NetflixNetflix animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is introducing its first-ever non-binary character, Double Trouble, who will be voiced by non-binary star Jacob Tobia.
The series has already earned a reputation of social progressivism, particularly in its approach to positive representation of LGBTQ+ relationships in children’s television.
The news was broken in a clip released by the official She-Ra Twitter account.
‘I play a character called Double Trouble,’ Tobia said in the clip, ‘who is a non-binary shape-shifting mercenary, so functionally, I’m playing myself.’
Speaking of their role in the animated series, they added:
Fantasy has always been so, like, vital to me because as a non-binary person, it’s a way of escaping the confines of the world we live in, right? It’s the way of building other realities and imagining the world as it could be, not as it is.
Tobia, who released their memoir Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story earlier this year, said it’s vital to have non-binary representation in animated programmes in today’s culture.
PA ImagesThey continued:
Young people today are already understanding that gender is diverse and a broad spectrum from a super-early age.
So, it’s about time that the shows that we’re making for young people reflect the world as they understand it.
DreamWorks Animation said Double Trouble ‘joins forces with Catra and the Horde’ in the upcoming season.
In a synopsis of the character, the studio said:
Able to magically transform themselves into any person they see, Double Trouble has the soul of a thespian, spending hours in ‘character study’ trying to perfectly mimic their target, and always looking for feedback on their ‘performance’ – just don’t ever give them a negative critique.
NetflixThe programme includes a diverse range of characters in terms of sexual preferences and skin tones. The role of She-Ra is voiced by Aimee Carrero, while the series has also seen cameos from stars such as Sandra Oh and Geena Davis.
In a world where equal representation is more important than ever, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is paving the way LGBTQ+ characters in children’s media.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.