Company criticized again Disney removes transgender story from new Pixar series
How much LGBTQ+ content can a children's series have? Disney is now exercising restraint and is scrapping an initially planned transgender story in a new Pixar series.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Disney removes transgender story arc from "Win or Lose" series to leave discussion to parents.
- Voice actress Chanel Stewart, herself transgender, expresses disappointment over the changes.
- Disney is once again under fire for its handling of LGBTQ+ issues.
Following the election of Donald Trump as US President, the debate is likely to heat up further: in the USA, there has long been a heated debate about how much LGBTQ+ content should be shown in formats aimed primarily at children. Disney has decided to exercise restraint with a new project: the Pixar animated series "Win or Lose" will no longer contain a transgender story, as reported by "The Hollywood Reporter".
The series, which is due to be shown on Disney+ from February 19, 2025, tells the story of a mixed-race children's softball team in the week leading up to their championship game. Each of the eight episodes will revolve around a character's life off the field and their point of view, be it a player, a parent, a coach or an umpire.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed that the story arc has been removed. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "When it comes to animated content for younger audiences, we recognize that there are many parents who prefer to discuss certain topics with their children on their own terms and in their own time frame."
Voice actress "disheartened" by the decision
A corresponding character remains in the series, but some lines of dialog relating to gender identity have been removed. Citing an insider, "The Hollywood Reporter" reports that the studio made the decision several months ago. When asked, Disney declined to comment on further details.
This is not the first time the company has come under fire for LGBTQ+ storylines, particularly in relation to its animated films. Gender identity has become a volatile and controversial topic in the United States. Recently, the Disney Channel animated series "Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur" made headlines after some employees claimed on social media that Disney had banned the release of an episode featuring a transgender character. However, the company denied this.
As it turned out, the voice actress whose character was changed in the story is transgender herself. Disney informed Chanel Stewart of the decision on Monday evening. The 18-year-old told Deadline that she was "very disheartened".
Stewart was 14 when she applied for the role following a casting call for a transgender actress. She continued, "From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to support other transgender youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories are important, and they deserve to be heard."
