Disney’s latest animated film Lightyear has been prohibited across Muslim countries because of one scene that shows a kiss between a lesbian couple. Disney faces several problems because of the Muslim community’s choice to ban Lightyear and its own choice to stand by the decision of keeping the scene in the movie.
Disney’s Lightyear is banned in Muslim countries for a scene with a brief kiss between two women. Muslims consider homosexuality a crime. In countries such as Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates, you could be put in jail for being gay or lesbian. This is a problem for Disney at the box office as this is one of Disney’s biggest animated films of the year; the company invested $200 million in the movie. Studios have allowed censors to cut films in global distribution for content in the past, including in the Mideast market. Disney has faced rising protests from activists and its own staff over the ban, especially since it happened right after the newly-made “Don’t Say Gay” bill established by Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis.
In my opinion, the inconsistency involving Disney’s standing with LGBTQ is very odd, considering that the company chose to stand by its decision to add a lesbian kiss scene. I believe that Disney is being two-faced by involving the homosexual community for their benefit. Disney chose to add the kiss scene due to fans seeking more LGBTQ representation in its films but deleted it from the movie after the Muslim ban affected Lightyear’s box-office value. They then restored it when fans protested because of the scene being deleted and because of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Disney’s Lightyear is banned in Muslim countries for a scene with a brief kiss between two women. Muslims consider homosexuality a crime. In countries such as Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates, you could be put in jail for being gay or lesbian. This is a problem for Disney at the box office as this is one of Disney’s biggest animated films of the year; the company invested $200 million in the movie. Studios have allowed censors to cut films in global distribution for content in the past, including in the Mideast market. Disney has faced rising protests from activists and its own staff over the ban, especially since it happened right after the newly-made “Don’t Say Gay” bill established by Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis.
In my opinion, the inconsistency involving Disney’s standing with LGBTQ is very odd, considering that the company chose to stand by its decision to add a lesbian kiss scene. I believe that Disney is being two-faced by involving the homosexual community for their benefit. Disney chose to add the kiss scene due to fans seeking more LGBTQ representation in its films but deleted it from the movie after the Muslim ban affected Lightyear’s box-office value. They then restored it when fans protested because of the scene being deleted and because of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
