Disney Channel’s The Owl House continues to break barriers. It recently introduced its first-ever non-binary character during its second season.
The new character is Raine Whispers, who was introduced during the July 24 episode “Eda’s Requiem.” Raine is described as a “sharp and hardworking Head Witch of the Bard Coven” and uses the pronouns they/them. The character is voiced by non-binary Latinx actor Avi Roque. On social media, Roque called the opportunity to play Raine a “dream come true.”
Created by Dana Terrace, The Owl House is an animated fantasy TV series that follows a Dominican-American teenage girl named Luz Noceda (Sarah-Nicole Robles) who becomes a witch’s apprentice to pursue her dream of becoming a witch, too. The series won a Peabody Award this year for Children and Youth programming.
When the show premiered early last year, Luz became Disney’s first bisexual lead character. Terrace said new perspectives and stories help the genre. “More diversity in fantasy, I think, not only helps audiences see themselves in these stories, but I think it could help diversify the kind of fantasy stories we’re telling,” Terrace told the L.A. Times last year.
Fans of The Owl House were quick to show their support for the new non-binary character and its significance for the LGBTQ+ community.
New episodes of The Owl House air Saturdays on the Disney Channel. The series has been renewed for a third and final season. Season 1 and the first half of Season 2 are currently streaming on Disney+.
