Sesame Street Introduces Gay Family For The First Time

Sesame Street has always prided itself on diversity and inclusion. Now, for the first time, the show has introduced gay dads (watch above). The director of the episode, Alan Muraoka, addressed it on Facebook:

Sesame Street has always been a welcoming place of diversity and inclusion. So I’m so excited to introduce Nina’s Brother Dave, his husband Frank, and their daughter Mia to our sunny street. Our Family Day episode drops today on HBOMax and on YouTube… I am so honored and humbled to have co-directed this important and milestone episode. Love is love, and we are so happy to add this special family to our Sesame family. Happy Pride to all!!!!

There is no big explanation in the episode when the dads come on screen, it’s just treated as normal. That is something that is being applauded. LGBTQ Nation wrote, “These are the people in your neighborhood.” GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis says, “Frank and Dave, as Mia’s dads, are the latest characters in an undeniable trend of inclusion across kids & family programming, one that allows millions of proud LGBTQ parents, and our children, to finally get to see families like ours reflected on TV.”

Yahoo says that the series has mentioned same-sex families before but hasn’t introduced any as characters until now.