Steven Universe has always emphasized that the gems are, while female-presenting, gender nonbinary: though they’re generally comfortable being perceived as women, they don’t have any real attachment to the identity (like me!). They’re aliens, after all, completely non-human beings of light (not quite like me). And with the introduction of Stevonnie, who is also nonbinary and uses they pronouns, I get to see myself in an awesome, fantastical set of characters, and a character much closer to human. Though there’s been an emergence of positive queer and trans representation, it’s still not always done with authenticity and heart, and I’ve always felt that this show gets it so right. In the past couple weeks, the show’s creator Rebecca Sugar has come out as gender nonbinary. I felt a burst of kinship, gratitude, and a feeling that used to be entirely alien, and now feels familiar, because I get it so often when I watch her show: I am valid, I have stories worth telling, I am not alone.
Here’s a poem.
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