In another small but important step forward for LGBTQ+ representation on screen, Disney now has its first ever bisexual lead character.
Her name is Luz Noceda and she's the central character in The Owl House, an animated fantasy series that airs on the Disney Channel.
The show follows Luz, a 14-year-old Dominican-American girl, as she accidentally stumbles upon a portal to another world, where she gets to fulfil her dream of becoming a witch.
In a recent episode, Luz is shown dancing at her school prom with Amity Blight, a female classmate who has expressed romantic feelings for her in the past.
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From enemies to frenemies to enchanted dance partners, who else loves seeing Luz & Amity’s relationship grow stronger? #TheOwlHouse pic.twitter.com/y9eXoXPSs7
— Disney TVA (@DisneyTVA) August 10, 2020
After the episode aired, the show's creator Dana Terrace – who is also bisexual – took to Twitter to confirm that Luz is bi and explain the episode's genesis.
"When I was first developing Owl House I always wanted to do a prom episode to make up for my own experiences," she wrote.
Continuing, Terrace said that in development for the series she was "very open about my intention to put queer kids in the main cast".
"I'm a horrible liar so sneaking it in would've been hard haha," she added. "When we were greenlit I was told by certain Disney leadership that I could NOT represent any form of bi or gay relationship on the Channel."
She then confirmed that she had won the battle to portray Luz as bisexual, saying: "I'm bi! I want to write a bi character, dammit! Luckily my stubbornness paid off and now I am VERY supported by current Disney leadership."
After spotting a somewhat misleading headline about the story, Terrace added graciously in a later tweet: "I will never be fully aligned with Disney as a company, however I’m not about to fully blast the execs that HAVE fought for me. Only love for allies."
The Owl House launched on Disney Channel earlier this year and has already been renewed for a second season, so here's to even more bisexual representation in future episodes.
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