Disney introduces first non-binary character in The Owl House TV series

Actor Avi Roque described the role as ‘a dream come true’

The character Raine Whispers, as seen in ‘The Owl House' (Disney)

Disney has featured its first ever explicitly non-binary character in its children’s animated TV series The Owl House.

The character, Raine Whispers, featured in the latest episode of the series, and is voiced by Avi Roque, a non-binary actor.

The Owl House follows the adventures of a teenage girl named Luz Noceda, who is transported to another world by a magic portal.

Writing on Twitter, Roque said that the role represented a “dream come true”, and specified that Raine uses they/them pronouns.

The Owl House has been praised for its sexual and gender diversity in the past, and is the first Disney Channel programme to feature a bisexual leading character.

The show’s creator, Dana Terrace, claimed that she had initially faced pushback on representation from “certain” members of Disney leadership.

“In [development], I was very open about my intention to put queer kids in the main cast,” she tweeted last August. “When we were greenlit, I was told by certain Disney leadership that I could NOT represent any form of bi or gay relationship on the Channel.”

However, she stipulated: “Now I am VERY supported by current Disney leadership. Representation matters! Always fight to make what YOU want to see!”

In the UK, The Owl House can be streamed on Disney Plus.