Nickelodeon Will Feature Its First Same-Sex Couple

"This is it. It's time to make history." And with those words, a Nickelodeon cartoon will do just that. According to Variety, The Loud House will become the first Nickelodeon cartoon to feature a married same-sex couple. There was no big announcement or press release. The network confirmed that the July 20 episode would feature same-sex parents, but has not made any further comments. Instead, Nickelodeon is simply planning to air the episode. The new series, which follows 11-year-old Lincoln Loud, the only boy in a family of 10, may be reaching this milestone quietly, but it's also doing so with a wink and a nod to those who might feel this was a long time coming. In Wednesday's episode, called "Overnight Success," Lincoln is seen crossing off dates on his calendar before talking about making history. The doorbell rings, and when he opens it, there stands his friend Clyde McBride with his two dads.

"Hi Mr. McBride. Hi Mr. McBride," Lincoln says to the two men standing in front of him. What's even more exciting about the animated series' decision to feature a same-sex couple is that it's also an interracial couple with a lot of love for each other. Their hug makes that even clearer. Not to mention that these two dads clearly love their son — maybe even a little too much. As the Huffington Post points out, the focus isn't on the fact that Clyde's dads are gay or of different races, it's that they're both extremely overprotective of their little boy. Just like so many other parents. While this marks the first depiction of a same-sex couple for Nickelodeon — and hopefully, not the last — The Simpsons was the first cartoon ever to feature a same-sex kiss, in 1990.