Disney Removes LGBT Storyline from Pixar's ‘Win or Lose’ Series after Parental Concerns
The Walt Disney has pulled an LGBT-related storyline from Pixar’s first-ever animated series “Win or Lose” following backlash from parents who would rather discuss such topics with their children.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” a spokesperson for Disney said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
According to The Christian Post, the storyline involved a trans-identified character, played by Chanel Stewart, a trans-identified actor who called the decision “disheartening.”
“From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth.” Stewart added, “I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
In a statement to Deadline, the actor was cast for the role in 2020 after learning on social media Disney was looking for a trans-identified teenager to voice a trans-identified character.
“I wore it as a badge. I wore it with pride. I wore it with honor because it meant so much to me. The thought of authentically portraying a transgender teenage girl made me really happy. I wanted to make this for transgender kids like me,” Stewart, who was 14 at the time when receiving the role, explained.
Stewart will continue to appear on the show, except that Disney has removed “a few lines of dialogue” from an episode that alludes to the character’s self-declared gender identity.
“It’s just that my character would now be a cis girl, a straight cis girl,” the actor lamented. “That’s all they really told me and that I’m still a part of the show.”
According to a description of the series on the Internet Movie Database, “Win or Lose” tells the story of a “middle school softball team in the week leading up to their championship game,” with each episode “told from the perspective of a different character.”
The show is scheduled to premiere on Feb. 19, 2025, and features the voice of “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Will Forte.
Disney’s removal of the transgender storyline comes after the company faced backlash for opposing a Parental Rights in Education bill passed in Florida in 2022. The measure, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” prohibits discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
Although the law initially applied to students from kindergarten through the third grade, the Florida Board of Education amended it later that year to apply to all students through the 12th grade with exemptions in cases where “such instruction is either expressly required by state academic standards” or “is part of a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student’s parent has the option to have his or her student not attend.”
A poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group in conjunction with the Convention of States Action in April 2022 found that nearly 70% of Americans were less likely to do business with Disney because of news reports that “reveal Disney is focusing on creating content to expose young children to sexual ideas.”
As revealed in a Securities and Exchange Commission report published by Disney in 2023, the company expressed concern that “consumers’ perceptions of our position on matters of public interest, including our efforts to achieve certain of our environmental and social goals, often differ widely and present risks to our reputation and brands.”
Disney added that its social activism could hurt its bottom line, as the report stated, “our revenues and profitability are adversely impacted when our entertainment offerings and products, as well as our methods to make our offerings and products available to consumers, do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance.”
Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Pixar
Originally published December 19, 2024.
