Pixar employees speak out against Disney’s censorship of LGBTQ material

A group of unnamed Pixar representatives have bought their frustrations in  the public sphere, claiming that Disney has repeatedly cut onscreen ‘overtly gay affection’.

A storm is most definitely brewing over at Pixar, the legendary animation studio that is owned by The Walt Disney Corporation. Whilst creative differences between the two studios have no doubt reared their head in the past, frustrations regarding Pixar’s inability to meaningfully present LGBTQ material in its stories has caused a group of unnamed employees to anonymously speak out against their parent company.

In a statement to Disney CEO, Bob Chapek which was submitted to The Holllywood Reporter, an unnamed group of LGBTQ Pixar employees, and their allies have claimed that ‘nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.’

Whatever sequences remain in Pixar’s films are, according to the statement, ‘shaved down to crumbs’.

Another point of contention for the whistleblowers seems to be Disney’s reluctance to publicly address the controversial and homophobic ‘Don’t say gay’ bill which looks like it is going to come into force in Florida, meaning ‘classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity’ will be prohibited.

Whilst Chapek has previously indicated that Disney’s creative output is the best way to counter such legislation, the Pixar employees concerned are doubly frustrated. They claim that Disney should speak out directly against the bill, whilst their attempts to make films that address such issues are being censured.

This is not a good look for Disney who seem to be stumbling from one public relations crisis to another at the moment. Hopefully, the disgruntled Pixar employees’ courage in coming forward will spark positive change somewhere along the line. The full statement can be read here.

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