The years of me sitting down to watch Disney shows ended back in 2014. Though it is perfectly fine for all ages to watch Disney movies and even go to the parks, I no longer related or found humor in recent shows. Most of their shows are centered around tweens or teens. I am neither and I don't have any younger relatives, so how can I possibly relate to a show targeted towards middle schoolers such as Andi Mack?
Because it is more than another show about teens dealing with generic cis problems. It broke many molds. There was an untraditional marriage, teenage pregnancy, mental health issues, military families and even gun safety. It paved the way for future shows to hopefully follow in their footsteps and get further than Andi Mack got before it was canceled. The reason I found myself watching and supporting the show came after it was revealed that one of the main characters (Cyrus, played by Joshua Rush) came out as gay.
Many shrugged it off, many were angered but as for me? I cried. I cried because, like many others, I consider Disney a second home. A second family. A group of people who hold Disney to high standards and something to look towards throughout their whole lives. There are people like that at my age, and older than me, and I'm sure there are also much younger than me.
As of July 26, 2019, Disney has made history by having its first official gay couple in a show. This new generation gets to be represented on Disney Channel in a way I never saw growing up. Even simply holding hands was groundbreaking. It not only shows that you can be who you want and be validated by friends and family but that you can still be religious and gay. It shows you are worthy of love in every form and if reality isn't so kind, there are now a group of people online (fandoms) who are similar to you. This show helped people come out, come to terms and even start conversations with friends and families about various topics. Not only are the characters with us all the way but so is everyone in this beautiful and pure fandom that I am proud to be apart of.
