Flowers are blooming, summer vacations are starting, and Pride Month is here. There are so many TV shows for kids with great LGBTQ+ characters, storylines and themes, and that’s great news — because representation matters. Here are 10 to check out.
1) Andi Mack (Disney+)
An artsy teenage girl named Andi finds out one day that her sister is actually her mom. But weirder than that, her mom is actually her grandmother. I know, I know, you just have to see it. This is a brilliantly written show about characters trying to find out who they really are and the crazy adventures they have in an effort find that truth. We love that Andi’s best friends Cyrus and Buffy are along for the ride and in Season Two, we watch as Cyrus courageously comes out.
2) Ridley Jones (Netflix)
If you loved Night at the Museum, then you’ll love Ridley Jones. This preschool series is set in the Museum of Natural History, where Ridley and her friends go on wild adventures to keep the museum’s secrets safe. We especially love that Ridley has two dads (who happen to be mummies), voiced by Chris Colfer and Andrew Rannells. And then there’s Fred, a wonderful, adorable non-binary bison who uses they/them pronouns.
3) The Loud House (Nickelodeon)
You just know that in a house with 11 kids (10 girls and 1 boy, oh my!), the volume must be at a constant fever pitch. So, it’s no wonder that 11-year-old Lincoln Loud finds ways to escape his house to chill out with his best friend, Clyde, and his two dads, Harold and Howard. Love how the gay dad characters are just as “standard” as any typical, heterosexual married parent characters that we always see on TV shows. Also, hope this isn’t a spoiler alert (it might be), but Lincoln’s sister, Luna, comes out as bisexual, giving even more layers of representation in this already excellent show.
4) Heartstopper (Netflix)
You might recognize the title Heartstopper from the viral queer graphic novel that exploded in 2019; it features two British school boys, Charlie (who is openly gay) and Nick (who is not) falling in love. The Netflix series is based on the graphic novel by Alice Oseman and features themes around love, friendship, mental health, and LGBTQ+ issues. We’ve seen a million stories just like this one featuring heterosexual teens, but here we get to watch first love bloom between two queer characters, and we are so here for it.
5) She-Ra and the Princess of Power (Netflix)
Calling all 80s kids! This reboot features five seasons of girl power awesomeness. We follow an orphaned girl named Adora who finds a sword, turns into the badass She-Ra, and unites a rebellion to fight against evil. Also she totally falls in love with her bestie, Catra. This is an excellent show that casts queer characters in the hero role and shows kids that being gay doesn’t mean you can’t also save the day.
6) The Owl House (Disney+)
The Owl House is a kid-friendly comedy horror that follows a bisexual character named Luz Noceda, who ends up in a magical portal that drops her into a fantastical realm where she becomes friends with a warrior king. Luz, who has always wanted to be a witch, becomes an apprentice and embarks on adventure after another. The show also features a two-dad household and a non-binary character.
7) Dead End: Paranormal Park (Netflix – coming June 16)
This animated trans series that sprang from the graphic novel series called DeadEndia. This British American fantasy-horror-comedy follows a trans teen named Barney, his neurodivergent best friend Norma, and a pug as they battle demons at a haunted theme park. If they succeed, they might just save the world from a supernatural apocalypse.
8) Pinky Malinky (Netflix)
Pinky Malinky might have been born a hotdog, but that doesn’t stop him from seeing the bright side of life. This hilarious kid’s show is a bright spot of LGBTQ+ inclusivity that includes characters like Pinky’s friend JJ Jameson who has three dads (yes, three, it’s a polyamorous relationship). The best part? If you fall in love with this show, there are more than 60 episodes to binge on.
9) Steven Universe (Hulu)
Steven is a little bro in a family of magical beings called the Crystal Gems, who are basically the guardians of the universe. Steven’s quest: to learn how to use his magical powers to save the world. By the way, those magical powers come from his belly button, making this show both hilarious and adorable. The show features two LGBTQ+ characters, Saphire and Ruby — known as the Gems — who share a 5,000-year-long relationship.
10) Chip and Potato (Netflix)
Chip is an adorable pug with a secret bestie mouse called Potato. Together, the cute cartoon duo start kindergarten, welcome a new sibling, and strive to learn all of the things little kids are supposed to know about belonging to a family and a community. The show brings LGBTQ+ inclusiveness by adding the characters Roy and Razzle, two gay zebra dads who move to town with their twins, Ron and Rub.
