The long break between the second and upcoming third seasons of Young Justice has been unfortunate for many reasons—mainly, because there’s been no new Young Justice to watch. But in one way, the break has been of benefit: the show can now explicitly acknowledge LGBTQ characters.




Series co-creator Greg Weisman has long said that there are main characters in Young Justice who were LGBTQ, but guidelines for the show at the time meant that nothing could be openly acknowledged. That’s a fact that he reiterated once again yesterday evening on Twitter, while in a lengthy debate with a Twitter user “concerned” at the possibility of minority representation in children’s media, heavens forbid.


But interestingly, Weisman followed up by implying that times have changed. Of course we have shows like Steven Universe, or Nick’s Loud House, or many others today that feature open representation of major and minor LGBTQ characters in kid’s animation (and although it could only be hinted at in its finale, there’s also Legend of Korra’s bisexual female heroes Korra and Asami). Now, guidelines forbidding the acknowledgement of LGBTQ characters that were in place when seasons one and two aired are, presumably, no longer in place.



Which makes it seem like that, in season three, Young Justice will at long last be able to acknowledge the sexualities of characters that it previously could not. If there was ever a silver lining in having to wait so long to get the third season of the show, well, this is definitely one of them.