Conservatives are mad again, yet again, and this time, Netflix’s CoComelon Lane is at the center of their ire.
A recent episode of the kids show, which is a spin-off of CoComelon, one of the most popular series for babies and toddlers over the age of 2 on the streaming platform, featured a male same-sex couple with a son who wears a tiara and a tutu.
First of all, it’s a super cute scene, so homophobic haters aside, check it out before we dig into this a little more:
In the controversial scene, the dads are guiding their son to be his most authentic self and encouraging all of the aspects of himself that make him the most unique.
“If you’re not sure what to choose, think about all the things you like to do — just be you,” they sing.
The clip, of course, has alerted the “anti-woke” crowd into complaining yet again of the “gay agenda” since a children’s show — that spent roughly five weeks in Netflix’s top ten — had the audacity to include an interracial gay couple who doesn’t want their kid to have to worry about what society and people like them try to impose onto his identity.
Matt Walsh, a right-wing commentator for The Daily Wire, said Netflix should get “the full Bud Light treatment for this,” referencing the backlash the beer brand received for working with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Walsh was far from the only right-wing critic to dig into the platform and the show for its inclusion, but a 2023 GLAAD study found Netflix has the most number of LGBTQ+ characters on the platform as compared to any other platform, coming in at 183, whereas the platform with the least amount of queer characters, Paramount+, had only 10.
GLAAD
Basically, Netflix could probably care less what the conservative pundits have to say about things like this, and it’s likely to only influence them to do it a little more.
Here's to hoping the other streamers try to match the number so that more inclusive programming can flourish!
