This
guest blog post is offered by Jared White, Regent Law 2020 Graduate and Spring
2020 Family Law student:
There is a very popular show on cartoon network
called Steven Universe. The show
focuses on a child named, you guessed it, Steven Universe and his adolescence.
Sounds like a typical show right? Well for the most part it is, if you exclude
the fact that Steven is raised by genderless rock alien warriors and that
Steven is half rock alien warrior
himself. The show is written by Rebecca Sugar, a writer from the very popular
cartoon network show Adventure Time.
Sounds amazing right? What's not to love? Well…..
Steven
Universe is specifically designed to represent the LGBTQ
community. Rebecca
Sugar as a non-binary…. woman who has stated in multiple interviews that she
wanted to write a show that focuses on alternative lifestyles since the
super majority of shows only focus on heterosexual relationships. This
representation is mainly done in the show's character development. Examples
include a lesbian couple, a 6 person polyamorous relationship, and a
gender-fluid character. All of these characters are designed to make LGBTQ
audience viewers feel like they are represented in television shows. But what
is the cost of this inclusion?
The issues with Steven Universe really highlight a two pronged problem. The first
is that children are now being forced to make very challenging decisions about
their sexuality, their gender, and who they identify as, most of the time
before even hitting puberty. We see stories
of parents stopping their children from developing naturally by forcing puberty
blockers onto them because the child believes that they are the wrong
gender. This is obviously an issue because children are not capable of making
these decisions at such a young age. Children don’t even understand what it
means to romantically be attracted to someone so how can they determine at ten
years old that they want to be romantically involved with ten people of
assorted genders?
The second problem, the problem that Steven Universe and accompanying media
entertainment pose, is that children are being told that alternative
lifestyles, polyamorous relationships, being all “fifty two genders,” etc. is
just as healthy as the simple, singular, boring, vanilla, heteronormative
lifestyle. Children are being taught in these shows that being romantically
involved with ten people is normal and has no negative side effects to a person’s
well-being. But of course, many adults see the reality of this harmful
situation. Studies show unprecedented
rates of depression, drug addiction, and even suicide in the LGBTQ community.
Parents may see the harm these lifestyles bring to people, but despite the
evidence shows like Steven Universe
continue to push the fantasy that what’s bad is secretly good and people who
say otherwise are just behind the times or even worse, bigots.
These two problems together present significant
harm to children and if allowed to go unchecked will pose serious challenges
for an entire generation, such as heightened rates of depression, an absence of
meaning, confusion as to why they are happier single than in relationships,
lack of real intimacy with their future partners, and more importantly a
detachment from God.
Parents, I wish I could say that
the solution is just putting a parental block on the TV, but solutions are
rarely that easy. Even if your child does not watch Steven Universe, he or she may learn these things in school, from
their friends, or anywhere outside your watchful eye. This comes down to
challenging this type of indoctrination with Christian teachings that help
children learn the truth: God created humanity with a specific design, male and
female, to thrive monogamously within the margins of marriage together forever.
(Genesis 1-2) While many families and children may face opposition for their
views, Christian living offers the timeless and important reassurance that
raising growing children according to God’s design will yield a payoff that is
infinitely more valuable. Family
restoration is very possible for future generations.
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