As same-sex marriage has become legalized nationwide and transgender issues are also beginning to be better understood by the public today in America, there's been a slow but steady increase in LGBT cartoon characters including those marketed towards younger audiences. ' I am an LGBT anime character and I am proud of it!' - Nathan from Tiger and Bunny Notable characters in the current movement include the pairing of Korra and Asami in The Legend of Korra, the pansexual genderfluid robot BMO in Adventure Time, and the 'gay space rocks' who make up much of the cast of Steven Universe. Japan, in contrast, hasn't historically considered homosexuality sinful. It has, however, been very concerned with social conformity, which is the form homophobia tends to take there.
Before the Meiji restoration, socially accepted outlets for same-sex relationships existed among the samurai and the culture of kabuki, but it was still expected that everyone enter a heterosexual marriage.
