Mae Whitman, known for her roles in projects such as the Good Girls and The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, has a recurring but major part in The Owl House, a Disney show. She gives voice to a lesbian character named Amity.

Falling on the LGBTQ spectrum herself, Whitman is proud to have portrayed such a character.

A Big Revelation

On August 16, 2021, Whitman took to Twitter to send out a few proudly worded tweets. In the posts, she revealed her gender identity and expressed her happiness at her accomplishments regarding the show.

In the first tweet, she said she was proud to have been part of a show like The Owl House. Then, coming out as pansexual herself, she reflected on her past, saying there weren’t characters like Amity and Luz (portrayed by Sarah-Nicole Robles) when she was growing up.

To end the first tweet, she emphasized the importance queer representation had in today’s world and said, “keep it up world!”

In a follow-up tweet, she put forth a definition of what she thought being a pansexual meant. “For me, it means I know I can fall in love with people of all genders,” said Whitman, adding that was the word she felt fit her best.

She ended the tweet by expressing her pride in being a part of the Bi+ community. The actress also attached a link leading to GLAAD’s Accelerating Bi+ Acceptance page with her tweet.

Making History

The Owl House was already making queer history for its inclusive characters and their appearances in leading roles. It was actually Disney’s first-ever show to have a bisexual character, Liz Noceda, as the lead.

Until this point, Disney had openly LGBTQ characters in their shows, but they were in minor roles. But Dana Terrace, the show's creator, who also happens to be bisexual, wanted to write a character like herself.

She stayed stubborn about the idea, and Disney eventually gave in and is now supportive of her. These progressive steps towards inclusivity earned the show a Peabody Award in 2021. 

But the good moves didn’t end there. The show kept going deeper and deeper into portraying the workings and real-world experiences of the LGBTQ community.

And thus came recently, as Out Magazine put it, The Owl House's “gayest episode yet.” Episode five of Season two deeply explored Amity and Luz’s relationship.

The episode showcased their feelings towards one another and how things had changed after they came into each other’s lives.

After that, and most recently, Disney took another historic step. In July 2021, the show introduced Riane Whispers, a non-binary character.

Riane became Disney’s first non-binary character. And to top off the good news, the role was played by Avi Roque, a non-binary actor.

The Owl House is currently halfway through its 21-episode second season. And with a third season on the way, we can only be excited to see what new milestones Disney and the show achieve.