Hulu & Twix's Inclusive Halloween Special Has Conservatives Fuming

An episode from the second season of Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween short film anthology series (that was sponsored by popular chocolate candy brand Twix) has raised the ire of conservatives who object to its positive depiction of a nonbinary kid.

"With a little magic, the new nanny helps a nonbinary child deal with bullies and find self-acceptance," reads the official description of the 13th episode of season two of Bite Size Halloween, entitled "The New Nanny," which tells the story of a witchy nanny coming to the aid of a bullied child who likes to wear princess dresses.

The short opens with a young witch dressed in all-black arriving at the home of a young kid wearing a dress and announcing she is their new nanny. Though the child is perceived by those around them as a boy, they are wearing a regal princess costume. The pair bond over homework and their favorite colors, with the nanny soon showing the child she has special powers, scaring away two neighborhood girls who question why the child is wearing a dress when it’s not Halloween. She then (quite literally) blows away a bully at the park who takes issue with both the child’s and the nanny’s attire.

The episode was written and directed by Bridget Moloney, who was quoted by Bloody Disgusting as saying the witch was inspired by her own kids’ nanny who "is someone who might be identified as 'goth.'"

"It’s awesome for my kids to spend time with someone who expresses herself daily in a specific and unusual-to-them way," she said. "It empowers my kids to wear whatever they want and express themselves more fully through their clothes."

While Moloney sought to bring a message of affirmation and inclusion in her short film, many on the right couldn’t see past their hatred and prejudices.

One thought the lighthearted approach to stopping hateful bullies was somehow promoting violence.

And another took objection to the "sexualization" of children while sexualizing goth nannies.

One young conservative saw Satanism or something.

But at least one commenter put the protesters in their place by noting their conservative hypocrisy.

You can watch "The New Nanny," from Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween series, below.

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