LGBTQ rights advocates are praising the Disney Channel’s announcement that one of the principal characters on its coming-of-age series, “Andi Mack,” would be revealed as gay in the show’s second season.
In Friday’s season premiere of the tween-centic show, Andi Mack (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) is struggling with a crush on a middle school boy, Jonah Beck (Asher Angel). Later in the episode, Andi’s best friend, Cyrus Goodman (Joshua Rush), realizes that he, too, is experiencing feelings for Jonah. As the season progresses, the character will reportedly come to embrace himself as a gay tween.
True to form, the news received a less-than-enthusiastic response from One Million Moms, a conservative group that has found fault with everything from Ellen DeGeneres to Toys ‘R’ Us to “The Muppets” in recent years.
In a Thursday post on its official website, One Million Moms officials blasted Disney for “choosing to abandon family-friendly entertainment” by introducing a coming out plotline on “Andi Mack,” which is one of the network’s most popular shows for young audiences.