Disney now says is opposed to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill : NPR

Contents:

• LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN REMOVED FROM DISNEY AFTER FUMBLED "DON'T SAY GAY BILL" STANCE - INSI THE MAGIC
• AFTER PROTTS, DISNEY CEO SPEAKS OUT AGAST FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL
• DISNEY CEO SAYS PANY OPPOS 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL FLORIDA, SEEKS MEETG WH DESANTIS
• DISNEY WORKERS WALK OUT OVER THE PANY'S RPONSE TO SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN REMOVED FROM DISNEY AFTER FUMBLED "DON'T SAY GAY BILL" STANCE - INSI THE MAGIC

Conservative groups have urged a boytt of Disney over news that the fay-iendly stud would feature s first "exclively gay moment" the live-actn remake of Bety and the Beast. Director Bill Condon told the Brish gay magaze Attu that Le Fou, the bumblg sikick played by Josh Gad, would be portrayed as a gay man.

Rsia further announced that Bety and the Beast will be rated 16+ over ncerns that the adaptatn would vlate the untry's "gay propaganda" backlash is overblown for a number of reasons. Le Fou might be the first character that Disney has openly regnized as beg gay, but that don't mean LGBT people haven't been there all From Harper's BAZAARDisneySean Griff lerally wrote the book on the gay history of Disney. "It's not necsarily gay, but 's fely queer.

"Le Fou might be the first character that Disney has openly regnized as beg gay, but that don't mean LGBT people haven't been there all those unfaiar, there's a subtle difference between those two phras.

AFTER PROTTS, DISNEY CEO SPEAKS OUT AGAST FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

While "gay" refers to people who like members of their same sex, "queer" is a reclaimed term that sprang up amic circl the early 1990s. It n be hard to fe, but you know queerns when you see Reluctant Dragon, a short produced 1941, is extremely queer, even if 's not necsarily gay. In the 1948 film, actors Farley Granger and John Dall (both of whom were gay men) played a pair so nvced of their abily to pull off the perfect murr that they ve iends to their apartment to throw a dner party at the scene of the crime.

The men were based off real-life killers Leopold and Loeb, although any reference to the characters' homosexualy was exprsed through subtext.

A PSA-style tnal film shown public schools the 1950s, "Boys Beware, " warned that some gay men "rort to vlence" to prey on young boys public rtrooms and public parks. "One never knows when the homosexual is about, " the PSA clar. Filmmaker David Thorpe exam Disney's history of associatg gay men wh villay Do I Sound Gay?, a 2014 documentary on the "gay voice.

DISNEY CEO SAYS PANY OPPOS 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL FLORIDA, SEEKS MEETG WH DESANTIS

" Asi om a pronounced lisp, Thorpe tells that a number of characteristics send the msage that there's somethg a ltle b off about characters like Jafar, the villa of 1992's Aladd, and Sr, the antagonist of 1994's The Ln "For s, Disney films have rerced the stereotype that gay men are bad bee not only do they scheme and enact mischief upon the good characters, but they are also bad bee they don't nform to cultural norms of genr, " Thorpe explas a phone terview.

They are a rtoon, both lerally and metaphorilly, of what gay men are. That phrase refers to a mon slur ed at the expense of gay men.

" Even as the stud was makg films that their villas as subtextually queer, produced 1991's Bety and the Beast, which was spearhead by a gay man, executive producer and lyricist Howard Ashman. Astute viewers noted that Zootopia, aspirg police officer Judy Hopps liv next to a gay uple. The backlash to Le Fou's sexualy might suggt that the stud has fally ught up to the tim by portrayg an out-and-proud gay man on screen, but the cisn is as progrsive as is the origal film, Le Fou isn't gay.

DISNEY WORKERS WALK OUT OVER THE PANY'S RPONSE TO SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

Le Fou, drsed a Capta Hook sha of hot pk, clearly has a torch burng for Gaston (played the film by gay actor Le Evans). Gay film cric Michael Mto wrote at Out magaze that makg Le Fou queer plays to "the stereotype that gay guys always lt for hetero studs. DisneyLe Fou fally gets his "big moment" at the end, but may not satisfy eher LGBT dienc hopg the stud would exorcise s anti-gay mons or crics worried Disney is phg a "gay agenda.

" The gathergs for like-md ladi were a reference to the fact that "Mickey Moe" was a mon term at the time for gay men. Sce butg theaters 28 years ago, the voluptuo sea wch has bee a popular gay Halloween stume. Image via Gay Days.

Related: Disney Backs Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Dpe Preachg Inclivy.