Disney’s first gay comingout storyline on Andi Mack

Andi Mack

Disney Channel (check local listings for scheduled times) Disney Channel’s Andi Mack is making history with the network’s first storyline about a gay character coming out.

The comedic drama from Lizzie McGuire creator Terri Minsky follows 13-year-old Andi (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) as she navigates her early teens.

In the season 2 première, Andi’s friend Cyrus (Joshua Rush) began his coming-out journey.

Disney has introduced gay characters before — Beauty and the Beast made headlines this year for featuring an openly gay LeFou.

Also, Disney XD’s animated series Star vs. the Forces of Evil made history in its second season with Disney’s first same-sex kiss.

Other Disney franchises, such as High School Musical, have alluded to gay characters. Andi Mack, which became a network hit after its April debut, is the first Disney franchise to centre a storyline on a major character coming out as gay.

Cyrus’s story isn’t the first groundbreaking move for Andi Mack.

In the pilot episode, Andi learns that her big sister, Bex, is actually her biological mother — a decidedly mature storyline for a tweenfocused show.

The upcoming storyline has earned praise from the media advocacy group GLAAD.