Controversy and Condemnation Over Countries’ Ban on Showing a Disney Film That Promotes Homosexuality

The Walt Disney Company was unable to obtain permission to show its new film Lightyear in 14 countries in the Middle East and Asia; as the film includes a scene showing two women kissing, and it seems unlikely that the film will be released in China, the world's largest cinema market.

Not allowing a Disney film that promotes homosexuality to be shown prompted Amnesty International to criticize these countries, saying that banning the film restricts human rights, prevents freedom of expression, and degrades the LGBT community.

The controversy over the film sparked a wide response on social media, while activists denounced the non-objection of the international organization and condemnation of the ban on headscarves and Islamophobia in Europe and its double standards in dealing with issues of concern to the world.

This is not the first time that Disney films have been banned, as some Arab countries recently announced that they would ban the screening of the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness because it contained homosexual innuendos.

 

Suspicious Film

Disney Studios has entered a new war with censorship in a number of countries because its latest animated films include gay scenes and characters, which is contrary to the laws of cinematography in those countries with a Muslim majority and conservative social values.

The film Lightyear, with a budget of $ 200 million, was banned in many countries of the world, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia, Lebanon, and Bahrain.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the decision was made due to a scene showing two women kissing in the film.

The film Lightyear, starring the American actor Chris Evans, who plays the main character (Buzz Lightyear), the kinetic character from the series of films (Toy Story), but the film does include a scene where Buzz's best friend (Alicia) gets married to another woman and a short kiss scene between them.

The controversial scenes were originally cut from a Disney film but were brought back when Pixar animators criticized Disney in an open letter, saying Disney censored LGBT solidarity, and in protest of Disney CEO Bob Chapek's handling of the issue with the Don't Say Gay bill in Florida.

Lightyear, which was released in the US on June 17, was initially approved for release in the UAE, where censorship restrictions have been eased, but due to calls on social media accusing Disney Lightyear of insulting Muslims and Islam, the license to show the film in the UAE was canceled.

A spokeswoman for Disney, which owns Pixar, told the Wall Street Journal that it had refused to edit the film to remove scenes including a kiss between two married women.

“The company refuses to make modifications or changes that conflict with the film, and that no decision has been taken after the film's cinematic release stage, and it is unclear whether Lightyear will be shown on the online platform Disney+,” the spokeswoman explained.

In a related context, the film's producer, Galyn Susman, said that the authorities in China requested the deletion of some scenes, which was rejected by Disney. China had previously refused to show other homosexual scenes on screens.

This presents a major challenge in theater revenues for one of the biggest Disney films of the year, while the film industry is emerging from the effects of the Corona pandemic; analysts estimate that the film could make more than $100 million in its first weekend.

Last April, Disney refused requests to remove references to homosexuality in the film Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which led to several Middle Eastern countries banning the film from showing.

It was also preceded by several countries banning the film Eternal because of its inclusion of a same-sex couple and the first gay superhero in the Marvel Universe.

In January of last year, West Side Story was banned from cinemas in the Gulf states due to the transgender character Anybodys portrayed in the remake of the film, played by non-binary actress Iris Mina.

The controversy over the new Disney film comes after the spread of a video about an approach to increasing homosexual content in Disney sought by the president of the animation production company, Carrie Burke, who is the mother of two children, one transgender, and the other bisexual.

Although the original video of the Megyn Kelly Show was broadcast at the end of March 2022, the recent spread of the video has sparked discussions and questions about Disney's homosexual content and sexual content in general within works produced primarily for children.

In the leaked video from a company meeting, the Disney chief spoke about Disney's quest to put as much LGBT-friendly content as possible, the term referring to the gay and transgender community in Disney films; one of the world's largest entertainment companies wants these characters to be in every Disney film.

Veteran American broadcaster Megyn Kelly has issued a warning against homosexuality, accusing the famous film company of trying to teach children homosexuality.

“I don't want you to do your activities for my children. Instead, films should be produced that teach us tolerance for others, teach us kindness, and provide support and assistance to our brothers,” Kelly said.

 

Double Dealing

Amnesty International criticized 8 Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and Jordan, for banning the showing of the film Lightyear because of a scene in which a kiss between two women appeared, and found that banning the film undermines freedom of expression and insults the LGBT community, as it described it.

The organization said in a tweet on June 15, 2022, that it is not permissible to censor an act that expresses “love between gays” or consider it a “crime of love as a human right.”

 

 

The international organization's tweet was met with a storm of anger on the social media, and tweets rejected its statements and considered them an infringement on the freedoms of Muslims, recalling its silence on the ongoing attacks against Muslims, and accusing it of duplicity in dealing with human rights issues.

Other activists re-highlighted Amnesty International's silence on the decisions issued by several European countries regarding banning Muslim women from wearing the hijab, and preventing the slaughter of animals in the Islamic way.

While others pointed out that the reason for the duplicity of dealing with cases, which Amnesty International pursues, lies in the fact that the financial support for the organization comes from those European countries, and therefore their actions against Muslims are not condemned.

The Arab Parliament also called on all US embassies in Arab countries to respect the privacy and culture of Arab societies and not to prejudice their religious values and social and cultural constants.

It denounced what some say about the fact that American embassies are raising gay flags and publishing pamphlets to support them, calling on everyone to respect the culture and religious principles of Arab societies.

On the other hand, the film Lightyear’s star, Chris Evans (41 years old), criticized the criticism and ban on the film due to the presence of a gay couple, saying: “The real truth is those people are idiots. There are always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs.”

 

 

 

Negative Effects

Disney Co. is one of the most famous cultural institutions in the US and the world, from the Mickey Mouse cartoon to Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, everyone has seen or at least heard of Disney film stories and novels.

Disney is often seen as a family-friendly and completely ethical company that does not represent anything that could offend anyone or harm a child's mental health.

While young children may like to watch a lot of TV on vacation, to ensure that they are not exposed to violent or age-appropriate scenes, parents often turn to Disney films.

From these films, children usually get their first impressions of the way men and women are supposed to behave, the value behind friendships, the reality of good and evil, and the nature of life.

Some Disney films have also been accused of being racially insensitive and promoting negative stereotypes about different races and nationalities.

For example, an African-American girl named Sunflower is portrayed as a slave to her Caucasian masters in Fantasia.

Likewise, in the original opening song of Aladdin and the King of Thieves, the Arab is portrayed as a barbarian, and that life in the Middle East means desert, camels, and flying carpets.

Because of Disney films, little girls grow up with the desire to be beautiful princesses, and the typical Disney princess is usually tall, slender, with pale white skin and long blond hair.

According to the BabyGaga website, this depicts a form of beauty that can corrupt the minds of girls, who may not think they are beautiful if they don't look like the princesses they see on screen.

Moreover, the girls mature into adults imagining falling in love in a fairytalish way, thus waiting for the charming prince to come to her rescue.

In general, it is necessary to critically consider all the content that the child consumes, as this may be the film that will paint his way of thinking and seeing the world during his life.