Peppa Pig, one of the most well-loved cartoon characters globally, is introducing a same-sex couple into its programming. In the episode, Families which aired last week, Peppa’s friend, Penny, has dinner with her same-sex polar bear mothers.
Penny says, “One mummy is a doctor and one mummy cooks spaghetti. I love spaghetti.” While the parents have made prior appearences on the show, this is the first time their relationship status has been discussed in its 18 year history.
Meanwhile, two years ago, a petition was created to include a same-sex parent family on the show.
The petition read, “Children watching Peppa Pig are at an impressionable age, and excluding same-sex families will teach them that only families with either a single parent or two parents of different sexes are normal. This means that children of same-sex parents may feel alienated by Peppa Pig, and that other children may be more likely to bully them, simply through ignorance.”
On Twitter, netizens seem split. Currently the hashtag #BoycottPeppaPig is also making its rounds. Some have complained about the show’s “brainwashing” and “political correctness”. However a different camp also exists lauding the move saying they were proud of the creators.
Currently the show airs in 180 different countries.
Peppa Pig isn’t the first animated show that features a same-sex character. The character “His infernal majesty”, also known as HIM, in popular cartoon show The Powerpuff Girls is also depicted as an androgynous villainous character on the show. HIM embodies both masculine and feminine traits and changes his voice often. Sometimes it’s deep and scary, while other times it’s high-pitched and sweet.
Another popular children’s show, My Life As A Teenage Robot, features Jenny who is born a robot. Jenny can’t accept and love her body because she doesn’t feel like herself in her own body. And that’s a sentiment that many in the transgender community have spoken out for.
Meanwhile, closer to home the Malaysian government and its religious institutions are going to restrict content promoting LGBT elements in films and on social media from airing. The announcement was made during a conference in the Dewan Negara, according to media reports. However, the government said that it will not be able to monitor content broadcasted on OTT platforms or private institutions such as Disney+, Amazon and Netflix.
The news comes shortly after the government banned the screening of Marvel film Thor: Love and Thunder, which sparked a debate among Malaysians. Addressing the ban, the deputy communications and multimedia minister Zahidi Zainul Abidin clarified that the film contained LGBT elements, leading to its ban
