Amid the fiery backlash to Disney's donating to politicians involved in funding Florida's controversial so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, which bans discussion of gender and sexuality in elementary schools, Pixar reinstated a previously cut same-sex kiss to its upcoming Toy Story prequel Lightyear.
The move comes following an open letter from LGBTQ employees and allies at Pixar saying Disney executives routinely force the removal of depictions of same-sex affection, despite claiming to be committed to "inclusive" content.
The kiss in Lightyear, which occurs between two female characters, was among those depictions cited in the employees' letter.
The Pixar employees' letter came in response to Disney CEO Bob Chapek's public refusal to pull Disney's funding to the Florida politicians behind the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
Critics of the bill have cautioned its vague wording and lack of definition of what constitutes discussion of gender and sexuality could leave even schoolchildren open to lawsuits should they mention their same-sex parents, for example.
Chapek justified his refusal to pull political funding by citing the company's commitment to LGBTQ "inclusive" entertainment, a characterization at odds with the company's practices, according to employees. They have even gone so far as to stage walk-outs in response.
The changes to Lightyear suggest those moves could be working at turning the tide behind the scenes in Disney's leadership.
The film, which features Chris Evans as the titular character and actress Uzo Aduba as a character named Hawthorne, who is in a same-sex relationship, will be the first Pixar film released in theaters since 2019.
The reinstatement of a kiss between Hawthorne and her same-sex partner is a leap forward for Pixar, which has had its films banned in parts of the world for simply mentioning same-sex relationships. It is unclear whether Lightyear's same-sex kiss will be edited out for those foreign markets, as is common practice, however.
On Twitter, some applauded the move, but many were unimpressed with what seemed like a token effort, especially since the damage from the Florida legislation has already been done.
And of course this being Twitter, there was also plenty of jokes.
Lightyear releases June 17.
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