Slowly, Media For Preschoolers Introduce Nonbinary Characters

What’s remarkable about Fred, the nonbinary bison who is part of the ensemble cast for the new Netflix
NFLX
series Ridley Jones, is how unremarkable their introduction actually is.

Ridley is a 6-year-old girl who goes on adventures after-hours in the museum where her mom and grandmother work. At night, the exhibits come alive, and Ridley learns how to be a good leader while frolicking with Egyptian mummies, stampeding elephants and more.

The show comes from Chris Nee, the pioneering creator behind huge hits like Disney’s Doc McStuffins and Vampirina. Nee remembers that when she wanted to introduce a same-sex couple in an episode of McStuffins, which debuted in 2012, “I had to fight, but also that was a big move for [Disney] at the time.”

Times change slowly, but they do change. When Nee decided she wanted to include a nonbinary character on Jones, which debuted earlier this month, Netflix didn’t bat an eye. The streamer didn’t give her any notes or restrictions. She was surprised at what a nonissue the decision turned out to be.

“I’m grateful for Netflix because they’ve been incredibly supportive, supportive in the best way in that they didn’t have to give their support. It just was fine, it was not a conversation,” Nee says. “The world has really changed in the past couple years.”

Indeed. Even Disney, so reticent to include the lesbian couple on McStuffins, has come a long way in a short time. An episode of Muppet Babies on Disney Junior this month showed Baby Gonzo attending a ball in a dress despite his friends’ early objections. Ultimately, the Muppet Babies embrace “Princess Gonzorella” and reassure him that they love him just the way he is, whatever he chooses to wear.

The episode set off a firestorm of support for Gonzo on Twitter, which declared him a “nonbinary icon” (though the character didn’t actually come out). Certainly, this is the exception rather than the norm on shows for children—and even adults, with nonbinary representation still quite rare on television and streamers.

But it is growing. At the time of Jones’ debut a few weeks ago, Netflix noted that Fred would be the first nonbinary character on a preschool cartoon, but they already have company in other forms of media.

What Are Your Words, a picture book whose subtitle is “A Book About Pronouns,” follows young Ari as they settle on the right pronoun. Musical artist Carrie Ferguson has said the song “The Best Way to Be” on her album for kids The Grumpytime Club is written to encourage self-acceptance among nonbinary and other young genderqueer children.

Nee is thrilled. The mother of a teenager whose friends speak “openly and honestly” about gender identities and sexual orientations, the Emmy Award-winning producer wanted to reflect that natural conversation in Jones.

“As a member of the LGBTQ community myself, I’m always looking for ways to create representation,” Nee says. “Fred is just there, and that’s actually, I think, one of the more revolutionary things about it is that Fred is just a part of the main crew. It’s not a ‘very special episode.’”

Jones, whose writers’ room includes a nonbinary person, tackles everyday issues for Fred just as the show does for other characters. “There are a few episodes that touch very directly on parts of Fred’s journey,” Nee says. In one, the bison feels reluctant to attend a ball at the museum because they don’t feel comfortable in a dress. Later in the episode, Fred attends the ball in a stunning blue suit, allowing them to “feel like themselves.”

Nee says she could relate to the dilemma. “That’s very much a story from my childhood. I never felt comfortable in a dress when I was growing up in the ‘70s, and it was really strange for me to not fit into those roles. Emotionally, I’m writing my own story and then making sure that everybody else who’s representing that point of view feels comfortable with it.”

Nee hopes to see more characters like Fred on children’s shows and all of television. “This is what the world looks like. It’s a very personal place for me to know what it’s like to not see yourself on screen, and I think we’ve seen so much of this world from two very specific points of view,” she says. “And I think we will become more compassionate. No matter who you are, you’ll be more compassionate if you grow up loving characters who come from a lot of different spaces.”

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