Fair Warning: Long gushing rant ahead.

Steven Universe is an amazing show. The fact that there was any push back for LGBTQ+ representation is pathetic and sad, and it's sadly far worse now, but I truly believe things will get better.

I'll just say that as a cis hetero man, I still felt seen by Steven Universe. The main character, Steven, has an incredibly healthy emotional intelligence rarely seen in full grown men IRL, let alone in fiction.

Usually in fiction, men's isolation and rejection of their emotions are often portrayed in a positive or at least as a "beautifully" tragic necessity. But Steven Universe shows how nuanced and complex male emotions can be, and it even foregoes the concept of gender identity when they pursue the nonbinary fusion character Stephanie (amongst many other fusion characters that are featured throughout the show). It really is a great exploration of gender, the throwing away of gender norms, and how freeing it can be when you just don't even consider being judged about that because the world you live in is just that lovingly accepting. And there is so much more explored in the show that doesn't even have to do with any of that.

Again, I'm a cisgender heterosexual man, I am comfortable portraying myself as such. But I recognize how limiting and illusory "being a man" is at times.

All gender norms, and by extension, cultural norms, are ultimately performative.

They can make you feel included, excluded, can be uplifting, or constricting. They can also be dangerous when enforced on others against their will, and it's limiting when you don't question it, deviate from it, or change because of fear of going against it.

Steven Universe, and other shows like The Owl House and Dead End aren't the brainwashing shows the far right piece of shit fascists want you to believe they are. They are shows that give us a glimpse into worlds where we are free to be who we want to be and love who we want to love. Anyone who thinks that's a bad thing or naive is a coward or a bigot, and either way they lack the imagination to believe a better inclusive world is not only possible, but inevitable.

They are wrong. We are better than that, and I have an unwavering faith we can and will bring such a world to fruition.