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This Cartoon Character Actually Said 'I'm Gay' in a Coming Out Scene
Netflix's Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts ditches the usual subtext of many animated queer shows in favor of actual, explicit queer representation—and fans are taking notice!
Netflix and DreamWorks Animation's newest animated series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts features an adorable coming out scene, and it's an understatement to say that fans are emotional.
The new series follows a girl named Kipo who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where creatures are massive and intelligent, forcing humans to hide underground. After a mutant attack, Kipo finds herself on the surface and with the help of human and creature surface dwellers, she embarks on a quest to find her father and other missing residents of her underground city.
We meet DJ Benson, Kipo's best friend who she has a crush on. In episode six, she nervously decides to tell DJ how she feels.
"I just feel like I need to tell you that...I think I like you," she begins.
"Oh..." DJ tenses up.
"You don't feel the same," asks Kipo, disappointed.
"I like you too, really really like you," says DJ. "You're all kinds of awesome. You should know something..."
“You like me as a friend.” Kipo looks down.
“Yes...Because I’m gay.”
And just like that, a character on a children's television show has explicitly come out as gay, a rare occurrence in animated media.
And after some initial embarrassment, Kipo replies, "Thank you for just uh, I don't know, being you?"
Fans are freaking out over how casual the coming-out moment was, as well as praising the series for not relying on subtext when it comes to its gay characters. DJ just is who he is, and Kipo accepts him immediately.
\u201cDamn Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts out here saying the G word\u201d— Luther Strode (@Luther Strode) 1579026962
\u201c@StrodeLuther @Sonicrocks_152 2020 and we finally get explicitly queer kids. QUEER KIDS get to see queer kids! High fives to the team who likely fought tooth and nail for this!\u201d— Luther Strode (@Luther Strode) 1579026962
\u201cI\u2019m so happy about this. Hopefully a big step in the right direction for how gay people are represented in media, especially media for kids. DreamWorks has been doing amazing things.\u201d— \ud83c\udf0c Violet Loup \ud83c\udf0c (@\ud83c\udf0c Violet Loup \ud83c\udf0c) 1579039959
\u201cStarted watching 'Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts' and I'm so in love with it.. it's so fun and colourful and creative and we've already got a confirmed in show gay male character that isn't white, sexualised, or a gay stereotype \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\udc4c\u201d— Jellicle Jas \u30b8\u30e3\u30ba \u2660\ufe0f\ud83d\udc9c (@Jellicle Jas \u30b8\u30e3\u30ba \u2660\ufe0f\ud83d\udc9c) 1579006573
\u201cWatch Kipo and the age of wonderbeasts\u201d— \ud83d\udc9caster is ysms\ud83d\udc9c (@\ud83d\udc9caster is ysms\ud83d\udc9c) 1579021223
And if that wasn't enough to pull at your heartstrings, it looks like DJ even gets his own love interest! Creator and Executive Producer of the series, Radford Sechrist, posted a clip from the series on Instagram where DJ meets a boy who likes the same MC as him and cheesy falling-in-love music plays while the boys make eyes at each other.
My heart!
Watch Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts on Netflix now.
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
