Good luck, Disney!
In January, Disney Channel released an episode of “Good Luck Charlie” with a same-sex couple. The move was made in an effort to become more modern by adapting to today’s society. The lesbian couple appeared in an episode during the last season of Disney’s popular TV show. Piggybacking on the influx of human rights sweeping across the states, Disney hopes to teach equality and tolerance to children at a young age. This episode was the only episode the same-sex couple will be featured in since it was the series finale.
The couple had a little girl, Taylor, who came over for a play date with Charlie, the namesake of the show. Bob and Amy, Charlie’s parents, have an argument over the name of Taylor’s mom.
When Taylor arrives to play, they realize she has two moms, thus the confusion. The characters of Susan and Cheryl, played by Lilli Birdsell and Desi Lydic, were welcomed with open arms by the TV family of the Duncans, but the audience was not always so accepting.
The media response has ranged from praise and approval to an attempted boycott of Disney. That night, the people of Twitter made use of #GoodLuckCharlie to call even more attention to the show for those not viewing it on its original air date.
One Million Moms, a large, conservative organization, began a campaign against the couple starting in 2013.
One Million Moms is well known for its stance against the media portraying members of the LGBT community, so this was expected, and Disney made no motion to remove the episode. They, along with other groups, have made their frustrations publicly known through newspapers and internet media. Disney took a major blow from certain organizations for airing this controversial episode.
Disney also took a big step by broadcasting this controversial topic. The decision to air the lesbian couple was originally made over a year ago, and just announcing what was going to happen made big waves. It seemed the situation had blown over until the day the episode actually aired.
The broadcasting of this episode could start a trend throughout other programs geared toward younger audiences. Television shows are trying their best to keep up with the changing society without upsetting their viewers. People could argue that if programs didn’t address these topics that the kids are being sheltered in a bubble away from current society’s values. Airing this episode exposed the idea of same-sex couples to a young audience which could be considered the role of the parents not the role of Disney or other TV programs.
With more and more states legalizing gay marriage, it is becoming more evident in television shows, books, and society. Disney was able to capture the societal norms and maybe even start a trend for other future episodes or upcoming programs.