Disney’s Lightyear banned in 14 countries over gay kiss
Disney’s Lightyear (2022) has been banned in 14 countries due to Disney refusing to remove a gay kiss between two characters within the movie.
Lightyear, which tells the story of the man behind the action figure that features a prominent role within the Toy Story series, received its first reviews this week and is set to come out on June 17. However, for countries like Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Lebanon, the film has been banned. It is also highly unlikely the film will be released in China.
The UAE’s Media Regulatory Office tweeted the following, via Twitter:
“The Media Regulatory Office announced that the animated film Lightyear, which is scheduled for release on 16th June, is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards.”
The gay kiss that has been causing the movie to skyrocket via social media, has had mixed reactions. Right-wing conservatives like Ben Shapiro – also known as the gentlemen who proposed those who lose their home via climate change simply move somewhere else – have labelled it as Disney pushing a not-so-secret agenda.
As Pink News reports, the kiss that seems to have caused so much ire in conservative spaces is between a character named Hawthorne, who kisses her wife and is shown to have a family with said wife. Shocking scenes, indeed.
The ban isn’t the first time that Disney has had a recent movie banned, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also being unable to be featured in several countries due to the inclusion of America Chavez, a gay character.
Previously Disney had been accused by its employees of removing gay content from within its features, though it did not name what films, in particular, had the content been removed from. In an open letter to bosses, employees claimed that they had personally witnessed LGBTQ+ stories and moments of gay affection be stripped away.
Lightyear is out in cinemas everywhere on June 17.
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