"Sesame Street" is embracing diversity.
Earlier this year, two Black characters were introduced who discussed racial differences, and now the show has welcomed two gay dads. The same-sex couple, Dave and his husband Frank, made their appearance during Thursday's episode, "Family Day," during which they took their daughter, Mia, to Sesame Street for the Family Day celebration.
Although they did not discuss the nature of their relationship in depth, Frank did vaguely touch upon the subject while speaking to other families during the episode.
"Yeah, there’s all kinds of different families," he said, according to Fox 29. "But what makes us a family is that we love each other."
The new characters' appearances come during Pride Month, which Alan Muraoka, who plays "Alan" on the show, acknowledged on Facebook.
"Sesame Street has always been a welcoming place of diversity and inclusion. So I'm so excited to introduce Nina's Brother Dave, his husband Frank, and their daughter Mia to our sunny street. Our Family Day episode drops today on HBOMax and on YouTube," he wrote. "I am so honored and humbled to have co-directed this important and milestone episode. Love is love, and we are so happy to add this special family to our Sesame family. Happy Pride to all!!!!”
The show drew praise from LGBTQ advocates who applauded the inclusion.
"The ‘Family Day’ episode of Sesame Street sends the simple and important message that families come in all forms and that love and acceptance are always the most important ingredients in a family," GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis tweeted.
"Frank and Dave, as Mia’s dads, are the latest characters in an undeniable trend of inclusion across kids & family programming, one that allows millions of proud LGBTQ parents, and our children, to finally get to see families like ours reflected on TV," Ellis added.
In March, "Sesame Street" tackled the topic of race with two new Black Muppet characters, Wesley Walker and his father, Elijah. The conversations were launched as part of an initiative that saw the show introduce several "ABC's of Racial Literacy" resources, CBS News reported.
In one video, Elmo wonders why his friend Wesley, has brown skin, to which he explains that this is because of melanin.
"The color of our skin is important to who we are, but we should all know that it's okay that we all look different in so many ways," Elijah says. "Things on the outside, like our skin color, our hair texture, our noses, our mouths and eyes, make us who we are. Many people call this race," he continues. "But, even though we look different, we're all part of the human race."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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