In the 2000s, queer coded characters appeared in series such as The Oblongs, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Time Squad, and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. See also: History of LGBT characters in animation: 2000s As a result the series won an award from GLAAD for this representation, with some arguing that the series was "prematurely axed." 2000s It featured Gus Duncz and Wally Langford, a gay elderly couple in their late 60s. Mission Hill aired on The WB from 1999 to 2000 and Adult Swim in 2002. It no longer airs on television and has been replaced in future reruns with "Orthodontic Police." Complaints were made about its overt innuendos, frequent double entendres, and lesbian stereotypes. It only aired once, as frequent complaints prevented future airings. The now-banned Cow and Chicken episode "Buffalo Gals" aired on June 27, 1998. The episode was, in later broadcasts, and on its Season 1 DVD (Region 1), replaced with "Dexter's Lab: A Story", an episode from season two. While some said this was because Silver Spooner was a stereotype of gay men, with complaints to that effect after it aired, others said it had more to do with copyright infringement as the estate of Jack Kirby threatened to sue Cartoon Network over the parody character. On May 18, 1996, Silver Spooner, the sidekick to Barbequor, appeared in an episode of Dexter's Laboratory titled "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor." Both characters are parodies of Silver Surfer and Galactus, with the episode banned. However this was eventually contradicted when Lokar returned in the Season 11 episode "Stephen" in where he is shown to be alive and well. His sexuality was confirmed in audio commentaries for the Space Ghost Coast to Coast Volume 2 DVD and it was revealed that Lokar died at some point during the series.
Supplementary material for the series had Lokar referred to himself as a Confirmed bachelor while an article on the official Cartoon Network website featured a reference to a slang word for gay sex. On December 25, 1994, Lokar, a locust alien and member of the Council of Doom, was introduced in the Space Ghost Coast to Coast Christmas special A Space Ghost Christmas. Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which aired on Cartoon Network (1994-1999 2001) Adult Swim (2001-2004), and GameTap (2006-2008), included a gay character. In the 1990s, queer coded characters appeared in various Cartoon Network series, such as Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Mission Hill, episodes of Dexter's Laboratory and Cow and Chicken, See also: History of LGBT characters in animation: 1990s In December 2020, Amy Friedman, head of programming for Cartoon Network and HBO Max Kids & Family, stated that they are looking "at ourselves across the inclusion and equity spectrum," including the LGBTQ+ community, to evaluate projects in production, development, and post-greenlighting. Other series, like OK K.O.!: Let's Be Heroes and Craig of the Creek would have LGBTQ characters as well. The role of Cartoon Network shows in LGBTQ representation would continue in the 2020s, with the airing of Steven Universe Future on the network and Adventure Time: Distant Lands streaming on HBO Max, along with characters in DC Super Hero Girls. At the time the iconic wedding episode of Steven Universe was first drafted, gay marriage was not yet legal in most of the United States. This representation was difficult to achieve, as Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe, was told by executives that the inclusion of a central queer romance could have ended her show. The network hosted shows which were said to be "strong champions for LGBT representation," such as Adventure Time and Steven Universe. These characters include Garnet, Pearl, and Princess Bubblegum. In the 2010s, Cartoon Network featured multiple cartoons whose main characters expressed their identity and were featured in LGBT-focused storylines.
Rebecca Sugar gives an acceptance speech at the 78th annual Peabody Awards in July 2019Ĭartoon Network, an American TV channel which launched in 1992, and Adult Swim, its adult-oriented nighttime programming block which launched in 2001, has regularly featured lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) characters in its programming.