Firebuds and XO, Kitty win kid-focused GLAAD Media Awards

And Stranger Things (which skews older, but attracts younger) picked up this year’s Outstanding Drama Series trophy.
March 6, 2026

Titles from Disney Jr., Netflix and HBO Max were celebrated in the children’s programming categories at last night’s GLAAD Media Awards ceremony—and a few nominees managed to score wins outside the kids content sandbox as well.

Disney Jr.’s first-responder series Firebuds (pictured)—featuring a character with two moms—won the coveted Outstanding Children’s Programming prize (which will likely go on the same shelf as the award it won at the inaugural edition of The Velmas in 2024). All told, Disney had 30 nominations this year—seven of which were for kids titles.

Outstanding Kids & Family Programming – Live Action went to Netflix for XO, Kitty, produced by Awesomeness Studios for romcom-loving tweens/teens. The series features several LGBTQ+ relationships and characters, including its main character Kitty, who is bixsexual. This win comes on the heels of XO, Kitty winning a Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Family TV Show in June 2025.

And rounding out the youth categories, HBO Max’s Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake won Outstanding Kids & Family Programming – Animated. This spinoff of Adventure Time features multiple gay relationships and a transgender character.

Further afield, Outstanding Comic Book went to Marvel Infinity Comics’ Avengers Academy: Marvel’s Voices, a kid-skewing webcomic focused on a school for superheroes, including a gay character.

And Stranger Things—which has a huge young audience, even though it’s not intended for them—came out on top in the Outstanding Drama Series field. One of the show’s main characters comes out as gay in the final season.

The 37th-annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony was hosted in Los Angeles, and a full list of winners will be available on GLAAD’s website.

About The Author
Senior reporter for Kidscreen. Ryan covers tech, talent and general kids entertainment news, with a passion for kids rap content and video games. Have a story that's of interest to Kidscreen readers? Contact Ryan at rtuchow@brunico.com

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