Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) is facing a new controversy related to its support of the LGBTQ community, with employees of its Pixar unit claiming executives have rejected any attempt to depict same-sex affection in their films.
What Happened: Variety obtained a letter attributed to “the LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies” that accused Disney brass of refusing to permit “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection… regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.”
“We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were,” the letter said. “Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it.”
The reference to “discriminatory legislation” was aimed at CEO Bob Chapek’s recent handling of a controversy regarding his initial silence in denouncing Florida’s "Don’t Say Gay" legislation, which many LGBTQ Americans consider discriminatory. Chapek initially claimed the proper response to the legislation was making LGBTQ-inclusive content rather than political statements, although on Wednesday he eventually spoke out against the Florida bill.
See Also: LGBTQ Group Rejects Disney's $5M Donation, Demands More Action From The Company
Why It Happened: Pixar, which focuses on family-friendly animation, has only briefly touched on LGBTQ subject matter. Its 2020 short film “Out” was about a gay man who struggles with coming out to his parents; the film included a same-sex kiss, a first for the studio.
“Out” was streamed on Disney+ and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Disney ignored a petition drive to remove the film from its streaming service.
Also in 2020, in the Pixar feature “Onward,” a female cyclops police officer voiced by Lena Waithe made a passing reference to “my girlfriend’s daughter.” That was enough to get the film banned in four Arab nations and the line was rewritten in the Russian release from “girlfriend” to “partner.”
What Else Happened: The letter also called on Disney’s leadership to stop making campaign contributions to Florida lawmakers who supported "Don’t Say Gay" and to “take a decisive public stand” against similar bills in other state legislatures.
“This is urgent,” the letter said. “42% of LGBTQIA+ youth seriously considered suicide in 2021, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth, with a large factor being the lack of support that these discriminatory legislations enable. Disney claims to care for the welfare of children, but supporting politicians like this directly hurts one of their most vulnerable audiences.”
Photo: A scene from Pixar’s “Out,” courtesy of Pixar / Disney
