Meet Disney’s first-ever nonbinary character
Disney has just made history with the introduction of the first nonbinary character on a Disney Channel show. In the newest season of the fantasy/adventure series “The Owl House,” a nonbinary character named Raine Whispers has been added to the cast.
Voiced by Avi Roque, the character of Raine identifies as nonbinary and uses the pronouns they/them. Best of all, Roque is nonbinary as well, so this role is the perfect fit and a great example of inclusive casting.
On their Twitter page, Roque talks about their new role and what the opportunity means to them.
🦉✨DREAM COME TRUE✨🦉
I guest star as Raine Whispers (pronouns: they/them), the sharp and hardworking Head Witch of the Bard Coven, in the new episode of #TheOwlHouse
premiering July 24 at 10:00am ET/PT on #DisneyChannel and DisneyNOW. Make sure to check it out!! pic.twitter.com/zRkaGIDAgd— Avi Roque (they/them) (@ok_roque) July 22, 2021
Roque says the part is a “dream come true,” and the news quickly received tons of support from fans on social media.
Twitter user @NonBineyBanshee wrote that they loved to see the use of they/them pronouns.
YESSS THEY/THEM PRONOUNS WE LOVE TO SEE IT
— Banshee/Marcy/Aloy 🦖🏳️⚧️ | Amphibia🐸 Hype (@NonBineyBanshee) July 22, 2021
Meanwhile, Twitter user @pipophany explained that seeing a nonbinary character was invaluable to them as they discovered their own gender identity.
I love raine whispers for many reasons but a specific reason is that having an older nonbinary character makes me so happy.. when I was figuring myself out I couldn't picture a future me that I was happy with and I look at raine and go 'oh you make me have positive visions'
— 💛💕pi💕💛 (@piophany) July 27, 2021
“The Owl House” first debuted in January 2020. Since its inception, “The Owl House” has been applauded for its LGBTQ+ representation. The main character, Luz, is bisexual and has a romantic storyline with Amity, who is a lesbian. Luz was the first bisexual lead character on a Disney Channel show.
Show creator Dana Terrace has stated that creating LGBTQ+ characters was important to her. But Disney was downright against the idea at first.
On Twitter in August 2020, Terrace tweeted about the experience, saying that during development, Disney shut down the possibility for gay or bi characters, but Terrace persisted nonetheless.
In dev I was very open about my intention to put queer kids in the main cast. I'm a horrible liar so sneaking it in would've been hard haha. When we were greenlit I was told by certain Disney leadership that I could NOT represent any form of bi or gay relationship on the Channel.
— Dana Terrace (@DanaTerrace) August 9, 2020
As she explains in another tweet, her stubbornness paid off and she was able to convince Disney that it was time to bring more LGBTQ+ diversity to their programming.
I'm bi! I want to write a bi character, dammit! Luckily my stubbornness paid off and now I am VERY supported by current Disney leadership. (Thank you @NashRiskin and team!) Not to mention the amazingness of this crew.
— Dana Terrace (@DanaTerrace) August 9, 2020
Terrace’s bravery and determination earned kudos from fellow show creators, like Alex Hirsch, who created “Gravity Falls.”
“Back when I made [Gravity Falls] Disney FORBADE me from any explicit LGBTQ+ rep. Apparently ‘happiest place on earth’ meant ‘straightest,'” Hirsch tweeted to Terrace.
Back when I made GF Disney FORBADE me from any explicit LGBTQ+ rep. Apparently “happiest place on earth” meant “straightest” But as of today, thanks to @DanaTerrace & team there are explicitly queer ANIMATED MAIN CHARACTERS on DISNEY TV. Im so proud & happy to say that #OwlHouse https://t.co/AlxUlbcy5j
— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) August 9, 2020
It’s great to see Disney finally acknowledging LGBTQ+ characters on their shows!
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