Although Disney+ still has a ways to go to compete with many of its competitor streaming services, they do offer a few noteworthy TV shows with LGBTQ+ representation. Disney and Disney+ have often avoided queer representation in the past as it attempts to court wide markets and doesn't want to rock the boat with more conservative audiences. Yet, viewers interested in shows featuring queer characters and relationships do still have some options to choose from.

Disney has been infamous for preventing its LGBTQ+ representation from becoming more than subtext. Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch has claimed that Disney stopped him from including queer characters, and the more recent series The Owl House had to fight for its groundbreaking representation. Most of the time, however, Disney's LGBTQ+ representation has remained the bare minimum, like with the MCU series Loki, which only included a brief moment in episode 3 that alluded to Loki's bisexuality and easter egg about his gender identity.

Related: Disney Needs To Properly Fix Its LGBTQ+ Mistakes In All Franchises

The inclusion of a Pride collection on Disney+ for June 2022 suggests that the streamer might truly be hoping to fix that. Despite its many hiccups along the way, Disney does still have some exciting queer characters, relationships, and conflicts. Here are the best LGBTQ+ shows on Disney+, along with some other entrants that include noteworthy moments of representation.

Glee

Kurt and Blaine in the choir room looking confused in Glee

The musical drama series future LGBTQ+ representation in TV, starting with Kurt's coming out in season 1, and ending with multiple canon queer relationships. Although its handling of certain subjects wasn't always great, especially its problematic depictions of bisexual and trans identities, Glee did give LGBTQ+ audiences the kind of content that they could not find elsewhere in mainstream media at the time.

Grown-ish

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The Black-ish spin-off LGBTQ+ TV show for a fifth season.

Diary of a Future President

Diary of a Future President followed 13-year-old Elena Cañero-Reed as she aspired to become the president of the United States when she grew up. Her older brother Bobby, who slowly accepted his sexuality over the course of the show, eventually came out to Elena in season 2 and went on his first date with a boy shortly after. Diary of a Future President did not shy away from Bobby's struggles as a closeted gay high schooler, but it also made sure to linger on the joys of his budding relationship with a boy named CJ. Diary of a Future President was sadly canceled after two seasons, but viewers can revisit Bobby's journey at any time on Disney+.

Related: Percy Jackson Is Disney’s Best Chance To Fix Their LGBTQ+ Representation

Runaways

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Adapted from the comic books of the same name, Runaways subverted several stereotypes typical in teen dramas, like with the golden child Karolina, who wanted to break away from her religious upbringing and the image her peers had of her. Among other things, Karolina was secretly struggling with her sexuality. As she grew more confident in who she was, Karolina eventually pursued a relationship with Nico, who is bisexual. Runaways ran for three seasons on Hulu, and is now available on Disney+.

The Owl House

Image of Luz and Amity surrounded by glowing purple and pink lights

Fantasy animated series best LGBTQ+ representation in animation today with multiple canon queer relationships. It became the first Disney property with a same-sex couple in leading roles, and also featured the first same-sex kiss in a Disney animated show involving its lead character. The Owl House further set itself apart with the nonbinary character Raine Whispers, who uses they/them pronouns and is Disney's first nonbinary character. The Owl House will return for a third and final season.

Once Upon A Time

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In the fantasy drama series Once Upon A Time's seven seasons, the series gradually incorporated more and more openly queer characters, starting with Mulan's pining over Aurora, and later featuring the show's first same-sex kiss between Ruby and Dorothy. In its seventh and final season, which took place in a new setting with mostly new characters, Once Upon A Time included a main LGBTQ+ character and relationship in the story. Alice, also known as Tilly, fell in love with Zelena's daughter Robin over the course of season 7.

Disney+ Shows With Minor LGBTQ+ Representation

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Jessica Jones - Jessica Jones is not inherently a queer show, but it did include the first openly LGBTQ+ character in a Marvel series. The corrupt lawyer Jeri Hogarth, who repeatedly helped Jessica out of sticky legal situations, had several relationships with women throughout the show. Ever since Kingpin and Daredevil appeared in the MCU, many viewers have hoped Jessica might as well. If so, chances are high that Hogarth could also return.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series - Although one of the leads in the original High School Musical series was largely assumed by viewers (as well as the actor portraying him) to be gay, the movies never openly acknowledged it. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series corrected this by including several notable queer characters, and season 2 featured Disney's first LGBTQ+ love song. The series was renewed for a third season.

Big Shot - The Disney+ series Big Shot, which premiered in 2021, is about a basketball coach forced to coach a girls' high school team after being fired from his position at the University of Wisconsin. The Big Shot show deals with plenty of issues that teenagers face, like trying to figure out if the person they like reciprocates their feelings. One of the basketball players, Carolyn "Mouse" Smith, had a crush on a female classmate, and eventually confessed. Disney renewed the show for a second season.

Related: Frozen 3 Should Make Elsa's LGBTQ Identity Canon (But Not With A Partner)

Other Notable Queer Episodes On Disney+

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The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder - In season 1 episode 4, Maya and Francis "KG" Leibowitz-Jenkins were bullied at school for having two dads. Oscar Proud tried to stop his daughter Penny from hanging out with them as well, until he realized the error of his thinking. The dads were both voiced by gay actors, Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil - Although many LGBTQ+ viewers have happily argued that Star is bisexual, the only canon queer representation in Star vs. the Forces of Evil was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in season 2 episode 20. When a concert inspired many audience to kiss their partners, several LGBTQ+ couples were included in what was technically Disney's first gay kiss.

Black-ish - Black-ish centered a few episodes on LGBTQ+ topics, mainly involving Andre's sister Rhonda and the family's habit of not talking about her sexuality. In season 1 episode 22, Dre learned that his sister was marrying a woman, and the wedding itself took place in season 2 episode 20. All episodes are available on Disney+.

Next: Best LGBTQ+ Movies On Disney+ Right Now

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