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.
