Reisha Shetty Junior Digital Writer

With the entertainment industry growing and trying to be more inclusive, we’ve seen a huge plot development when it comes to characters, especially in cartoons.

More and more beloved cartoon characters are coming out as members of the LGBTQ+ community, which might not seem much but it’s a huge step in the right direction when representation is concerned. The reality is that many queer kids grow up without seeing themselves on-screen. The only semblance of LGBTQ+ representation we had were queer-coded characters that were, more often than not, the villains of the story. In fact, one of the most popular never-acknowledged-but-had-to-be-queer character from our childhood was Velma from Scooby Doo.

Recently, Cartoon Network officially released the news that the beloved character is officially a lesbian! This comes in after years of speculations, with some creators even stating how they always wanted Velma to be a part of the LBGTQ+ community but because of creative differences, they couldn’t overtly bring that side out in the shows and movies. And as long-time fans are rejoicing on the news of of their favourite character finally coming out (even Google has a little something special in store if you search Velma), there are many other cartoons that have made it very important to bring in chacrecters with different sexualities.

Visibility and representation matter so much today, and it’s really heartening to see major production houses incorporating LGBTQ+ characters into some of the most iconic cartoon shows of all time. Here are the ones that we particularly love.

Velma From Scooby-Doo

Velma Dinkley from Scooby-Doo has officially come out as a lesbian, after so many years of it being an “open secret”. The creators of the cartoon show and the live-action have finally confirmed the character’s sexuality and we couldn’t be more proud.

Spongebob From Spongebob Squarepants

Our favourite little yellow character who lives in a pineapple under the sea is a part of the LGBTQ+ community! During pride month in the year 2020, Nickelodeon shared a series of rainbow-coloured portraits of their LGBTQ+ actors and characters, which included Spongebob.

Mr Ratburn From Arthur

Everybody’s favourite teacher from the kids‘ show, Arthur, Mr Ratburn got married to someone special, sharing that he is openly gay. During the 22nd season of Arthur, Mr Ratburn married his long-time love Patrick and had the cutest wedding ever!

Marceline And Princess Bubblegum From Adventure Time

In 2018, one of Cartoon Network’s biggest shows, Adventure Time, revealed that their two most popular characters, Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire have feelings for each other and they finally kiss! This very scene had fans ecstatic and celebrating their favourite character being a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Aunt Holiday And Auntie Lofty From My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

The cutest cartoon show ever, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has a sweet LGBTQ+ couple that we just can’t get over. Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty are the cute couple and aunts of Scootaloo. They first appear in the book’s chapter, Ponyville Mysteries: Riddle of the Rusty Horseshoe and are later seen in the show.

Indy and Ty Sabrewing From DuckTales

©Disney XD

In the popular Disney XD show, DuckTales Reboot, we were introduced to the sweetest family ever! A character named Violet had two of the kindest dads, Indy and Ty Sabrewing. When we were first introduced to them, both the fathers were wearing T-shirts which said: “I’m With Dad”! Isn’t that so cute?