Steven Universe Makes History with First Same-Sex Kiss Involving a Major Character in American Kid’s Animation
By: Dylan Hysen
On tonight’s July 6th episode “Reunited”, Steven Universe made history by featuring the first same-sex kiss on the lips involving a major character in American children-oriented animation history. The scene involved gems Ruby and Sapphire who usually combine to comprise Garnet, one of the show’s main characters. The two kiss at their wedding, also the first same-sex wedding involving a major character in American children-oriented animation history. And on Wednesday’s episode “The Question”, Ruby proposed to Sapphire in what was the first same-sex wedding proposal involving a major character in children-oriented animation history.
The animation industry has had an endemic of queer censorship for years now, with execs at TV networks, production companies, and sponsors regularly censoring attempts at queer representation by animators. Many shows have tried to achieve this major kiss milestone recently, one of which, Mysticons, likely had a female-female kiss cut from an episode airing later this year. Steven Universe is the first to break through this barrier and will hopefully pave the way for further queer representation to come.
Dylan Hysen
Dylan is a software developer from the DC area who hosts the Overly Animated podcast discussing everything animation.
2 Comments
[…] had amounted to the handhold at the end of The Legend of Korra that was downgraded from a kiss, the Ruby/Sapphire kiss that had just happened in Steven Universe, and a cancelled Mysticons kiss. Things weren’t looking […]
As much of an achievement as this kiss was, we need to remember that part of the reason this is possible is because Steven Universe has a loophole by saying that all Gems are technically genderless, which was how they were able to get away with a lot of Ruby & Sapphire’s relationship. This is a great milestone, but it may take a while before other shows make such a huge achievement.