Earlier this week, Nickelodeon confirmed that they will introduce a bi-racial gay couple on their new animated show "The Loud House." The series centers around the life of Lincoln Loud and his 10 sisters, and will be the first Nickelodeon show to feature a married same-sex couple.

This, of course, is big news. In the past Nickelodeon hasn't proved to be against the LGBTQ community at all. "Nick at Night," which shows classic Nickelodeon for everyone who stays up past nine o'clock, has featured many series including gay couples. However, those shows are not produced by Nickelodeon and they're not aimed toward young viewers. During the aftermath of the Orlando shooting, Nickelodeon, like many other companies, temporarily changed their logo to the colors of the rainbow. In a small way, they were showing their support without saying much on the matter.

Aside from the couple on the show being gay, they are also bi-racial, which is another thing not seen often enough on television, especially in children's shows. The characters on "The Loud House" apparently will not make a big deal out of the two fathers. They'll see them as the normal people they are, which is a great thing.

Although they are blatantly unrealistic, cartoons do have a huge impact on young kids. They get immersed in the show the same way you and I get immersed in "The Walking Dead" or "The Bachelor." To them, those characters are real and what they do on the show will often dictate how they react to things in real life. When I was very young, I once saw a woman in the grocery store and asked my mom (very loudly) why she was black. My mom was extremely embarrassed, but thankfully the woman wasn't angry. She just came over and explained, "Everyone is beautiful and different." Maybe if I had seen more of those differences when watching television, I wouldn't have even opened my mouth to ask.

This is what I hope happens someday when children see a same-sex couple for the first time. Producing cartoons like "The Loud House" is a good way to start. It's extremely important that kids start to see these things in a positive light from a young age. I honestly do believe that they will be affected by it and probably become better people because of it. We need to teach kids to respect everyone, no matter their sex, race, religion or sexual orientation.

Another great possibility from creating "The Loud House" could be the impact it has on kids who are a part of the LGBTQ community. Millions of kids are confused about their own sexual orientation, and that confusion starts young. When a girl in third grade is made fun of because she'd rather hold another girl's hand than a boy's, there's a problem. When boys are picked on for hugging instead of high-fiving, there's a problem. Solving these problems within our society takes time, and we have come a long way. Hopefully introducing gay couples into children's shows will teach young kids that it is okay, and there's no reason to bully anyone else.

While Nickelodeon has been getting mostly positive feedback since they first revealed the news about the show, there have been some complaints. Some people feel that showing children a same-sex couple on television is exposing them too young. Aren't kids exposed to sexuality all their lives? They see millions of straight couples on television, so why can't they see a gay couple? Others are saying that since "children's minds are like sponges" and that we shouldn't allow them to be taught what is right and wrong through TV. They already are, though. They are taught what is good and bad from the very beginning. Why can't gay couples be put into the "good" category?

I'm both proud and excited about Nickelodeon's new show. I hope everyone else can jump on board, and show the network some much-needed love and good feedback. I'm sure "The Loud House" will be a hit, and I can't wait to see what kind of impact it has.