Steven Universe creator: Same-sex marriage proposal was "years in the making"

Indiewire

The animated Cartoon Network series' July 4 episode took a big leap when it comes to LGBTQ depictions in children's cartoons by showing a same-sex marriage proposal between two female characters, Ruby and Sapphire. As Zack Sharf explains, "the same-sex marriage proposal is one of the more groundbreaking moments for LGBTQ representation in children’s cartoon programming. Shows such as Disney XD’s Star vs. the Forces of Evil have depicted a gay kiss in the past, while Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra has teased its lead character’s relationship with another female character, but a marriage proposal is an entirely different level for LGBTQ visibility." Creator Rebecca Sugar says of the proposal: “I wanted to really create an image of a queer couple that makes sense together. Usually the couple is a man and a woman. But you don’t show that love can exist between two men or two women. I wanted to create equal-opportunity love stories for children.