The workers not only criticized the censorship of the scene, they also demanded that Disney publicly denounce the so-called “ Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida. Hundreds of Disney workers signed a letter calling on the entertainment giant to take a tougher stand in defending LGBTQ+ rights. When this decision was revealed in March, it sparked fierce backlash. In 2006, executives at Disney, the parent company of Pixar, asked for this same scene to be cut from the movie. In the scene in question, Hawthorne briefly kisses her partner. The movie features a character called Alisha Hawthorne, who is in a relationship with a woman. This means that countries in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, as well as a handful of Asian nations, will not be screening one of the most anticipated movies of the summer. The movie – which is a prequel to the highly successful Toy Story saga – has been banned from 14 countries for including a same-sex kiss.
The new Pixar animated film Lightyear has become the latest battleground for LGBTQ+ rights.
