While Macklemore was rapping about marriage equality on the Grammys stage, the Disney Channel was making a statement of its own on Sunday, Jan. 26. The network featured its first ever same-sex couple on the show Good Luck Charlie.
After announcing the decision in June 2013, the channel finally delivered when lesbian mothers Susan and Cheryl dropped off their daughter Taylor for a play date with the main family’s daughter Charlie.
Disney even added in some humor to the introduction when Charlie’s parents Amy (Leigh-Allyn Baker) and Bob (Eric Allan Kramer) are confused about who Taylor’s mom was before meeting the couple.
“Taylor has two moms!” Bob declared after meeting the two women, proving he had been right in calling one of the moms Cheryl.
“Wow, nothing gets past you, Bob,” his wife sarcastically replied.
Actress Desi Lydic, who played mom Susan, tweeted to excited fans after the episode aired, “I’m so proud to be part of that episode! Go Disney! #equality.”
The show has been on since 2010 and is currently in its fourth and final season. Last June, Disney channel producers spoke with TV Guide about the groundbreaking decision to include a same-sex couple on the children’s show.
“This particular storyline was developed under the consultancy of child development experts and community advisors,” a Disney Channel spokesperson told TV Guide. “Like all Disney Channel programming, it was developed to be relevant to kids and families around the world and to reflect themes of diversity and inclusiveness.”
At the time of the announcement, former Disney star Miley Cyrus tweeted out in support of her former network’s decision.
“I commend Disney for making this step into the light of this generation,” she wrote. “They control…so much of what kids think! Life isn’t bright sets & wardrobe & kids becoming superstars! This is INSPIRING.”
But not everyone was as pleased as Cyrus was with the family-based programming.
One Million Moms — the same group who led a boycott on JCPennys for naming Ellen DeGeneres as an ambassador — posted an official call to action on their website based on the historic episode.
“Disney has decided to be politically correct instead of providing family-friendly programming,” the group wrote. “Disney should stick to entertaining, not pushing an agenda. Conservative families need to urge Disney to avoid controversial topics that children are far too young to comprehend. This is the last place a parent would expect their children to be confronted with topics that are too difficult for them to understand. Mature issues of this nature are being introduced too early and too soon, and it is extremely unnecessary.”
The Susan and Cheryl characters are not expected to appear on the series after the Jan. 26 episode.