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[lgbtchildrensrep]

Bibliography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Powerpuff_Girls

https://powerpuffgirls.fandom.com/wiki/HIM_(1998_TV_series)

https://www.them.us/story/bubbline-is-canon-adventure-time

https://adventuretime.fandom.com/wiki/Princess_Bubblegum%27s_relationships

https://dotandline.net/lgbtq-american-cartoons-6b1557a4c846/

-Lonnie

[lgbtchildrensrep]

Annotated Sources

1.) Pump, Andrew. “Chapter 12 Queer Kids Innocence, Beauty, and Stupidity in an Ideological State Apparatus .” Misfit Children: an Inquiry into Childhood Belongings, by Markus P.J. Bohlmann, Lexington Books, 2017, pp. 197–208.

This chapter in the book points out how LGBT representation is important for children. It also goes to explain how anime and manga that focuses on same-sex relationships are overly sexualized. It goes to explain how LGBT is being overly sexualized in all sorts of media styles. The chapter just wants to inform the general public about the history of LGBT after the Cold War. It also shows how new media platforms have a great impact on how the representation of LGBT is being spread. 

This is a credible source because they put their references and notes after each chapter. They also couldn’t publish the book if they had incorrect facts and not correct sources to back up their opinions. It also provides valid sources and reasonings to their opinions. They provide all the things necessary to be considered credible. 

2.)Ryall, Julian. “On Japanese Tv, The Lady Is A Man Cross-Dressing 'Onnagata' Are Popul...” Archive.is, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Sept. 2010, archive.is/20100915195608/http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4939796-1.html.

This website is to show how people on Japanese Television are popular because they are being outspoken on their issues. They see nothing wrong with following traditions of dressing up as women. They are supposed to be outspoken and downright rude because that’s their role on television. the website points out that these men are making transgender roles more open to the general public. 

This source is credible because I found it through another source. If another valuable source used it then this is also credible. This is useful for my study because it shows Japan’s stance on LGBT issues and representation. Whether it be for youth or not, the youth is still exposed to these characters that the website is talking about. 

3.)McLelland, Mark J. “Http://Ro.uow.edu.au/Cgi/Viewcontent.cgi?Article=1155&Context=Artspapers.” Google Scholar, Google, 2004, ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1155&context=artspapers.

This is an online research paper about the changing of transgender identities in post-war Japan. So it shows how Japan is changing and adapting to the terminology for gender. It shows that they are learning that it isn’t just an entertainment thing, but an actual medical reason. It talks about how Japan is dealing with the new medical understandings of being transgender and all that comes with it. 

This is a credible source because it is an online research paper from a university. They had to be exact with all the facts that they used to back up their findings. They had to find their sources back up what they were trying to inform the audience about. This is relevant because this shows the resources being provided and talked about in Japan. This shows how much exposure is being shown to the youth in Japan. 

4.)Kuchikomi. “Television Perpetuates Outmoded Gender Stereotypes.” Japan Today, 18 June 2009, 5:00 am, japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/television-perpetuates-outmoded-gender-stereotypes.

This website is talking about a specific show that has characters that are gay and transgender and how they are seen according to television. The author of those characters go to speak about how terms that used to mean one thing have changed to have discriminatory implications, but the television industry flaunts it. The author points out that television doesn’t try to understand the complexity of sexuality and gender. They also don’t show the effects of not being transgender in different periods. 

This source is credible because I found it off another credible source. If this source was useful for that source then it should be credible enough to use. This website is good for this project because it shows that gender and sexuality are complexed and that the media doesn’t try to understand that. It also shows that the television industry isn’t censoring this so that children are being exposed to it which has an influence on them. 

5.)“Chapter 3.” Queer Images: a History of Gay and Lesbian Film in America, by Harry M. Benshoff and Sean Griffin, Rowman & Littlefield Pub., 2006, pp. 74–79.

In this chapter of this book, it points out the representation of LGBT in American cartoons. It talks about the controversies that would be the possibility if certain characters acted in different ways. It brings up gender and how it is showed in those cartoons. It also explains that villains tend to be the ones that are homosexuals or queer. It also shows how they are often the murderer in horror films. It also goes to explain how homosexual or queer characters had to be hidden because Hollywood refused to accept them. 

This is a credible source because if it didn’t have credible sources and research they wouldn’t have been able to publish the book.  The authors had to do research about the topic before they could write and publish the book. They wouldn’t be able to give information that would be useful to the general public if they didn’t. It also wouldn’t have been published if it didn’t have credible sources to back up their claims. 

-Elizabeth

[lgbtchildrensrep]

Other Sources Used

Yuri On Ice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_on_Ice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJjj_OauGxo

Sweet Blue Flowers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Blue_Flowers 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsQgOXM-TxA

Others

https://the-artifice.com/depiction-anime-lesbian-queer/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ilisha_Mehta/publication/325626490_An_Analysis_of_Gender_and_Sexual_Identities_in_Cardcaptor_Sakura/links/5b194dd2a6fdcca67b6359a3/An-Analysis-of-Gender-and-Sexual-Identities-in-Cardcaptor-Sakura.pdf 

https://the-artifice.com/anime-queer-representation/

https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/32647/1/how-manga-is-guiding-japan-s-youth-on-lgbt-issues

https://comicsverse.com/anime-nyc-lgbtq-rep/

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2018-08-02/speak-out-japan-lgbtq-community-responds-to-politician-sugita-discriminatory-statements/.134642

-Elizabeth

[lgbtchildrensrep]

“In a Heartbeat” by Beth David and Esteban Bravo

“In a Heartbeat,'' by Beth David and Esteban Bravo is a revolutionary animated short of a boy named Sherwin, whose heart literally jumps out of his chest and chases after the object of his desire: another boy by the name of Jonathan. Throughout the short, the young boy is trying to keep his heart from meeting up with his crush in order to keep his feelings a secret. The nervousness and panic Sherwin shows as he pursues his own heart is about more than just his reluctance to admit that he has a crush, but more about the risk he is running of being outed to his crush and everyone else at their school. Once the boy’s heart runs into Jonathan, everyone seems to look at the pair with disapproval and confusion, which leads Sherwin to pull on his heart and break it in half. Now with only half of his broken heart, the young boy sits under a tree, visibly upset and distressed. The audience then sees Jonathan sit next to Sherwin and give him the other half of his heart, healing his broken heart.

Any sort of vague LGBT+ representation in any form of children’s media is rare, and it is even more infrequent for LGBT+ people to be represented overtly in children’s media, which is why “In a Heartbeat” is very important for children to see and be exposed to. To quote one of the short’s creators, Esteban Bravo, “From a business standpoint, it makes sense why studios are afraid to portray LGBT characters, just because there’s still part of the population that’s not accepting. But as leaders of children’s content, it’s really important for them to represent these people because not showing LGBT characters leads to a lot of internalized confusion as kids grow up.” This kind of positive representation of LGBT+ people is necessary for young children and is crucial for making a society that has less homophobia and stigma around being gay. It is also essential for young children to see people from the LGBT+ community in their media so that they do not feel alone and confused if they come out at some point in their life.

-Jack Hanstein

[lgbtchildrensrep]

-Jack

[lgbtchildrensrep]

“Sam’s Story” by The You Inside Project

The You Inside Project created an animated short film called “Sam’s Story” about a child growing up and coming out as transgender. The story starts with a young girl and boy growing up together, the young boy always knowing that the little girl, named Sam, is unhappy playing with traditionally feminine toys and dressing in “girl’s” clothing. As the story continues, the audience watches Sam grow up as an outsider in school, and with the support of the boy, Sam finds comfort and also cuts her hair to a short length. After this, Sam starts to feel isolated, as shown by the scene depicting her sitting all alone in the lunchroom. At the end of the short film, Sam and the boy are standing in front of Sam’s parents and it is revealed that the boy and Sam are actually the same person, and that the boy was representing how Sam felt inside all along.

The representation of the LGBT+ community, specifically the transgender community, in this animated short is monumentus in children’s media, even though transgender topics and discussions are becoming regular in today’s society. Children’s media with positive transgender themes and representation is hard to come by which is shocking considering the rising amount of transgender people in the world coming out, many of which are still young children. “Sam’s Story” shows the importance of having positive transgender representation in children’s media through the scenes where Sam is isolated and feels alone and upset. This is an unfortunate reality for many transgender children growing up, and having better portrayals and more transgender characters in children’s media may be able to help future transgender children feel like they belong.

-Jack Hanstein

[lgbtchildrensrep]

Academic Resources

1) Italie, Leanne. “LGBTQ Representation in Children's TV Is Growing: 'We're Talking about the Love of a Family'.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 31 July 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/life/parenting/2019/07/31/ltbtq-representation-growing-childrens-television/1875892001/.

This USA Today article is about the impact that media has on people, especially on young children. It talks about how many children’s television shows with LGBT+ characters in them received positive feedback from parents of LGBT+ children who found themselves in the characters on the screen, and even of parents whose children are friends with LGBT+ children or have a friend that has LGBT+ parents. This article details many of the shows that have been extremely inclusive over the years, and talks about the importance of continuing that representation and even including more LGBT+ characters into mainstream media.

USA Today is a credible and quality source because it is a newspaper that has been published in the United States since 1992 with well over two million newspapers in circulation. This specific article uses references to many television shows, cartoons, and other media outlets to make it’s claim, and many of these shows are from current times. Due to the fact that the author uses current information to make their claims, I feel as though this article provides quality and relevant information to the consumer.

2) “Chapter 4: Consumer Culture.” Sexual Identities and the Media: an Introduction, by Wendy Hilton-Morrow and Kathleen Battles, Routledge, 2015, pp. 101–130.

This chapter of “Sexual Identities and the Media” by Wendy Hilton-Morrow and Kathleen Battles, is about consumer culture and the role that politics and LGBT+ identities play within it. The history of LGBT+ representation in media was discussed, explaining the balancing act that many companies performed when they included gay people in their advertisments or programs. Those companies had to balance the potential financial gain that could come from having inclusive programming, with the risks of controversy over it from straight people. This chapter also detailed how marginalized groups such as the LGBT+ community has used media and the marketplace as a platform in the fight for social and political rights, as well as for LGBT+ normalcy in society.

“Sexual Identities and the Media” is a credible source because it has been determined as credible and quality by colleges and universities in order to be used as a textbook for classes. This source also uses many references in each chapter, which proves that the authors did a lot of research on these topics before they wrote on them. It also shows that many different people and many different works have all come together in this textbook to make sure that all viewpoints are expressed and all information is as accurate as it can be. This chapter from “Sexual Identities in the Media” is useful for our blog topic because it is all about representation in the media and how it affects the consumers of that media. Although, it does not directly address children’s media, we can apply the way that LGBT+ representation in all media forms affect audiences to the way that children are affected by the representations in the media that they are exposed to. 

3) Koblin, John. “L.G.B.T. Households Are Now Nielsen Families, and Advertisers and Producers Get a Valuable Tool.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 May 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/business/media/nielsen-lgbtq-household-ratings.html

This article focuses on LGBTQ viewers participation in the Nielson ratings program. In 2017 television show producers were noticing many shows that were inclusive of gay characters or where they were the main characters, were in danger of being cancelled. The producers went to GLAAD, an LGBTQ organization that monitors including of this community in media, to see if in fact the LGBTQ community was part of the Nielson ratings families that have input on which shows are going to continue on, or die out on television. GLAAD representatives noted that in fact most Nielson families were not in the LGBTQ community and therefore their voices and opinions were not being heard. Nielson executives were approached about the subject and surprisingly did something to correct the situation. What makes this important to this topic, is that because this lack of participation by LGBTQ households, there was an unfair disadvantage to this community in media programming. Now, Nielson executives are also measuring the interests of the LGBTQ community, and those homes are included in deciding the fate of this inclusive Programming. This source is a credible source because it is a very well known and trusted newspaper that has been running since 1851. The New York Times has also won a multitude of awards over the years, marking it as a trusted source for quality information.

4) Brown, Tracy. “GLAAD Report: LGBTQ Representation in Films Is up, but Less Diverse.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2019, www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-lgbtq-representation-glaad-studio-responsibility-index-20190523-story.html.

This report from the Los Angeles Times is about the call for not only representation of the LGBT+ community in general, but specifically about having diverse LGBT+ representation in mainstream media. In this article, the author describes the initiative that GLAAD put in place that encouraged all major film studios to have at least twenty percent of their annual releases to have an LGBT+ character in it. What this report found is, that in recent films, lesbian and gay characters have been getting more screen time, but shockingly almost none of the mainstream films in 2017 had any transgender or non-binary characters in them. The purpose of this article as a whole is to highlight the need for more LGBT+ representation in mainstream films, but also the need for diverse LGBT+ characters, as those categories are lacking greatly.

The article is credible and trusted because, the entire piece is based on research and information from GLAAD, which is a very well known LGBT+ rights organization that has been around since 1985. The information that GLAAD provides is for the purpose of promoting acceptance, understanding, and equality for LGBT+ people. This article also was written as a part of the Los Angeles Times, which is a trusted and known newspaper company. The Los Angeles Times has been in circulation since 1881, and has the fourth-largest circulation among United States newspapers. The reason that this article furthered my blog topic is because it gave statistical data about the amount of LGBT+ characters and representation in mainstream media, and highlighted just how under-represented this community is. That under-representation is detrimental to society and the way that the LGBT+ community is perceived and treated.

5) Green, Jeff. “Representation of LGBT Characters on TV: Why Stop at 10%?” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 8 Nov. 2019, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-08/representation-of-lgbt-characters-on-tv-why-stop-at-10.

In this Bloomberg article, the necessity of having LGBT+ representation in media is underlined and highlighted. The author writes a lot about how it is very important for people to see themselves in mainstream media, and it is equally as important for non-LGBT+ people to see members of this community in order to help others be more accepting og LGBT+ people. This article also talks about how the population of LGBT+ identifying people has increased over the last few years, and how the support for gay marriage has increased significantly in modern society.

This article is trustworthy and credible because it pulls information and statistics from various research projects including those from GLAAD, which once again is a well known human rights organization. It also uses information that is relevant and current to modern society, so the research that the author pulls from is not so old that it no longer applies to members of current society. The Bloomberg piece was useful in furthering my topic because it highlighted how important LGBT+ representation is in modern society, and how crucial it is for young people to see themselves in the characters of mainstream media. It is also pointed out that it is very important for people to see LGBT+ representation because it will aid in the fight for equality and human rights for LGBT+ people.

-Jack 

[lgbtchildrensrep]

Online Resources:

https://www.psfk.com/2017/06/meet-sam-the-first-toy-that-explains-transgender-identity-to-kids.html

https://thewilsonbeacon.com/9749/opinions/lack-of-lgbt-media-representation-is-dangerous/

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/aug/04/in-a-heartbeat-short-film-youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgfvmHeOiqQ

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/heartbeat-animated-short-about-same-gender-crush-goes-viral-n788426

-Jack

[lgbtchildrensrep]

-LOnnie

[lgbtchildrensrep]

ITS ADVENTURE TIME 

Adventure Time is a series aired on Cartoon Network about two Adventurers Fin and Jake who go on awesome adventures together. In this series we get to know Fin and Jake as well as Fin’s crush, Princess Bubble gum (who is actually made of bubble gum) when she first makes san appearance she seems to be carrying a secret throughout the whole series. We see multiple times of the Princess rejecting Fin’s feelings. Further on in the series we meet Marceline the vampire queen. When we are first shown Marceline she gives off a very dude-ish vibe. She eventually becomes best buds with Fin and Jake. 

This is the earliest episode on the list and it’s the first time we see Marceline and Bubblegum share the screen. It’s couples night in the Land of Ooo and Finn is trying to ask Princess Bubblegum out on a date. Naturally, he and Jake turn to their vampire friend Marceline for advice. When Bubblebum sees the Vampire Queen, she side eyes her and says “Hey, Marceline,” to which she playfully teases “Hello, Bonnibel,” letting us know Bubblegum’s first nameand that Marceline is one of the few people who’s allowed to call her by it.

There are plenty of hints throughout the series 

-Bubblegum sleeping in Marceline’s shirt 

-Their date to the Ice kings house

-Marceline’s song to Bubblegum

In the series finale, a few of the main characters fight a giant monster at the end of the world. When it looks like the creature has smashed Princess Bubblegum, Marceline is filled with rage and turns into a giant beast that pummels the evil one to pieces. When Marceline sees Bubblegum is unharmed, she immediately rushes over to hug her and says, “I don’t want to ever lose you again.” Bubblegum assures her that she never will, and the two embrace and KISS. This isn’t a little peck of friendship this is two women who are in love with each other, kissing. It’s the ending we deserved, both in a storytelling and character development sense, but also in the very important sense that queer people deserve beautifully and carefully told stories about our loves and lives.

https://adventuretime.fandom.com/wiki/Princess_Bubblegum%27s_relationships

-Lonnie

[lgbtchildrensrep]

-Lonnie

[lgbtchildrensrep]

“SUGAR SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE”

     Let’s talk about H.I.M from Powerpuff girls. H.I.M has a backstory of being humiliated and is 1 of the three archnemesis of the powerpuff girls. His appearance in the show showcases a very Flamboyant nature. Whilst holding the identity of a male the way he appears is very feminine; seen shown wearing a form of heel, with pink fluffy fur and very feminine facial features. The way that H.I.M often gets to the powerpuff girls is through playing on their weakness, often getting them to fight one another by using their characteristics against them. He doesn’t believe in destroying Townsville (the city in which the Powerpuff Girls live) he believes in taking it down in a psychological way. 

     Often what I get from this character is a lot of deceit, drama, femininity, and hunger for his light to shine brighter than anyone. I feel as though these are basic stereotypes of gay males. People believe that Gay males are always wanting attention even if it means tricking many psychologically to believe that they are in danger i.e. Jessie Smolet, which many use as a point of reference for all gay people. Since this is a child show I don’t think this is a positive representation of someone of the LGBTQ community. Especially to be showing to children and get them thinking that all.

https://powerpuffgirls.fandom.com/wiki/HIM

-Lonnie

[lgbtchildrensrep]

-Elizabeth

[lgbtchildrensrep]

LGBTQ+ in Anime

The anime “Sweet Blue Flowers” was written by Takako Shimura and produced by J.C. Staff, focuses on two childhood friends that are separated, but brought back together whilst starting high school. Throughout the anime, it shows the reality of learning oneself and same-sex relationships. Only one of the main characters is known as a lesbian from the start while the other is only starting to learn and explore herself. The different types of relationships and realities of how relationships work is shown throughout the entire show. This is important to bring awareness to the reality of how same-sex relationships are. 

This anime does well in portraying its points across even when this topic wasn’t as talked about. The show was aired in 2009, but the manga was made from 2004-2013. The show is very underrated for how well it portrays the need for learning oneself and being open about same-sex relationships.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Blue_Flowers)

-Elizabeth 

[lgbtchildrensrep]

-Elizabeth

[lgbtchildrensrep]

LGBTQ+ in Anime

The anime “Yuri On Ice” written by Sayo Yamamoto and produced by MAPPA, raises controversy with the fact that the main protagonists are depicted to be in a same-sex relationship. This show was aired in 2016, yet still had to deal with a lot of controversies because its main focus romantically was between two men. This anime was praised because it’s portrayed differently than most animes and mangas in the yaoi genre. In the yaoi genre it’s typical to find very sexualized animes and mangas whereas “Yuri On Ice” is more about the slow development of love and connection between two men. Throughout the anime, it shows the present-day issues of homophobia and the way it is dealt with within a country. 

“Yuri On Ice” gets a lot of criticism because of how the plot is developing throughout the show. Even though the show portrays a more realistic approach to how same-sex relationships can develop, it is seen as unrealistic and has too much visual censorship. The visual censorship makes the show can be shown without too much backlash of the message they are trying to project. The show is important to show that same-sex relationships aren’t something to be sexualized and are not fast-paced like how they are usually portrayed. 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_on_Ice)

-Elizabeth

[lgbtchildrensrep]

Other Sources

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/lgbtq-books

https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/1/27/10-modern-kids-shows-awesome-queer-characters

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/lgbtq-movies-for-teens

https://articles.aplus.com/film-forward/lgbtq-erasure-kids-shows-animation?no_monetization=true

https://www.34st.com/article/2019/10/disney-channel-childrens-shows-tv-film-lgbtq-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-questioning-characters-acting-representation-diversity-intersectional-entertainment

https://www.pride.com/tv/2017/5/24/6-reasons-its-important-have-lgbt-characters-childrens-tv-shows

https://www.themarysue.com/representation-kids-media/

https://www.mombian.com/2017/04/18/lgbtq-characters-need-moment-childrens-media/?doing_wp_cron=1575177794.8929429054260253906250

https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/glaad-shares-about-increase-in-lgbt-representation-on-television-including-childrens-shows/

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-lgbt-representation-is-important-in-media

- Emily