of Walt Disney has pulled an LGBT-related storyline from Pixar's first animated series, “Win or Lose,'' after backlash from parents who prefer to discuss such topics with their children.
According to Christian Posstwhose storyline includes a transgender character played by transgender actor Chanel Stewart, called the decision “disappointing.”
“From the moment I received the script, I was excited to share my journey to empower other transgender youth,” Stewart added. very important conversation. Transgender stories matter and deserve to be asked”
in a statement to deadline, the actor was cast Disney found out on social media that they were looking for a transgender teenager to voice a transgender character for the role in 2020.
“I wore it as a badge. I wore it with pride. I wore it with honor because it meant so much to me. The thought excited me. Really happy. I wanted to create this for transgender kids like me,” explained Stewart, who was 14 years old when she received the role.
Stewart will continue to appear on the show, except that Disney removed “a few lines of dialogue” from episodes that hinted at the character's self-declared gender identity.
“It's just that my character ends up being a cis girl, a straight cis girl,” the actor lamented. “That’s it, they Really told me, and I'm still a part of the show. ”
According to the series description, internet movie database“Win or Lose” tells the story of “a middle school softball team during the week leading up to the championship game,” with each episode “told from the perspective of a different character.”
The show is scheduled to premiere on February 19, 2025, and will be voiced by “Saturday Night Live” alum Will Forte.
Disney's removal of the transgender storyline comes after the company faced backlash for opposing the 2022 Parents in Education Bill of Rights passed in Florida. The bill, dubbed the “Don't Say I'm Gay” bill by critics, would ban discussion of sexual orientation and gender. Identity in public schools.
The law originally applied to students in kindergarten through third grade, but the Florida Board of Education revised it later that year to state that “state academic standards do not explicitly require such instruction.'' It applied to all students up to 12th grade, with exceptions for cases where the child was in school. or “is part of a reproductive health course or health lesson that the student's parents may choose not to have the student attend.”
a public opinion poll An investigation conducted by the Trafalgar Group in April 2022 in conjunction with the National Action Council revealed that Disney was focused on creating content that sexually exposed young children. found that nearly 70% of Americans are unlikely to do business with Disney. idea. ”
As revealed by the Securities and Exchange Commission report In the document, published by Disney in 2023, the company notes that “consumer perceptions of our company's positions on public interest issues, including our efforts to achieve certain environmental and social goals, can vary widely. “This poses a risk to our reputation and brand.”
Disney added that social activities could hurt profitsAs, The report states:our If our entertainment products and products or the way we make our products and products available to consumers are not well received by consumers, our revenue and profitability will be adversely affected. ”
Photo provided by: ©YouTube/pixar
