The second series of Wizards vs Aliens concluded yesterday with somewhat of a surprise - and I'm not referring to wizards winning an all out war with the aliens. No, the big surprise, for many, was that Benny has come out as gay to his best friend Tom Clarke. There's no denying that the relevant scene was very sensitively written and acted; though, as it happens, the word "gay" was never actually spoken.

Tom tells Benny that they need to save the world in order that Benny can go on his very first date. They win the war, and save the world. So the big question becomes whether or not we'll see any more of Benny. Will we ever see him go on his first date?

That was the last episode of the current series, and no decision has yet been made about the commissioning of a third series.

Benny coming out as gay might seem like groundbreaking children's television but, surprising as it may seem to those unfamiliar with Newsround Blog, gay characters first appeared on kids' TV more than twenty years ago. And although Benny has yet to go on his gay date, kids actually saw teens coming out and dating in the past, before programmes like Byker Grove and Grange Hill were axed.

The reality, then, is that children's TV has just recently been playing catch-up, and there's no guarantee that it'll continue to do so. There is no room for complacency. Furthermore, lesbians have been even more poorly represented on TV than their male counterparts.

Lesbians can be heroes, too

Anne Gilchrist announced the axing of Grange Hill in 2008, saying that "the lives of children have changed a great deal since Grange Hill began and we owe it to our audience to reflect this."

Four years on, how well is CBBC reflecting the lives of children today?

Well, the second series of Leonardo begins this afternoon on CBBC. It's set in 15th century Florence. So, basically, not the ideal way to reflect the lives of 21st century children.

How about the brand new flagship series, Wolfblood? Yes, great at reflecting modern times, but only provided kids these days are secretly wolves.

Of course, Wolfblood could be seen as an allegory. Maddy and Rhydian might, for example, represent two gay kids who are worried that others at school won't accept them if they knew about their sexuality.

But if the BBC is serious about reflecting the lives of children today, bosses need to stop treating being lesbian or gay as something unmentionable. After all lesbians can be heroes, too.