Get ready, everyone. The Voltron: Legendary Defender panel just blew our minds.
Fans of the series have long been clamoring for LGBT+ representation and now their wishes have come true. The character of Shiro is revealed to have had a significant other named Adam back on Earth, and we’ll see him appear in flashbacks during season seven. We’ve got livetweets to prove it to, so it’s not just hearsay.
.@ArtOfLaurenM says you will meet Adam, Shiro’s significant other in season 7! #Voltron #SDCC2018
— Voltron (@Voltron) July 20, 2018
Not only that, but a quick gander at tweets about the panel reveal that Shiro and Adam were engaged prior to Shiro leaving Earth. This is a huge deal, as animated series aimed at children, outside of Steven Universe, rarely have LGBT+ protagonists in relationships, let alone LGBT+ protagonists who are open about their sexuality.
For Voltron to step up to to the plate and include LGBT+ representation that’s positive and that centers on the heroic characters (especially a space dad like Shiro) instead of queer-coding a villain or making it a background trait of a minor character, they’re actually making a stand. On top of that, Shiro and Adam are an interracial couple that doesn’t involve any white characters, a rarity in media and even more rare when it comes to LGBT+ pairings.
Shiro is trending worldwide as Voltron’s massive fanbase has started celebrating and discussing the news. While a quick gander through tweets shows that there is some shipping discourse from a fandom famous for the drama, mostly fans are celebrating how wonderful and big of a moment this is for children’s media and the show itself.
It will be interesting to see how Shiro’s sexuality will play out in the future of the series. Hopefully, he’ll get a happy ending and reunite with Adam. Let’s hope the series decides against burying the gays and lets Shiro live, which would send a powerful message of hope to LGBT+ youth seeing themselves in their favorite show. Shiro can be a hero on and off screen if he’s handled well. Let’s hope the writers know that.
(Image: Dreamworks/Netflix)
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