View source for LGBTQ+ themes in My Little Pony

[[File:S9E12 Holiday and Lofty.png|thumb|300px|{{FIM|Aunt Holiday}} and {{FIM|Aunt Lofty}}, an openly same-sex couple]]
As societal norms change and progress, '''{{W|LGBT}}''' representation in ''[[My Little Pony]]'' progressed greatly. In the late [[2010s]], numerous characters were confirmed to be LGBT and a handful of new ones were introduced. In an out-of-universe perspective, ''My Little Pony'' was the target of numerous anti-LGBT controversies and strikes, due to its depiction of rainbows and other iconography attributed with LGBT culture in the earlier seasons, to outrage regarding same-sex couples in the later seasons.

==LGBT history in the franchise==
[[File:ROF Holding Hands.png|thumb|300px|[[Curly Winds]] and [[Wiz Kid]] holding hands]]
Unfortunately due to the cultural climate of media in the 80s all the way to most of the 2010s, LGBT representation was rare and often reserved for more adult media, and was often used as more of a joke rather than a fundamental feature of a character. Starting in the later years of the 2010s, cartoons and television shows aimed at children and Networks themselves tended to be more comfortable with the idea of LGBT characters. ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' and ''Adventure Time'' famously built long-form story arcs around same sex couples and ''Steven Universe'' featured many LGBT figures as main characters and often had LGBT themes and plots as main focuses for storylines.

In 2017, ''My Little Pony'' received its first same-sex couple in the form of {{IDW|Aunt Lofty}} and {{IDW|Aunt Holiday}}, the loving aunts of {{IDW|Scootaloo}}. These characters were later brought into the cartoon canon debuting in "[[The Last Crusade]]" in which they were the driving force as to why Scootaloo got to stay in Ponyville. Though their comic counterparts were never technically confirmed, they were quite romantic with each other and it was written in the ''[[Ponyville Mysteries]]'' novels, which the comics were sequels to, that they kissed each other, essentially confirming they were in love. 

In [[2018]], ''[[Equestria Girls: Rollercoaster of Friendship]]'' was released, and was originally set to feature a romantic relationship between {{EQG|Rarity}} and {{EQG|Applejack}}, but it was eventually dropped. This was referenced in the next two ''[[Equestria Girls]]'' specials, ''[[Equestria Girls: Spring Breakdown]]'' and ''[[Equestria Girls: Sunset Shimmer's Backstage Pass]]'' in which Rarity fell for a young man named [[Ragamuffin]] and Applejack fell for a musician named [[Dirk Thistleweed]], both of whom resembled the other strongly. 

On {{D|Sep|9|2019}}, [[Sunset Shimmer]] was confirmed to be bisexual by [[Katrina Hadley]], who thought it was "pretty obvious".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/isitlunchyet_t/status/1176912630914506753 |title=FYI Sunset is bi. So there, haters |last=Hadley |first=Katrina |date=9/25/2019 |website=Twitter |publisher= |accessdate=9/25/2019 |quote=}}</ref>

Although not confirmed, [[Wiz Kid]] and [[Curly Winds]] were shown to display behavior towards each other that seemed romantic in nature, such as blushing in each others presence,<ref>''[[Equestria Girls: Holidays Unwrapped]]''</ref> holding hands,<ref>''[[Equestria Girls: Rollercoaster of Friendship]]''</ref> cuddling{{confirm}} and gazing into each others eyes romantically.{{confirm}} Interestingly, the two appear to be good friends with {{EQG|Lyra Heartstrings}} and {{EQG|Bon Bon}}, whose pony counterparts were confirmed to be married in "[[The Last Problem]]".

==LGBT in-universe==
In {{EQG|Equestria}} at least, LGBT appears to have no real stigma attached to it, with no characters really reacting to Holiday and Lofty's relationship as if it were anything but the loving and sincere relationship it was. Likewise, Lyra and Bon Bon were able to get married, meaning same-sex marriage is legal in Equestria.

==See also==
* [[Sexes#Homosexuality]]
* [[:Category:LGBT characters|LGBT characters]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Sexuality]]