After immersing itself in the culture wars, it seems Disney might now be doing a bit of an about-face. The children’s entertainment giant has cut a transgender storyline from “Win or Lose,” a Pixar animated series slated to premiere in February, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR). The show, which was reportedly set to initially premiere December 6, centres on a co-ed middle school softball team, which makes this news even more noteworthy, as the debate over girls’ sports heats up. A spokesperson for Disney, which owns Pixar, confirmed the news to THR — and appealed to parental rights as the reason for the surprising decision. “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” the statement read. The character is reportedly still in the show, though some lines uttered about gender identity will no longer appear. It’s a decision said to have been made several months ago, according to THR.
Chanel Stewart, the teen actor who plays the role purportedly being cut down — an individual who identifies as transgender — expressed disappointment in an interview with Dateline and said the character will now be “a straight cis girl.” And Stewart’s mom, Keisha, also told the outlet the move is “upsetting.” “There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but this is the world that we live in and everyone should be represented,” Keisha said. “Everyone deserves to be recognized. And it felt like it was just another setback for the LGBTQ community, because it’s very hard on transgender teenagers … transgender people, period. Especially when you’re young and you’re trying to figure out how to navigate this world that you live in and be able to grow into your own person.” But parental rights advocates are rejoicing. Alleigh Marre, executive director of American Parents Coalition, said in a statement to CBN News that this is a step in the right direction.
“Many organizations are realizing that pushing gender ideology on kids is not only irresponsible, but it comes at the expense of parental support and buy-in for the brand writ large,” she said. “While there is still much work to be done in promoting appropriate streaming and media options for kids, parents should take heart that their voices are being heard.” Marre continued, “Parents should always be in the driver’s seat for how and when personal and sensitive topics are introduced and discussed.” Disney’s major move — and acknowledgment of parental rights — comes after a series of activities seemingly seeking to include LGBTQ content in films and TV projects. Much of the controversy around these projects hit a fever pitch in 2022. As CBN previously reported, “Lightyear,” a movie about the iconic “Toy Story” character Buzz Lightyear, came out that year and featured a same-sex relationship and kiss. As a result, it drew the ire of individuals concerned about including such content in a kids’ movie.
The kiss in question was reportedly initially removed from the film. After the furor over ex-Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s initial decision not to wade into the debate over Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, a law that bolsters parental rights, it was put back in. Critics vociferously dubbed the parental rights legislation the “Don’t Say Gay bill,” despite the word “gay” being absent from the text. At first, when the bill was proposed, Disney remained quiet, with Chapek taking heat for refusing to repudiate it after saying such actions from corporations are generally “counterproductive.” But, after intense pressure, Disney reversed course and went all in. The company suddenly pledged to help efforts to repeal the law, which led to a very public spat between the parties and put Disney centre stage in the culture wars. These issues were exacerbated by leaked videos from Disney leaders and staff in 2022 discussing LGBT issues. Clips from The Walt Disney Company’s “Reimagine Tomorrow Summit,” an internal conference for employees, showed Chapek apologizing to LGBT employees and promising to do more.
In another video, Vivian Ware, “diversity and inclusion manager” for Disney, purportedly spoke favourably about California-based Disneyland and Florida-based Walt Disney World’s joint decision to axe “ladies and gentlemen” and “boys and girls” proclamations from the respective parks. “We don’t want to just assume, because someone might be, in our interpretation, maybe presenting as female, that they may not want to be called ‘princess,’” she said. “So, let’s think differently about how we really engage with our guests in a meaningful and inclusive way that makes it magical and memorable for everyone.” Just two years later — and amid speculation these moves and headlines hurt parental trust — it seems the “Win or Lose” decision could be evidence Disney is taking a different route and more cautiously respecting parental rights on such contentious issues.
Source: Faithwire
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