Children's Awareness of and Perceptions About LGBTQ Characters in Selected Animated Children's Shows

In recent years, a large number of movies and television shows created have featured the addition of LGBTQ characters. This step to diversify and increase representation has reached into media made for children as well, however, this has been highly controversial. The representation of LGBTQ people for children has become a major topic of political debate, concerning whether this representation is promoting inclusivity or sexualization to children. Interestingly, despite the controversy, the impact of including LGBTQ characters in children’s media is mostly unexplored, likely due to its novelty. Do children even recognize that they are seeing LGBTQ characters, especially when in parental roles? There is little previous research as to whether children can understand and have reactions to LGBTQ characters. Additionally, there is little research that is able to connect the attitudes of the parents with the child’s attitudes. Because parental attitudes towards LGBTQ people are one of the best predictors of the child’s attitude, it is important to examine the child and parent in juxtaposition when investigating this social phenomenon. Thus, this study consists of observing children while they watch clips from four selected children’s animated shows, conducting interviews to learn about the child’s understanding of LGBTQ characters, and collecting surveys from parents regarding the parents’ attitudes towards homosexuality, demographics, and child’s media consumption behavior.

Embargo status: Restricted until 06/2025. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link to the left.