'Steven Universe' Creator Says Same-Sex Wedding Almost Didn't Happen

Steven Universe has been widely praised for its LGBTQ+ inclusivity, but apparently the show’s groundbreaking same-sex wedding easily might not have happened.

The show made history with the first same-sex proposal and first same-sex wedding in a children’s program back in 2018, when Ruby and Sapphire decided to tie the knot.

But show creator Rebecca Sugar, who identifies as bisexual and non-binary, recently admitted in an interview with Reuters that convincing Cartoon Network to let them show a same-sex wedding on the program took years.

“We are held to standard of extremely bigoted countries,” Sugar said, pointing out an issue that’s all too common in Hollywood. The ability to sell shows and movies internationally is a sticking point, and when some of the biggest markets are conservative, it makes the people in charge hesitate to sink finances into media that won’t be sold or might be censored.

“There are people who see what we’re doing as insidious and…they’re ignorant,” they continued. “So much bigotry is based on the idea that (LGBT+ content) is something inherently adult, which is entirely false.”

Fortunately for all of us, Sugar eventually got their way, allowing Steven Universe to continue to bring kids’ content into an inclusive and welcoming place for all identities.

“Right now what is so critical is just that queer youth understand adults in the world know they exist, appreciate they exist,” they said.

“I really hope the show is a stepping stone to action and to the ability to find one another.”

Steven Universe is returning to Cartoon Network as a limited series “epilogue” to the original show, though a date hasn’t yet been announced.