Cartoon Characters You Never Realized Are Probably Gay
- 13,831 VOTES
Mr. Simmons
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- Hey Arnold!
- Nickelodeon
Hey Arnold! was often praised for its smartness when it was on the air, and this extended to its inclusion. Mr. Simmons, Arnold's kindly fourth-grade teacher, loved his job and encouraged healthy inquisitiveness in his pupils.
In the episode "Arnold's Thanksgiving," it became obvious that, in addition to teaching, Robert Simmons also loved an eyebrow-raising, red-wine-drinking man named Peter. Though it's never explicit in the show, their romantic relationship was confirmed by series creator Craig Bartlett.
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- 26,214 VOTES
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Harley Quinn is now canonically bisexual since making the jump to comics. But, before she freed herself from "Mistah J," she found herself stuck firmly in the closet in Batman: The Animated Series. The show featured tons of "censor decoys," and one that raised a lot of eyebrows was Harley's close bond with Poison Ivy.
Both characters are known for using their sensuality to their advantage, and this portrayal, combined with their obvious affection for one another, led many viewers to believe the pair probably enjoyed a friendship with benefits.
- 36,305 VOTES
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Shego, the sultry, husky-voiced henchwoman to Kim Possible's emotionally unstable villain Doctor Drakken, often appeared capable of running the world all by herself.
But, in addition to essentially serving as Kim's shadowy counterpart, a lot of fans thought the two female characters' tussles were charged with a lot more than just animosity. And doesn't it make sense that Kim would end up with an equally badass partner rather than a bumbling klutz like Ron?
Furthermore, Shego's powers emerged after she was hit by a rainbow comet. That's pretty overt.
- 44,371 VOTES
Ren And Stimpy
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- The Ren & Stimpy Show
- Nickelodeon
Arguably, this cat and dog duo never hid an openly gay lifestyle. Not only did they live together, but they slept in the same bed too. Though they weren't exactly lovey-dovey with each other like many couples, Ren and Stimpy always undercut their physical closeness with a healthy dose of weirdness.
Creator John Kricfalusi has acted a little cagey about confirming or denying the couple's relationship status in the past: "I don't know whether they're gay or not. That's their own business." His later work on Ren and Stimpy's Adult Party Cartoon, however, might suggest otherwise.
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- 54,828 VOTES
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- Recess
- Walt Disney
The ultimate tomboy poster girl of late '90s cartoons, Spinelli committed so much to raging against traditional femininity that she even ditched her gendered first name, Ashley. Spinelli's fearlessness inspired a lot of gay kids, and even when society tried to change her, she realized she never needed anyone else's approval except her own.
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- 66,405 VOTES
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While Daphne pines after Fred, Mystery Inc.'s other resident female mystery solver always appears fairly comfortable in her singledom. But, maybe this "spinster" is simply waiting for good girlfriend material to come along - or hoping her foxy, redheaded BFF will give up on silly, ascot-wearing Fred. James Gunn (writer of the live-action movie) supported this take on the character.
I don't know if I'd call it romantic, but Velma was gay in the original script, yes. https://t.co/nBQj8CGdF6
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 1, 2015 - 76,037 VOTES
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- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Nickelodeon
Few animated characters draw the amount of ire from anti-LGBTQ+ critics as SpongeBob SquarePants. Although the happy-go-lucky fry cook who famously lives in a pineapple under the sea shows a romantic interest in female chum Sandy the Squirrel, his flamboyance and hyper-sensitivity caused intense speculation in 2002.
Of course, the Sponge's sizeable LGBTQ+ fanbase felt thrilled by the character's undertones. One adult fan told Entertainment Weekly , "He’s not very masculine for a male character. And he’s soft."
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- 84,389 VOTES
Nakoma
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- Pocahontas
- Walt Disney Pictures
Would Pocahontas have ended up with Nakoma if John Smith never came along? Their playful water fights brim with sexual tension, and when Pocahontas gets the hots for John, Nakoma gets a little jealous, as well as protectively worried about her best friend's decisions.
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- 93,539 VOTES
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- Arthur
- PBS
Tomboy Francine's close friendship with girly-girl Muffy Crosswire felt almost too unlikely to be anything but a cover for an opposites-attract romance.
Of course, not every female friendship in pop culture should be skewed in that direction. But it's hard for some fans to imagine that all the frustration Francine channels into sports and drum-playing might not stem from things she isn't admitting to herself.
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- 103,996 VOTES
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- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
- Mill Creek Entertainment
Come on. The hair, the leather, the dual identity, Fisto. He-Man alone provides more than enough subtext for viewers, but really the entire show is chock full of it.
Many fans also believe the Prince of Eternia projects his hyper-masculinity a little too much, using his warrior alter ego as a cover to explore his hidden identity.
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- 114,457 VOTES
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- The Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney Pictures
The Little Mermaid has long been seen as a LGBTQ+ allegory . But the big gay draw in the 1989 Disney film is undoubtedly the theatrical sea witch, Ursula.
The film's lyricist Howard Ashman confirmed that Ursula's design and character drew inspiration from Divine, drag queen star of the cult movies made by John Waters and gay icon .
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- 125,380 VOTES
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- Frozen
- Walt Disney Pictures
Disney's Frozen received praise as one of the company's most progressive films yet, and Queen Elsa was a big part of that. Aside from the important fact that she is the first Disney princess to remain single by her film's end, many LGBTQ+ fans saw clear parallels between her struggle with her identity and journey toward self-acceptance and their own experiences growing up.
In fact, the feeling led to the #GiveElsaAGirlfriend campaign , which trended on Twitter shortly after the film's release.
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- 134,477 VOTES
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- Teen Titans
- CBS
The gravelly-voiced emo kid who makes up one-fifth of the Teen Titans makes for an easy analogy to many LGBTQ+ kids' experiences growing up. She's uncomfortable in her own skin, has a majorly dysfunctional relationship with her parents, finds it hard to relate to other "normal" kids her own age (especially the pretty, bubbly Starfire), and would prefer to lose herself in a fantasy world than go to a party.
Though she sort of has a thing with Beast Boy, many fans would much prefer to see her hooking up with Starfire or Jinx - the other magical girl in Teen Titans . The show's successor also proved to be pretty LGBTQ+-friendly , too, so fingers crossed.
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- 144,616 VOTES
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Wait, Gaston? The manliest man who ever did man... gay? Surely not! But, did you ever wonder if the man who eats "five-dozen eggs" every morning to become "roughly the size of a barge" and relentlessly pursues the village's hottest feminist in order to make her his trophy wife, while followed around by the (now canonically) love-struck LeFou, might just be a little insecure in his heterosexuality?
Despite Gaston's attempts to smother any appearance of homosexuality with excessive chest hair growth and hunting trips, Disney's casting of gay actor Luke Evans to play him in the live-action film only makes the implications more obvious.
