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Cartoon Network has branched out into comic strips with a new webcomic spotlighting the proper use of gender pronouns as a way of respecting people. It stars Stevonnie (from Steven Universe), Craig (from Craig of the Creek), and Chloe (from We Bare Bears), along with two new characters - Kam and Alex.
The comic strip is part of a larger collaboration between Cartoon Network and the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC). The strip was drawn by Steven Lowe, with help from the NBJC Youth and Young Adult Action Council, Cartoon Network Studios, and NBJC's director of education programs and research, Dr. Kia Darling-Hammond.
"At the heart of our work at NBJC is affirmation of the dignity and beauty of our Black transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and other gender-expansive siblings," Darling-Hammond said in the announcement. "This comic strip advances our goals by showing what it looks like to treat people with respect while finding a sense of common humanity.
"Our hope is that this strip's audience, of all ages and backgrounds, will feel inspired to begin volunteering their own gender pronouns, respect those of others, and normalize awareness of the existence of people across the gender universe. We believe that recognizing and celebrating gender expansiveness will move us closer to a world where we can all be healthy, happy, and whole."
For more on the proper use of pronouns, we recommend the recent OGN A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson.
Los Angeles' Gallery Nucleus is currently hosting an online art show benefiting NBJC that features artwork from Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation artists.
Check out our list of the most iconic LGBTQ superheroes in comic books.
