The evolution of queer characters in children's animation

In 2018, Rebecca Sugar's "Steven Universe" featured both the first LGBTQ wedding and the first LGBTQ marriage proposal in a kids' animated TV show. And in 2020, Benson from "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts" was the first kids' animated character to directly identify themselves as gay. These are groundbreaking achievements in LGBTQ representation, but it took a long time and a lot of hard work to get here. Here's a look back at how LGBTQ characters in kids' shows evolved from Hays Code-era stereotypes and queer-coded villains.