After some turbulent months, Disney has been trying to rectify its mistakes over the controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill. One of these mistakes was removing a same-sex kiss from Lightyear, which was later reintroduced to the film. However, it seems the controversy is not over yet.
According to Variety, Lightyear will be banned in multiple countries including Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, and Malaysia. This is due to the kiss, which was asked to be removed in these countries. However, Disney did not comply, causing the film to be banned. Variety does report that Lightyear could still be released on Disney+Hotstar in the area with the option of parental controls.
This is not the first time that Disney has had its films banned over LGBTQ issues. Recently, Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as well as Eternals were banned in these countries due to featuring LGBTQ characters. 20th Century’s West Side Story was also banned for featuring a transgender character.
Slowly, Disney is beginning to stand up for the LGBTQ community and represent them properly in their media. Pixar’s first LGBTQ character was in Onward where a throwaway line was easily cut in other markets. However, thanks to the incredible animators at Pixar who wouldn’t be censored, true representation is beginning to find its place in all Disney films.