The Simpsons (1989-) is the iconic, long-running animated sitcom on the Fox network. For 36 seasons and counting (at time of writing), this half-hour comedy has explored the lives of the Simpsons family — Homer (voiced by Dan Castellenata), Marge (Julie Kavner), their son Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and daughter Lisa (Yeardley Smith) — and their zany adventures amid the town of Springfield. Of particular interest are the characters of Lisa and Homer. Lisa has spiky hair and is most often seen in an orange-red play dress and matching orange-red shoes with a pearl necklace. Homer, famously bald and sporting stubble, is most often seen in a white work shirt, blue pants, and black shoes. Their skin is mustard yellow in tone.
Any show that runs long enough to span generations is going to convey different viewpoints and, hopefully, an evolution in how it views the world. The Simpsons is a great example of this. Sure, over 35+ years, bi people have been the butt of jokes at multiple times. At the same time, pretty much every group gets the short end of the stick at one point or another on The Simpsons. Such is the nature of this irreverent satire. So, while many of the earlier seasons do have a smattering of bad bi jokes, there are signs of changing attitudes.
During the first 20 seasons or so, we see Lisa have a series of crushes on boys her age — Nelson Muntz perhaps being the most prominent of them. In flash-forwards, we also see her married to Bart’s best friend, Milhouse as well as a floppy-haired Brit voiced by Hugh Grant. But we also get to see at the end of the ninth episode of Season 23 (“Holidays of Future Passed”) that Lisa eventually also dates women and even has a polyamorous relationship as well. During another episode, “Mr. Lisa’s Opus”, we learn that future-Lisa has another girlfriend named Valerie when she is at Harvard.
There’s also a lot of evidence that Homer may be bi-curious throughout the series. He has no problem when his assistant Karl makes a pass (and, in some ways, seems reinvigorated). He’s rather “flattered and maybe even a little bit curious” when Mr. Burns mistakes his union demands for a sexual advance. In “To Courier, With Love”, he reminds the French police that he deserves a better French kiss apology. In “Lisa the Tree Hugger”, he gets lost in the eyes of a hunky environmentalist. Homer even marries and makes out with himself during a fantasy sequence. And, of course, there’s the famous “Stupid sexy Flanders!”
The creators’ confirmations of whether many Springfield characters are queer or not kind of run the gamut, but it feels safe to say that, while these two may not be the best bi representation in modern animation, there is enough evidence within the stories to lead to saying they are bi, in the case of Lisa — or at least questioning, in the case of Homer.