🐱 Cartoon Network Tried to Downplay The Queerness of Steven Universe

Cartoon Network Tried to Downplay The Queerness of Steven Universe

Rebecca Sugar says that Cartoon network encouraged her not to talk about the queerness of her series Steven Universe.

www.themarysue.com

Few shows have changed the landscape of animation like Steven Universe has. The series, which premiered on Cartoon Network in 2013, followed the adventures of young boy Steven Universe, who lives with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, magical aliens known as the Crystal Gems. Created by Adventure Time alum Rebecca Sugar, the series quickly drew raves for its expansive and compassionate portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and gender fluidity. Steven Universe was the first animated series to win the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Program in 2019, and took home a Peabody Award the same year.

But while the series reaped critical acclaim and a devoted queer fanbase, Sugar describes a very different attitude from Cartoon Network behind the scenes. In a joint interview with She-Ra and the Princesses of Powershowrunner Noelle Stevenson for Paper Magazine, Sugar described the pushback she received from the network.

Sugar said, “We strategized the concept of fusion to be able to explore relationships and include queer relationships. Central to that, one of the things we were excited about was to have the character of Garnet have a ton of screen time and be a main character.” In season 2 episode “The Answer”, the series revealed that Garnet was a fusion of two queer gems, Ruby and Sapphire. According to Sugar, the network was less than supportive.

“They told us point-blank, ‘you can’t have these characters be in a romantic relationship,’ but at that point Garnet was so established that audiences could instantly understand what the relationship was, the song had already been written, the episode had already been boarded so we were already in full production. I’m really proud of the patience we had and the time that we took to fully explore these characters at a time when that was not necessarily possible.
Back in 2014, 2015, 2016 I was told that I couldn’t discuss it publicly. They basically brought me in and said ‘we want to support that you’re doing this but you have to understand that internationally if you speak about this publicly, the show will be pulled from a lot of countries and that may mean the end of the show.’ They actually gave me the choice to speak about it or not, to tell the truth about it or not, around 2015/ 2016, by then I was honestly really mentally ill and I dissociated at Comic Con.
I would privately do drawings of these characters kissing and hugging that I was not allowed to share. I couldn’t reconcile how simple this felt to me and how impossible it was to do, so I talked about it. The show survived in a large part because of the support from fans. I’m really proud of the choice we made and what we were able to accomplish together. I’m so proud of my team who supported me through all of this, crafted the show and navigated this with me.
The way they put their mental health on the line to tell stories that were personal to them. It seems absurd to think that only a few years ago and really now, that a person’s job, their ability to make cartoons, could hinge on their sexual orientation, it’s profoundly unfair and ridiculous but true. That really needs to shift and is still in the process of shifting. I only understand what I saw from inside the framework of Cartoon Network and Turner, so Noelle, if you’d like to speak about this I completely respect and understand the difficulty of talking about going through something like this so definitely only share what makes you comfortable.”
Stevenson said she faced similar pushback from Netflix, even after She-Rapremiered in a post-Steven Universe world. She described support waning after the 2016 election saying, “At first it seemed like we were going to get this from the company, we were really excited about that and so we were setting things up in season one, we had the “Princess Prom” episode, then the election in 2016 happened and everybody got really scared. It was immediately, like Rebecca said, the same kind of pushback where we were told point-blank we would not be able to do this. Across the board, no romance. That was how broad it got! Let’s just be extra-safe, no romance whatsoever.”
Both series, which still boast a massive fan base, are proof that queer stories have a massive fan base, not just in animation, but across pop culture. The interview is a fascinating look at the creative process for both shows, and the determination of queer creators to make sure they get to tell their own stories.
(via Paper Magazine, image: Cartoon Network)

 

[The Last Stand]

It can be overwhelming with all the screaming yeah, but there are some stand out bits where they shit on the Chinese for shamelessly copying the show, the anime episode, or any of the numerous really dark gags. Also wasn't trying to push some lefty agenda and actually shit on them more often than not.

That one episode where it showcased all the background characters in one episode was my favorite. That one gag where the Gumball staff lost their funding and the animation got worse as it progressed was genius meta.

I guess it's making fun of its audience. Generation Z.

 

[kobox666]

I like Steven Universe, but i dont think it will have a very lasting legacy, most of what the show did was already done in adventure time or in anime. And kids dont really care about romance, so that part of the show was lost to them, teenagers do, but they already have plenty of access to shows that deal with them, and im pretty sure most teenagers find Steven Universe tame and childish. Im a silly man, so I just watched it for the silly stories. I think my favorite episode was when they played baseball. One thing I will give it credit and it is underated is the musical aspect.

 

[Coelacanth]

And drew 2d child porn. Did people forget her stint of drawing Ed, Edd n Eddy porn? I guess that was memoryholed cuz RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY GAY SPACE ROCKS

Steven Universe sucks donkey balls either way.

There was another person working on Stephen Universe that also drew EEnE porn, Raven M. The catch is that she happened to be working as the storyboard artist for EEnE and her stuff is arguably more disgusting than anything Sugar's drawn.

 

[Creep3r]

I was honestly really mentally ill

GASP! How shocking!

Rock People Hate Men

"You sure make a lot of content about SU for someone who claims to hate it. Now where's your eighth video on The Legend of Korra?"

www.youtube.com

 

[knightlautrec]

There was another person working on Stephen Universe that also drew EEnE porn, Raven M. The catch is that she happened to be working as the storyboard artist for EEnE and her stuff is arguably more disgusting than anything Sugar's drawn.

Eughhh. Birds of a feather I guess. For reference: Rebecca Sugars porn.

 

[Saint Alphonsus]

The fact that the viewerbase seemed to consist of insane, narcissistic sex perverts is what turned me off to Steven Universe back then and to this very day.

That, and the fact that I'm an adult.

 

[BerriesArnold]

I remember a short-lived cartoon called Flapjack which was surprisingly fun to watch over again. I recommend it for those who actually give a shit to watch old shows again.

Someone in COLLEGE forced the class to watch Steven Universe, and I couldn't be bothered with it. Reminds me of how the creators of Korra the Avatar botched that show with forced LGBTQ crap. There's a tasteful way to handle gay themes and whatnot. But it takes a skilled team of writers to actually do it.

 

[Safir]

It seems absurd to think that only a few years ago and really now, that a person’s job, their ability to make cartoons, could hinge on their sexual orientation, it’s profoundly unfair and ridiculous but true.

I am utterly assmad about this phrase. Howard Ashman died nearly 30 years ago. No one ever said his orientation got in the way of making cartoons (except, well, in the obvious way). It's this Sugar cunt who's arguing faggots and dykes can't be trusted to do the job they've been hired to do. She says outright she sabotaged the network's policies. Make cartoons all you want; you aren't owed payment, airtime, and Korean slave labor.

 

[Male Idiot]

That cartoon is so gay you can not downplay its faggottry, for there would be nothing left of it.

 

[Coelacanth]

I remember a short-lived cartoon called Flapjack which was surprisingly fun to watch over again. I recommend it for those who actually give a shit to watch old shows again.

Someone in COLLEGE forced the class to watch Steven Universe, and I couldn't be bothered with it.

Flapjack was insane and twisted but I'm with you on this one. It has more creativity and variety than anything SU has.

Also I am interested to know what kind of loser forces an entire college class to watch a kids show that has rock troons and lesbos in it?

 

[potato fan]

I wanted to watch SU because I liked the aesthethics of the show, but was not really into "LGBTQP propaganda forced into kids cartoon" and thought it would put me off. It turned out that actually that homo stuff was way down on the list of terrible things about this show, that make it hard to watch
- it seems that a good half of episodes in the 1st season doesn't really have plots, it's just some non-story about nothing
- half of eps that do have a plot are boring
- the whole "main arc" seemed like an afterthought (like in SW sequels), and is resolved easily and with no real problems
- the art in some eps deteriorates badly, and character models change noticably from scene to scene
- at every other episode you start to suspect that Steven is supposed to be some kind of "learning disability" type of kid, not even an aspie, but an 80IQ hmong who never ever asks any questions whatsoever about any of the weird shit happening around, but if he did that would destroy the entire plot points with easy solutions to the problems
- maybe I'm not enough of a queer-pro, but sometimes it seemed like some scenes or plots were supposed to be about queer issues, but I really couldn't guess what they were trying to say there
- the show was praised for its songs but tbh most of them were annoying, I think the voice actors were not really skilled enough for singing
- and apparently artists drawing this never had to use a clothesline

Spoiler: - and apparently artists drawing this never had to use a clothesline

OTOH I liked the drawing style, and some of the weird, no-plot episodes were interesting in an artsy-shmartsy way

all in all it felt like they had an idea for a weird story about a boy raised by alien gems, and also wanted to push some BIG GAY issues and fill it up with non-white people, but really struggled with plot and execution

Also you can't help but notice that one character was supposed to be a parody of a right wing, conspiracy theory spouting xenophobe, but who in the end was right all along about the aliens being responsible for destruction of their town numerous times

 

[Lady Adjani]

Cartoons should have nothing to do with LGBT propaganda.

 

[Iron Hamster]

Imagine the pushback for the creepy molester uncle grandpa.

 

[round robin]

That one episode where it showcased all the background characters in one episode was my favorite. That one gag where the Gumball staff lost their funding and the animation got worse as it progressed was genius meta.

I guess it's making fun of its audience. Generation Z.

Honestly the screaming is just there to distract and entertain the children watching it. Pay attention to any episode of gumball and it becomes a pretty smart satire of daily American life. It picks on people from every political affiliation and says some stuff that would fit in well on an episode of south park. Probably the last good thing CN will ever do.

Also SU sucks.

 

[Unassuming Local Guy]

"All I wanted was to show graphic lesbian sex to as many young children as I could. The idea of 8 year olds watching my drawings scissor each other gets me excited. Also, why are people becoming increasingly anti-gay I don't get it"

 

[Haramburger]

What did nigger mean by this?

The episode where Gumball & Darwin just watch youtube videos for one. All of it.

 

[Screw Danlon]

Few shows have changed the landscape of animation like Steven Universe has.

Seriously?
How about Looney Tunes? The Simpsons? Ren & Stimpy (or maybe Invader Zim)? GI Joe? Scooby-Doo? Adventure Time?

And that’s not even getting into anime like Sailor Moon or Voltron.

 

[Y2K Baby]

Adventure Time

Adventure Time is the one that changed the landscape of animation to faggot shit, not Steven Universe.

 

[Jonah Hill poster]

Uncle Grandpa unintentionally exposed this show when they did the crossover episode. It turned out to be more goofy and entertaining than SU.

 

[Hollywood Hitler]

Did she really think that CN would allow her to air an episode with a 10 minute tribbing scene?