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Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro will not be going to see Disney's latest animated feature, claiming the studio's ‘not-at-all-secret gay agenda' is targeting children.
On Wednesday, Walt Disney Pictures premiered Strange World—the 61st animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios—at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles.
The sci-fi adventure film follows a legendary family of explorers who set aside their differences as they travel to a planet inhabited by surreal life forms.
What had moviegoers buzzing ahead of its official US release was the film prominently featuring a gay teenage romance–a first for the studio.
However, right-wingers like Shapiro–who believe homosexuality is a sin and strongly oppose same-sex couples raising children–scoffed at Disney's pro-LGBTQ+ efforts at incorporating diverse characters that reflect reality into their films.
According to Variety, three scenes in Strange World demonstrated characters normalizing gay flirtation.
"Walt Disney screened three sequences from Strange World. In the first, Ethan flirts with heartthrob Diazo while friends from school look on, teasing in a friendly and warm-hearted way."
"Much to Ethan’s chagrin, his dad Searcher soon joins in, embarrassing his son with an overeager show of acceptance."
Shapiro also mentioned the film Lightyear in his criticism to further accuse Disney of pushing the gay agenda.
Lightyear is a Toy Storyspin-off centered on the character of Buzz Lightyear that inspired the action figure toy.
It featured a very brief same-sex kiss that was not the main focus or plotline of the film.
On Tuesday, the former editor-at-large of Breitbart News worked himself into a tizzy and tweeted:
"As Disney begins pushing ‘Strange World’ for next week’s release, here’s the reminder that their ‘not-at-all-secret gay agenda’ to target kids is ongoing."
“It’s a part of the plot of this movie, just as it was with ‘Lightyear.’ Your kids, your choice.”
\u201cAs Disney begins pushing "Strange World" for next week's release, here's the reminder that their "not-at-all-secret gay agenda" to target kids is ongoing. It's a part of the plot of this movie, just as it was with "Lightyear." Your kids, your choice. https://t.co/lMjsaDF8Lp\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
His anti-LGBTQ+ stance is a tale as old as time.
Shapiro strongly objected to Obergefell v. Hodges–the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional–arguing "a man and a woman do a better job of raising a child than two men or two women."
Shapiro also believes transgender people suffer from mental illness and suggested homosexuality should be listed as a mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
In February 2016, Shapiro said during an interview on The Rubin Report:
"I'm very much anti gay-marriage in the social sense."
"As a religious person, I think homosexuality is a sin, I think that lots of things are sins that people engage in, I think they should be free to engage in them."
Shapiro whined about Strange World on the conservative news website he founded, The Daily Wire.
He opened his program with:
"If you are a parent and you do not wish your kids to see a gay teen romance, don't take your kids to see 'Strange World.'"
"Your choice. Your kids. I'm just giving you the heads up."
"The idea here is that Walt Disney has to please its animation employees. This isn't about pleasing the audiences."
"Where is the broad parental demand for a gay teen romance for kids? Was that something that parents were clamoring for?"
He added:
"Oh man, I definitely need to show my seven-year-old two teenage boys mack on each other. That's definitely something that my five-year-olds need. Like, who's that crowd?"
You can see his full rant in the video clip, below.
Do Not Take Your Kids To See This Disney Movie.youtu.be
Some people humored Shapiro with questions.
\u201c@benshapiro Geuine question...is any mention of gay people too much for rw snowflakes?\n\nseriously is the idea that 0 gay characters and themes would be in a story...only heterosexual romance allowed?\n\nwhats the fear? kid will what ...turn gay if they see a gay character in a movie?\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
\u201c@benshapiro So, is every other teen romance part of the straight agenda? \n\nIf you really want to alienate youth, keep it up with the paranoid intolerance of Disney movies!\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
\u201c@benshapiro Do you genuinely think that a person's sexuality can be changed by a 90-minute movie?\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
\u201c@benshapiro Hey Ben, as a gay kid, it would've been really nice to have more movies like this.\n\nWhy do you hate gay people? Why do you hate gay kids? Why are you so afraid of gay kids feeling seen and respected?\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
Others had more sarcastic responses.
\u201c@benshapiro Oh no! Now some kids might believe that love is love instead of being hateful for no reason!\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
\u201c@benshapiro I am disgusted by Disney\u2019s decision to depict love as it actually exists in the real world, rather than limiting it exclusively to the normative heterosexuality you\u2019ve decided is the only acceptable love for completely arbitrary political reasons\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
\u201c@benshapiro I hate to break it to you ben but normal people think it's weird and offputting that you're so obsessed with the sexuality of disney characters\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
\u201c@benshapiro imagine representing the way the world actually is in movies\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
\u201c@benshapiro Accurate real world representation= secret agenda\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
\u201c@benshapiro It\u2019s almost as if they want kids with 2 moms or 2 dads to feel included in culture. Oh the horror.\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
In June, Shapiro griped about Disney Lightyear when it was released in theaters.
He warned parents about taking their children to see the movie for fear they might walk out and suddenly identify as queer because of this blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene:
\u201c@benshapiro This is what Ben is triggered about.\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
He tweeted at the time:
"Disney works to push a 'not-at-all-secret gay agenda' and seeks to add 'queerness' to its programming, according to executive producer Latoya Raveneau."
"Parents should keep that in mind before deciding whether to take their kids to see 'Lightyear,' which hits theaters this week."
\u201c@benshapiro Understanding the fact that gay people exist and that it's perfectly okay that they do isn't a "gay agenda". It's humanity.\n\nNo surprise that you don't get it.\u201d— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1668517712
You can see the trailer for Strange World here.
Strange World | Official Traileryoutu.be