Disney Channel to release first animated show with bisexual lead: A different response to the sexual morality of our day

I’m old enough to remember when “Disney” and “family” were synonymous. Walt Disney said, “Our greatest national resource is the minds of our children.” He also noted, “The most important thing is family. If you can keep the family together—and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families—that’s what we hope to do.”

I wonder what he would think about the announcement by the Disney Channel that its animated series The Owl House will feature a bisexual teenager in a lead role. The character will explore her sexuality while dabbling in witchcraft as well. The series creator identifies as bisexual and says she was intrigued by the idea of creating “queer kids” in the story. 

Another mainstay of family entertainment over the decades has been Sesame Street. Since it first aired in November 1969, the show has helped millions of children (mine included) learn about themselves and their world. Over the years, the show has championed racial diversity in its characters and incorporated cast members with special needs as well. 

Now the show has featured a male actor wearing a dress; its companion show Muppets Now included the star of a cross-dressing competition among its celebrity guests. 

Why do Americans think 23.6 percent are gay or lesbian? 

It seems I could write on sexual morality issues every day of every week. Today, let’s consider this distressing but pervasive issue from a different angle. 

According to Gallup, 4.5 percent of Americans are LGBTQ. However, US adults wrongly estimate that 23.6 percent of us are gay are lesbian. This discrepancy is due in large part to the outsized percentage of LGBTQ characters on television and in movies. 

GLAAD, an LGBTQ advocacy group, reports that 10.2 percent of regular characters…