Yesterday, the winners were announced at the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.

We are so proud that an episode of Dino Ranch has won the Outstanding Children’s Programming GLAAD award!

The nominated episode is Adoptasaurus Rex:

After Ma and Pa share the story of how siblings Min, Miguel, and Jon were adopted, the young ranchers are inspired to help two would-be daddy T-Rexes get an egg of their own. Of course, if you’ve ever tried to get close to a T-Rex (and who among us hasn’t?), you’ll know that it’s no easy feat! The kids must face multiple obstacles and a whole discouragement in achieving their task.

But, spurred on by love of the dinos, they get creative and persevere. 

For show creator, Matt Fernandes, this story not only made sense as part of Dino Ranch’s underlying themes of family togetherness, but also felt personal.

“Families can look different and be different. My parents are of two different ethnicities — my father is Black and my mother is Caucasian — from a young age, I’ve been given the opportunity to see the mix of different ethnicities and cultures come together, and that has always been an important topic for me. We can all come from other places, or be different genders, and still be a loving supportive family in this world. This episode truly encapsulates that important message.”

He goes on to say that “the strength of family is always at the core of our show,”, and Fernandes notes that we can expect more episodes like “Adoptasaurus Rex” in the future.

“My hope is that kids and parents can have a dialogue about the fact that families come in different shapes and sizes, or that they can see a family unit that resembles their own. It’s love that binds us, not birth. My main hope is that kids will see this episode’s theme as something that is just normal, instead of standing out as being different.”

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honour media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and the issues that affect their lives.

Here is the full list of winners for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.