As same-sex marriage has become legalized nationwide and transgender issues are also beginning to be better understood by the public today in America, there's been a slow but steady increase in LGBT cartoon characters including those marketed towards younger audiences. By the 1990s, there was more gay representation of varying quality in American movies and TV aimed at adult audiences, including gay characters in adult-oriented cartoons such as Smithers in The Simpsons and Big Gay Al in South Park, but the issue was still considered too controversial for media aimed at children, which restricted most American cartoons. In the West, homosexuality has historically been considered sinful, and for much of the 20th century, mainstream film and TV avoided directly addressing the existence of non-heterosexual identities. The state of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) representation in anime differs from that in American cartoons due to different cultural attitudes regarding sexuality and gender identity.

How have LGBT anime characters evolved throughout history?