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Scooby-Doo’s Velma gets a new LGBTQ identity

by Will Tubbs
Scooby-Doo’s Velma gets a new LGBTQ identity

Megan Udinski, FISM News

 

Be ready to add another children’s show to the list of classics ruined by woke ideology.

The new animated movie “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo,” to premier on Oct.14, released a sneak peak scene in which the smart and lovable Velma is portrayed as gay. In the preview, Velma enters a room where she sees a woman named Coco Diablo.

As Velma stares at Diablo, words on screen such as “amazing turtleneck,” “incredible glasses,” “obviously brilliant” and “likes animals.” Additionally, Velma’s cheeks get flushed and her glasses fog up.

 

Many who have bought into the LGBTQ+ ideology are praising the official “coming-out” of the famed children’s character.

Hayley Kiyoko who played Velma in the live-action movies “Scooby-Doo!: The Mystery Begins” and “Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster,” tweeted, “I remember booking Velma in 2008. It was my first big role in a movie. I also remember thinking ‘I wonder if they know they hired a lesbian as Velma’ here we are, 14 years later……😂 love you all so much.”

In an effort to defend the need to specify Velma’s sexual orientation, animator and producer Tony Cervone announced in 2020 that the “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” series which ran from 2010 to 2013 had included same-sex love interests for Velma’s character and that it is not a new idea. He stated, “We made our intentions as clear as we could ten years ago. Most of our fans got it. To those that didn’t, I suggest you look closer. There’s no new news here.”

Additionally, screenwriter James Gunn tweeted back in 2020 regarding the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie, “In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel).”

Conservative talk show host Steven Crowder blasted the sexualization of the traditionally mild-mannered character. On his show “Louder with Crowder” he asked, “If we’re going to b**** about appropriation, why do you need to take a straight character and make her lesbian? Just go make your own.” He explains that there are already two to three times more LGBTQ+ people represented in U.S. television shows than what actually exists in the culture so underrepresentation is not an issue.

No one seems to be questioning how bringing Velma’s sexuality to the forefront of the show adds to her character or asking what it brings to the story line.

Velma is traditionally known as the smart, slightly awkward member of the gang. Her sexuality should not influence her ability to solve a mystery and yet with the overtly same-sex attraction in the upcoming film, Velma’s character seems too distracted to do what she is classically known for.

For example, in one of the scenes Daphne teases Velma about her crush on Coco to which Velma replies, “What? … Please. Who has time for a type? We have our work cut out for us, and I am focused like a laser on … OK, who am I kidding? I’m crushing big-time, Daphne! What do I do? What do I say?

 

To be sure, even a search engine that claims to be unbiased has shown the side on which its runners stand on this topic. If you do a Google search for “Velma,” a throng of Progress Pride and Lesbian Pride flags flutter across the page like confetti.

The Progress Pride flag, which was unveiled this year in San Francisco, represents individuals who are considered to be dealing with racism and homophobia.

Velma gets another identity change in the upcoming adult animation HBO series where Mindy Kaling voices the character. In the show Velma is South Asian and there have been hints that her sexuality will be a fluid topic.

Kaling vaguely stated, ““[Velma] has unresolved sexual tension with a lot of characters. We were drawn to this journey of self-discovery for her. We wanted to honor the other interpretations and do what’s modern.”

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