Disney Channel to air first gay storyline

The Disney Channel is set to introduce a gay storyline for the first time in its show "Andi Mack," it said on Thursday.

The one-hour season two premiere, which airs Friday in the US, will see best friends Andi (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Cyrus (Joshua Rush) admit they are attracted to the same boy.

The coming-of-age show -- created by "Sex and the City" writer Terri Minsky -- revolves around 13-year-old girl Andi, who is trying to determine where she fits in and the many ways she can live her life.

"Andi Mack is a story about tweens figuring out who they are," a Disney Channel spokeswoman said.

In the season opener, Andi is hoping for her parents to get married as she sorts out her feelings for classmate Jonah.

Meanwhile Cyrus, also 13, begins to realize he also has feelings for Jonah, beginning a journey to self-discovery and self-acceptance as a gay teenager.

"'Andi Mack' gives young people and their parents, mentors, and champions a meaningful way to talk about these topics and the power to decide their futures," Rush posted on Instagram.

"I'm so proud to bring Cyrus' groundbreaking storyline to life and for you to see what we've been working on."

It won't be the first time an LGBTQ character has appeared on the Disney Channel -- an episode of "Good Luck Charlie" featured a lesbian couple in 2014 -- but it is the first time the network has made coming out a central storyline.

Disney was applauded by viewers earlier this year after airing its first ever same-sex kiss, on Disney XD's animated series "Star vs. the Forces of Evil."

But the company's first ever gay character was LeFou in this year's live action version of "Beauty and the Beast," played by Josh Gad.

"With more and more young people coming out as LGBTQ, 'Andi Mack' is reflecting the lives and lived experiences of so many LGBTQ youth around the country," said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of American lobby group GLAAD, formerly the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Source: AFP