Disney to Restore Same-Sex Kiss in Lightyear amid Outrage over Florida's Parental Rights in Education Bill

Milton Quintanilla | Contributor for ChristianHeadlines.com | Updated: Mar 22, 2022
Disney to Restore Same-Sex Kiss in <em>Lightyear</em> amid Outrage over Florida's Parental Rights in Education Bill

Disney to Restore Same-Sex Kiss in Lightyear amid Outrage over Florida's Parental Rights in Education Bill

Disney's Pixar recently announced that it is restoring a kissing scene with a same-sex couple in its upcoming film, Lightyear, following backlash over how Disney's CEO initially responded to Florida's parental rights education bill.

The movie, which stars Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear, will feature a kissing scene with two female characters. The film is set to release in theaters on June 17.

According to Variety, Pixar's LGBTQ employees sent a letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek denouncing his decision to cut this scene and other LGBT scenes from past Pixar films.

"Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney's behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar," the statement says. "Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it."

The employees also condemned Chapek for not immediately denouncing Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, which critics have called the 'Don't Say Gay Bill.' The legislation, which has yet to be signed, bans classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity with kindergarten to third-grade students.

As Christian Headlines previously reported, Chapek apologized to his employees in a memo last week for not taking a stronger stance against the bill.

"I want to be crystal clear: I and the entire leadership team unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities," he said in the memo. "And, we are committed to creating a more inclusive company — and world."

Chapek also pledged that Disney will donate $5 million to LGBTQ advocacy groups, CBN News reports.

LGBTQ workers at Disney responded to Chapek's remarks in an open letter last week.

"While we certainly appreciate Bob Chapek's apology note, there is still more work to be done," they said. In the letter, the group also included a list of steps Disney can take to regain the "trust of the LGBTQIA+ community and employees."

Further, the group announced a series of protests, including a full walkout that will take place on Tuesday, March 22.

Related:

Disney CEO Apologizes for Not Taking 'Stronger' Stance against Florida LGBT Bill

What Disney's Interference with Politics Tells Us about Their Vision

Photo courtesy: Silvana Carlos/Unsplash


Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.



Disney to Restore Same-Sex Kiss in Lightyear amid Outrage over Florida's Parental Rights in Education Bill