Andi Mack made history and headlines in October 2017 when 13-year-old Cyrus Goodman (Joshua Rush) confided in friends Andi (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Buffy (Sofia Wylie) that he had a crush on Andi’s boyfriend, Jonah (Asher Angel), which marked the beginning of Disney Channel’s first coming-out storyline.
“I feel weird, different,” he said.
“Cyrus, you’ve always been weird, but you’re no different,” Buffy replied. “You’ll be okay. I promise.”
The GLAAD Media Award-winning series made history again in February when Cyrus became the first Disney Channel character to say “I’m gay.”“With more and more young people coming out as LGBTQ, Andi Mack is reflecting the lives and lived experiences of so many LGBTQ youth around the country,” said GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis in a previous statement.
“Television reflects the real life world and today that includes LGBTQ youth who deserve to see their lives depicted on their favorite shows.”
“Andi Mack was a labor of love for a room of impassioned, inventive writers, a talented and dedicated crew, and an extraordinary, miraculous cast who inspired us all,” says series creator and executive producer Terri Minsky (Lizzie McGuire).
“We had the honor of breaking a lot of new ground for Disney Channel. We were its first serialized show, its first series centered around an Asian American family, and its first to feature an LGBTQ character who spoke the words ’I’m gay.’ But the best part of making Andi Mack was our audience, who let us know we mattered to them. The series finale is for them.”
Disney Channel, a leader in LGBTQ inclusion, introduced a pair of lesbian moms in a 2014 episode of Good Luck Charlie. Disney XD’s animated series Gravity Falls featured a gay male couple in 2016.
Disney god cleaning the channel Disney is racist to gay characters