Disney Removes Transgender Storyline From Pixar Series

Disney is pulling a transgender storyline from “Win or Lose,” an eight-episode Pixar streaming series that debuts in February.

“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 Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “The character will remain in the show, but references to the character’s gender identity have been removed.”

The alteration involves just a few lines of dialogue near the end of the season.

The move drew criticism from Chanel Stewart, an 18-year-old transgender actor who voiced the transgender character.

“I was very disheartened,” Stewart told Deadline, an entertainment news website. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”

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She called the change a “setback” for the LGBTQ community.

“The move comes amid ongoing cultural debates about the portrayal of LGBTQ characters in children’s media,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "Disney, which has faced both praise and backlash for its diverse storylines in the past, is navigating an increasingly polarized landscape.”

Gender identity has become a charged and divisive topic.

“Most recently, Disney Channel’s animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur made headlines after some who worked on the show took to social media to say Disney banned the release of an episode focused on a recurring transgender character,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

But Disney has continued to feature LGBTQ+ content in its more adult-focused fare, notably Marvel Television’s "Agatha All Along," Searchlight Pictures’ "All of Us Strangers, Next Goal Wins" and "Fire Island," and FX’s "Pose."

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