Disney Cut Gay Scenes In Pixar Films, Allege Employees

Disney has been accused of censoring gay scenes of affection from Pixar films. The accusation was levelled by “LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies” in a letter obtained by Variety. 

The letter was in response to a memo sent to Disney employees by CEO Bob Chapek after the studio was asked to take a stand on Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill and stop funding legislators who were pushing for homophobic and transphobic laws. 

According to the website Popular Information, Disney had donated around $200,000 over two years to legislators who had pushed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill. 

Employees Demand Disney Stop Funding Legislators Who Voted For ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’

5/ Nothing about the "don't say gay bill or about Chapek's memo is consistent with any of these values. Many LGBTQI people and their allies work for or look to Disney for ally-ship. But Chapek is more worried about right-wing backlash than about his own loyal fans and employees.

— Abigail Disney (@abigaildisney) March 8, 2022

Chapek said the studio could make the “biggest impact ” by creating more inclusive and inspiring content. Chapek also announced a $5 million donation to LGBTQI organisations. Human Rights Campaign has refused to accept any of that money till the company takes meaningful steps. 

Pixar employees said that the call for inclusive content rang hollow from the past experience of employees of the animation studio. 

“We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were.”

I am a LGBT animation writer at Disney and this is why I want the company I love to take a stand against the "Don't Say Gay" bill. #DisneySayGay #DisneyDoBetter pic.twitter.com/n8g0kgTkKf

— Benjamin Siemon (@BenjaminJS) March 6, 2022

In the letter published in full by Variety, employees alleged that “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar. Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it. Beyond the “inspiring content” that we aren’t even allowed to create, we require action.”

The employees have demanded that Disney immediately stop funding the legislators who voted for the Bill. Abigail Disney, the grand-niece of Walt Disney, had said that Chapek was “more worried about right-wing backlash than about his own loyal fans and employees.”