Disneys first actual gay character
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However, despite the mockery, there is a good reason each gay Disney character is considered "first."
Each Gay Disney Character is First in Its Category
Each gay Disney character is first in their category. While they didn't say that such censorship occurred with "Turning Red" in particular, extra attention was paid to any hints of queerness in the film.
If they had jumped right to having a gay main character circa 2017, there's a chance that they may have inadvertently messed up. Creator Chris Knee, who also wrote the episode, is a lesbian herself, and told GLAAD, "As part of a two-mom family, I'm proud to have an episode that reflects my son's world, and shows everyone that love is love in McStuffinsville." Just like "Good Luck Charlie," this "Doc McStuffins" episode was protested by One Million Moms.
Cyrus Goodman - Andi Mack
Disney Channel had briefly featured gay romances before, but it wasn't until 2019 when Cyrus Goodman (played by bisexual actor Joshua Rush) on "Andi Mack" became the first Disney Channel character to say the words "I'm gay." A lot of queer-friendly kids' programming, from "Steven Universe" to "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power," has often had to avoid direct labeling of identity, making "Andi Mack" still somewhat groundbreaking.
Season 3 was also nominated but lost to "Steven Universe".
Guy in support group - Avengers Endgame
Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe had included queer characters in its debatably canonical TV series for ABC, Netflix, and Hulu, the mainline MCU films were completely lacking in open LGBTQ+ representation throughout the franchise's first decade.
The "Star Wars" kiss stayed in for China, and despite demands from the Malaysian government, Disney refused to edit out the same-sex dance moment at the end of "Beauty and the Beast." The country ended up allowing the film to play unedited. So strict censorship boards abroad may definitely be a factor — particularly in China, which is expected to overtake the U.S.
as the largest film market in the world — but that theory seems like an incomplete picture. In the midst of all these time skips, Alisha gets married to a woman named Kiko, has children and grandchildren, and eventually dies of old age.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Disney higher-ups were okay with Alisha being gay but gave pushback on a brief moment where an elderly Alisha and Kiko kiss each other.
Like Disney Channel programming, it was developed to be relevant to kids and families around the world and to reflect themes of diversity and inclusiveness." Responses to the episode at the time were positive among the LGBTQ+ community, with GLAAD and queer former Disney star Miley Cyrus celebrating, while the far-right anti-gay group One Million Moms protested the episode.
Blubs and Durland - Gravity Falls
On the tenth anniversary of the premiere of "Gravity Falls," creator Alex Hirsch shared a video highlighting some of the most ridiculous notes his show received from Disney's Standards & Practices department.
In 2017, the Season 4 episode "The Emergency Plan" expanded that diversity to include an interracial lesbian couple.
The two doll moms, Thea and Edie, were voiced by out actresses Wanda Sykes and Portia DeRossi. Their kiss was restored to the film following staff protests over Disney's handling of the "Don't Say Gay" bill and overall censorship of LGBTQ+ content.
For example, lesbian antihero Doctor Aphra is the star of one of the most popular recent "Star Wars" comics but has yet to appear in any films or TV series. When the mission goes haywire, Buzz volunteers to test the hyperspace fuel needed to return to Earth. This was due to the character of Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), the first openly gay superhero in a Marvel movie.
Responsible for spurring on mankind's technological progress in the past, Phastos finds happiness in the present with his human husband Ben (Haaz Sleiman).
The kiss also got the film banned in multiple countries and has been the subject of serious homophobic backlash in the United States.
Mbita - Baymax!
The Disney+ series "Baymax!" follows the lovable, inflatable healthcare robot from "Big Hero 6" as he helps out different residents of San Fransokyo with their personal issues.
Also missing from this list are unnamed background characters and characters who only appear in a single episode of a given TV show (aside from two historically significant exceptions). Amongst various comical overreactions to not-actually-dirty jokes, one note that stands out is a complaint that the sheriffs Blubs and Durland appeared too "flirtatious" in one scene.
Though he initially dates girls, Bobby realizes he has a crush on his classmate Liam (Brandon Severs) and comes out as gay. The series finale in 2022 revealed that even more characters are on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, with the newts Yunan and Lady Olivia confirmed to be a couple and major character Sasha Waybright hinted at being bisexual via a pride flag sticker.
All this is handled pretty realistically, but in classic Pixar fashion, there's a fantastical twist. Other studios have had more and better representation than Disney, but a major studio including LGBTQIA+ characters is better for all media. However, this isn't a case of Disney refusing to "say gay," but rather it's meant as a realistic portrayal of a young person still in the process of questioning and figuring out their identity.
While Disney has owned or acquired other brands and networks such as Touchstone, Miramax, 20th Century Fox, ABC, and Hulu, these more adult-oriented labels have been mostly treated as a separate from the family-oriented "Disney" image. It proves including queer characters is more profitable than excluding them.