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Producer confirms lesbian romance on Cartoon Network show

Jul 21 2015
Written by Nick Duffy

One of the execs on children’s cartoon series Steven Universe has confirmed a lesbian romance between two characters.

The popular show is based on a young boy named Steven, who grows up with three magical aliens – the ‘Crystal Gems’ Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl.

The show, which has already won praise for including a number of strong, female characters in a comparatively male-dominated genre, has now hinted at further diversity.

Characters Ruby and Sapphire – who are shown to be incredibly close on the show – sparked curiosity among some of the show’s adult fans.

Responding to a fan’s questions in Twitter, the show’s former co-executive producer Ian Jones-Quarterly confirmed: “R & S are in a romantic relationship and I don’t believe any different.

When asked whether it is fair to interpret the pair as “nonbinary femme presenting lesbians”, he responded: “by human standards & terminology that would be a fair assessment!”

It’s divided the show’s fans, however – with one Redditor commenting: “The best assessment would be, two space rocks who love each other very much.

“Stop making this show more than it really is. It’s on Cartoon Network. A network aimed at kids around ages 6-12.”

The news will be welcome for Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb – who is a strong proponent of LGBT characters on children’s TV.

Writing for PinkNews while running for party leader, Mr Lamb said that the lack of LGBT characters on children’s TV was down to bigotry, adding: “Our broadcasters must realise that sexuality is not, fundamentally, about who you want to have sex with – but who you are, and who you love.”

When asked in a PinkNews interview whether this means he’d like to see gay characters in shows like Peppa Pig, he said: “If you impose arbitrary limits, you’re saying that actually at heart, it’s not equatable. It should absolutely not be out of bounds, which it appears to be at the moment.”

However, Peppa Pig was condemned to a life of heteronormativity when Mr Lamb lost out to his leadership rival Tim Farron.

The co-creators of anime series ‘Legends of Korra’ recently confirmed that two main characters are intended to be a lesbian couple.