Steven Universe Is Exploring Unhealthy Relationships For A Young, Queer Audience

Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe uses fusion—the physical and mental merging of two people—as a shorthand to illustrate the depth of both platonic and romantic relationships. Because the bulk of the series’ characters are women, the majority of those relationships are coded as being implicitly queer. Steven Universe‘s portrayal of healthy gay relationships has been one of its greatest strengths since it premiered in 2014.