For anyone who reads my articles on Disney’s track record of LGBTQ+ representation in their media, you know that I’m highly skeptical, and sometimes even cynical, when Disney states that they are planning on representing LGBTQ+ characters.
There’s their track record of representation of an LGBTQ+ character in Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, and their most recent failure in Pixar’s Onward, it makes me wonder, are they ever going to get it right?
But there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. As of recently Disney Channel’s The Owl House has been dropping hints that its main character, Luz, might be queer.
The animated fantasy series, created by Dana Terrace, follows the story of Luz Noceda who one day stumbles upon a portal to another world where she meets unlikely friends by pursuing her dream to become a witch at the Owl House.
While in previous episode Luz has shown an attraction to guys, in the most recent episodes of the animated fantasy series Luz has shown some interest in her former enemy, Amity Blight, prodigious young witch who attends Hexside Academy of Magic and Demonics.
According to PinkNews, “In the latest episode, viewers discovered that Amity was planning to ask Luz to go to prom with her, prompting creator Dana Terrace to confirm that at least one of them is bisexual.”
“When we were greenlit I was told by certain Disney leadership that I could NOT represent any form of bi or gay relationship on the channel,” she tweeted. This is not just a situation of someone straight wanting to tokenize an LGBTQ+ character with a five second scene. No, this ban hit differently for Terrace.
“I’m bi!” she said in her tweet. “I want to write a bi character, dammit! Luckily my stubbornness paid off and now I am VERY supported by current Disney leadership.”
And that’s what we need more of: LGBTQ+ and ally writers stubbornly demanding for accurate representation in mainstream media. Though, I will remain skeptical (with a tad bit of cynicism)