This comes on the heels of controversy about the treatment of queer characters in Disney films.īut some comics artists writing for younger audiences have found critical and financial success telling stories about LGTBQ+ characters.įiction has historically been a pivotal site of resisting demands that young people who exist outside of perceived sex and gender binaries must assimilate, argues professor of English and queer theorist Kathryn Bond Stockton in her book The Queer Child.
In March, for example, the Disney corporation was criticized for covertly supporting Florida legislation that bars instruction about “sexual orientation or gender identity” for young schoolchildren. In a polarized cultural milieu, the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in popular media for youth and children is sometimes contentious. Andrew Deman, University of Waterloo originally appeared on the Conversation and is published here with permission.
