Trans children’s programming?

Like most kids in this country, mine are glued to Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network. Recently though I have noticed more and more instances of crossdressing in the live action shows as well as the cartoons.

When I was a kid I remember Bugs Bunny occasionally dressing like a girl. But other than that I don’t recall many cartoons that had situations involving crossdressers. There were sitcoms that featured crossdressing like Bosom Buddies. However not too many kids shows.

Nowadays, even Sponge Bob dons woman’s clothes. A recent episode of the new Speed Racer show had Speed and his brother Rex go drag in order to get by security guards. In the new Nickelodeon show Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures, both protagonists dressed as girls to attend a party.

But the most surprising show is The Amazing World of Gumball on Cartoon Network. Gumball, who is male, gets stuck having to wear a dress to school after his dad shrinks all of his clothes doing laundry. While dressed he begins to enjoy the attention he gets being a girl. It’s not until his best friend starts to become attracted to him (he doesn’t know that the ‘girl’ is Gumball) that he starts to have second thoughts. That comes close to being the most trans situation I have ever seen in a mainstream children’s program.

I know that most of these situations are played for laughs. However, many of them are done without the overdone slapstick elements of the past. Is children’s programming becoming more trans friendly? Only time will tell.

A side note:
This current trend of crossdressed characters has not escaped my wife’s attention. I think she believes it is a conspiracy designed to remind her that I am trans no matter what she watches on tv. For her even children’s shows are not safe.