A wave of Instagram posts decrying Pride caused a split in the American Girl doll collecting community. This led to a discussion about homophobia within the hobby.
American Girl collectors use Instagram to share their vast collection anonymously, meet other doll collectors, and take photos of custom-made clothes and accessories.
American Girl released the iconic Molly doll June 1st. Doll enthusiasts speculated that this implied that Molly was canonically homosexual. American Girl denied any fan speculation about Molly’s sexuality.
Some AGIG creators supported LGBTQ inclusion and representation as Pride celebrations began. A group of AGIG creators started an online campaign to “take Back the Rainbow” and the posts divided doll lovers on Instagram.
A group of creators posted images over the weekend of their dolls wearing different colors of the rainbow. Many of them claim to be minors. Each captioned the posts with Bible verses condemning Pride.
“As you know, this month is known as pride month,” wrote agdollfan4ever in an Instagram post.
“It seems like a few things are pushed aside at this time of the year. God’s view on pride is first. The Bible warns against pride and encourages us to walk in humility.
The creator shared a photo of a doll wearing a green dress and stated that the color reminded them of God’s amazing creations and the beauty of the outdoors.
Another creator, ag.frogsoup posted a photo showing a doll in a yellow dress. It was meant to symbolize the joy that Jesus is our Savior/Lord. They wrote in the caption that “This month is known[n] as Pride month.” This is something I don’t support as a Christian. I believe God created two genders, male and female.
Creator little.bird_studio cited Revelations in their posting.
Others who were part the anti-Pride group seemed to have deleted their posts or made their accounts private after AGIG accounts voiced their disapproval.
Meme account klit.klittredge, a play on Kit Kittredge’s doll, shared screenshots from two anti-Pride posts. This sparked further discussion within the AGIG community about inclusivity.
On their Instagram story, livs_ag wrote in support of “christians defending and defending their beliefs”.
“Just because they don’t agree with you on a political issue doesn’t mean that they are bigots, racists, or whatever other fancy names you have come up with,” livs_ag wrote. Everyone has the right of their opinion. I believe in the Bible, and if it offends me, so be it.”
Reese is one of the creators fighting back against anti-Pride posts in the community.
Reese (18), also known as honeyag_ posted an Instagram picture showing two female dolls hugging. Reese said that the anti-Pride posts were “unusual.”
Reese stated, “We are weird people collecting dolls. So we should honestly be last to judge any group of people.” “Especially something that we can’t control. Then using religion as an excuse is something they can choose.”
Reese stated that the AGIG community is usually a welcoming place, and they were shocked at how many AGIG creators supported homophobic posts.
Reese stated, “It made it clear that they aren’t as supportive as my initial thought.” It can be as hateful and threatening as any other community.
Homophobia is not uncommon in the American Girl doll community.
American Girl introduced Kira Bailey last year. Kira Bailey is a doll that loves animals. She spends her summer at her family’s wildlife sanctuary with her great aunts Lynette and Mamie.
Kira was the first American Girl doll to feature LGBTQ characters in her storyline. This sparked outrage among conservative groups. Over 34,800 people signed a petition calling for Kira’s storyline to be discontinued by One Million Moms.
American Girl’s spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked about the homophobic comments and backlash against the Kira doll.
Kyra, an openly gay AGIG creator, went by sapphic.ag and described the Kira doll to be a “step forward in the right direction” and said that the AGIG community offered fans “a way for some people get this representation they never see.”
Kyra, who chose not to reveal her full name due to privacy concerns, stated that she was “really disgusted” by recent homophobic posts made by other AGIG creators.
Kyra, 19 years old, said that she was angry at the statements left by the accounts. “Because this page is a safe place for myself and others… Although I try to keep my Instagram stories lighthearted and fun, I was inspired by these Instagram accounts.
Others in the community agreed with this sentiment, calling the antiPride posts “disappointing”.
Kelsey, an AGIG creator known as prettylittleelizabeth, has been an avid American Girl fan since she was eight. She’s now 32 and says she has found “friends for the rest of her life” online through the AGIG community.
Kelsey, who did not want to give her full name out because she was concerned about her privacy, stressed the importance of representation for younger fans.
She said that hate is a learned behavior and it was disappointing to see it being modeled for younger fans. It is completely against American Girl’s message and all the characters stand for.
Kelsey stated that American Girl characters are “girls that defied social norms, stood up for their friends”
“I don’t see how you can call yourself a fan if your unwilling to do the same.”
American Girl released a doll recently with a LGBTQ storyline. However, creators of AGIG like Kyra have used their platforms for years to create their own representation.
Kyra stated that she and other doll creators “explore storytelling” and create elaborate backstories for each doll, much like the original American Girl dolls.
She posts queer stories for her dolls on Instagram to try and combat homophobia in the AGIG community. Kyra found it especially encouraging to see the number of AGIG posts that support the LGBTQ community, despite homophobic posts.
