Disney introduces first non-binary character in The Owl House TV series
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Disney has featured its first ever explicitly non-binary character in its children’s animated TV series The Owl House.
The character, Raine Whispers, featured in the latest episode of the series, and is voiced by Avi Roque, a non-binary actor.
The Owl House follows the adventures of a teenage girl named Luz Noceda, who is transported to another world by a magic portal.
Writing on Twitter, Roque said that the role represented a “dream come true”, and specified that Raine uses they/them pronouns.
The Owl House has been praised for its sexual and gender diversity in the past, and is the first Disney Channel programme to feature a bisexual leading character.
The show’s creator, Dana Terrace, claimed that she had initially faced pushback on representation from “certain” members of Disney leadership.
“In [development], I was very open about my intention to put queer kids in the main cast,” she tweeted last August. “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.”
🦉✨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 (@ok_roque) July 22, 2021
However, she stipulated: “Now I am VERY supported by current Disney leadership. Representation matters! Always fight to make what YOU want to see!”
In the UK, The Owl House can be streamed on Disney Plus.