Pixar's Lightyear Rtor Same-Sex Kiss After Don't Say Gay Uproar - Variety

Contents:

• OKLAHOMA MOVIE THEATER POSTS 'WARNG' SIGN ABOUT 'LIGHTYEAR' GAY KISS, LOL CALLS THE MOVE 'BIGOTED'
• LIGHTYEAR: PIXAR RTOR SAME-SEX KISS FOLLOWG ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKLASH
• SAME-SEX KISS ‘LIGHTYEAR’ RTORED TO PIXAR FILM’S FAL CUT AFTER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ OUTRAGE
• SAME-SEX KISS RTORED PIXAR’S ‘LIGHTYEAR’ FOLLOWG STAFF UPROAR OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL (EXCLUSIVE)

OKLAHOMA MOVIE THEATER POSTS 'WARNG' SIGN ABOUT 'LIGHTYEAR' GAY KISS, LOL CALLS THE MOVE 'BIGOTED'

Me unr fire for s ial silence regardg a Florida bill rtrictg classroom discsn of sexual orientatn and genr inty — dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by crics. Durg the tumult, Pixar employe lled out Disney executiv for cuttg “nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn” om the animatn stud’s films.

: It was ially cut om the film, then rtored after ternal uproar when was revealed Disney had donated $200, 000 to Republin policians who supported Florida's “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which forbids discsns of sexual orientatn elementary school Chris Evans' Buzz is more fantastic than plastic Pixar's spiffy 'Lightyear'The iendship between Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) and his manr Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) is at the heart of "Lightyear. ': Chris Evans on 'Lightyear, ' playg bad guys and beg 'a romantic person'In March, the kiss was rtored after Pixar animators spoke out agast Disney  an open letter obtaed by Variety, sayg executiv had mand cuts "om nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn. Playg a character like Alisha a high-profile movie the wake of “Don’t Say Gay” and other siar legislatn “means everythg, ” Aduba adds.

Homosexualy is nsired crimal many Middle Eastern untri. But she said filmmakers would not make chang to the has rejected other on-screen pictns of homosexualy the past.

LIGHTYEAR: PIXAR RTOR SAME-SEX KISS FOLLOWG ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKLASH

While there have been blk-and-you’ll-miss- queer moments prev Pixar outgs — the lbian uple Fdg Dory, for example -— ’s long sce time for a proment gay character or two one of the stud’s films.

Followg a year marked by turmoil wh s LGBTQ+ fan base and employe, Disney is releasg s first-ever movie that shows a gay kiss. Lightyear is not the first Disney film to be censored other untri for s pictn of gay characters. After ially refg to ment on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the pany faced a wave of cricism om employe and nsumers.

“Nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn is cut at Disney’s beht, regardls of when there is prott om both the creative teams and executive learship at Pixar, ” their letter read. Beyond qutng s public stance, fans and employe also cricized Disney for donatg to Florida policians who supported the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. More:Disney CEO fally speaks out on 'Don't Say Gay.

SAME-SEX KISS ‘LIGHTYEAR’ RTORED TO PIXAR FILM’S FAL CUT AFTER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ OUTRAGE

' But where's the gay Disney fairy tale?

The same-sex kiss first ma headl last month, when Pixar animators spoke out agast Disney an open letter obtaed by Variety, sayg that rporate executiv had mand cuts "om nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn. But was later rtored light of Disney's "Don't Say Gay" ntroversy, when was revealed the pany had donated roughly $200, 000 to Republin policians who supported the bill, which forbids discsns of sexual orient elementary school classrooms.

SAME-SEX KISS RTORED PIXAR’S ‘LIGHTYEAR’ FOLLOWG STAFF UPROAR OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL (EXCLUSIVE)

"Other live-actn Disney films have relegated queer characters to the background, like a blk-and-you'll-miss- kiss between two women "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, " or the "exclively gay moment" of Josh Gad's LeFou dancg wh another man "Bety and the Beast.

A movie theater Oklahoma posted "warng" signs about Lightyear ntag a gay kiss — and told patrons would fast-forward over the scene durg s screengs. Seeg a lovg gay uple a meangful way is important for everybody. ' | Cred: Pixar News that Disney had removed s first on-screen same-sex kiss me amid reports that the pany had donated large sums of money to Florida policians supportg the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which stat, part, that nversatns around sexual orientatn and genr inty "may not occur krgarten through gra 3.

The pany has taken baby steps over the years to start cludg queer reprentatn s films and TV shows, ually by allowg Pixar to keep the two moms hidn the back or okayg the ia of LeFou beg gay after all. Whether 's two moms at the aquarium wh Dory, a teenage g out story on Disney Channel, or the blk-and-you'll-miss- gay moment Frozen, every one of the characters paved the way for Hawthorne, a queer character Pixar'sLightyearwho will have Disney's first-ever animated same-sex kiss. The characters were nfirmed to be a married uple by the film's directors, Jared Bh and openly gay Byron Howard, who each lend their voic to Bucky and Pronk.