In 2011, Archie comics made history by introducing Kevin Keller, the first gay character (with the term "gay" used) in children's comics.
Kevin is now a regular part of the gang, but his sexual identity is definitely in the background. He is rarely shown dating, and he never kisses boys. For that, we had to wait for Little Lulu.
Luzinha Teen e sua Terma (Teenage Little Lulu and Her Gang) was a Brazilian comic reboot (2009-2015) of the classic comic book series, drawn in manga style.
Luluzinha is 15 years old, intelligent, resourceful, with a passion for dots (um, that's another character altogether). She has a number of boyfriends, including Zico, Patrick, Ball, and the vampire Vincinius.
Ball (Tubby) is a slim, athletic aspiring rock musician, lead guitarist for the band Loki. He is in love with Luluzinha, although he dates a number of girls.
Glorinha (Gloria) is into shopping and fashion. She has several boyfriends.
Annie is a video game and computer geek. She is dating Icarus.
Alvinho (Alvin) is a rebellious preteen who aspires to become a surfer. He is dating Lila.
So far so heteronormative. But in 2013, Edgar arrives, a member of Ball's band. He soon announces to the gang that he was gay, and started dating Fabio. In issue 57, they kiss.
The gang is nonchalant, but Edgar's homophobic father is horrified, and assaults him. Vicente, the school director, steps in.
On the whole, it's a "coming out" episode like what we saw on tv frequently during the 1980s, but in 2013 in a Brazilian children's comic.
It's a start.
See also: Little Lulu
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