ⬇️

insider.com/timeline-the-r… Picture of the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"
Kyle Richards invited the ladies to Aspen at a party for Rinna Beauty.

Despite some ongoing tension in the group, all of the ladies in the group accepted. Friends of the show Sheree Zampino and Kathy Hilton were included on the trip too.

insider.com/timeline-the-r… Picture of Kyle Richards. The text on the graphic reads: &quPicture of Dorit Kemsley: "Dorit Kemsley said in episod
Erika Jayne has been dealing with legal drama related to her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, who has been accused of embezzling millions of dollars from malpractice victims.

insider.com/real-housewive… Picture of Erika Jayne. The text on the graphic reads: "
Read 14 tweets
Oct 9, 2022
People may or may not be surprised to hear this but — reality shows are actually not @MaryFitzgerald_’s cup of tea. She said watching drama and people fighting makes her uneasy.

Still, being on "Selling Sunset" on @netflix has been good for business. ⬇️

businessinsider.com/selling-sunset… Picture of Mary Fitzgerald ...
Fitzgerald said the cast has garnered clients from the show, and they’re selling at higher price points.

For her personally, she has price cutoffs now: Fitzgerald won't sell any house under $2 million unless it's a favor for a friend.

businessinsider.com/selling-sunset… The caption text on the gra...
She said the Oppenheim Group gets a lot of fake clients because of the exposure.

People write in and pretend to be potential clients because they want to meet them. Fitzgerald said they have to be extra cautious to avoid wasting their time.

businessinsider.com/selling-sunset… The text on the graphic rea...
Read 10 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(