August 18, 2021
Mae Whitman Comes Out as Pansexual, Declares Herself 'Proud' to Voice LGBTQ+ Cartoon Character
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
"Good Girls" alum and current co-star of Disney's fantasy series "The Owl House" Mae Whitman came out as pansexual in a social media post in which she declared herself "proud" to be the voice of "Owl House" lesbian character Amity Blight.
"Being pansexual myself, I wish I had such incredible characters like Amity and Luz in my life when I was growing up," Whitman, 33, said in an Aug. 16 tweet, Us magazine reported.
Luz, the show's hero (voiced by Sarah-Nicole Robles), is an ordinary human girl who accidentally ends up in a magical land. She begins attending a school for witches where she meets a number of new friends, including Amity. Luz herself is depicted as being bisexual – a first for a Disney cartoon, and still a rarity for the company's entertainment offerings overall.
Amity, likewise, is the "first major animated Disney character to be a confirmed lesbian," Wikipedia notes.
"Queer representation is sososo important," Whitman's tweet added. "keep it up world! #TOH."
A number of celebrities have come out as pansexual recently, Page Six noted, recalling that among them are "Demi Lovato, JoJo Siwa and Cara Delevingne and model Lottie Moss."
Whitman took the opportunity, in a followup post, to explain what pansexuality means to her, posting: "I know I can fall in love with people of all genders,"NBC News reported.
"This is the word that fits me best and I'm proud+happy to be part of the Bi+ community," the actor –�whose long list of roles include the TV series "Parenthood" and cult films "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "Scott Pilgrim Versus the World" –�added.
"This is not Disney's first time including an openly LGBTQ character in a cast," NBC News recounted; "however, up until this point, they have been represented in minor or non-recurring characters."
NBC noted that recent Disney offerings have expanded on diversity and inclusion, recalling that in "this year's feature film 'Onward,' the character Officer Spector, voiced by Lena Waithe, was revealed to identify as a lesbian.
" 'Andi Mack' became the first show on Disney Channel to have a character discover they are gay," NBC News added, "and in May, the Pixar short film 'Out' featured a gay main character in its Disney Plus launch."
Other Disney properties to have excited LGBTQ+ interest are the MCU series "Loki" – in which the title character, played by Tom Hiddleston, was portrayed as both gender fluid and bisexual – and the upcoming MCU film "Eternals," which will feature an out, married superhero named Phastos, played by Brain Tyree Henry.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.