Lightyear: Disney Film Banned In Muslim World For For Brief Lesbian Kiss
Authorities across much of the Muslim world have barred Disney's latest animated film “Lightyear” from being played at cinemas after the inclusion of a brief kiss between a lesbian couple, the company said Thursday as th
Authorities
across
much
of
the
Muslim
world
have
barred
Disney's
latest
animated
film
“Lightyear”
from
being
played
at
cinemas
after
the
inclusion
of
a
brief
kiss
between
a
lesbian
couple,
the
company
said
Thursday
as
the
movie
premiered.
Thirteen
nations
and
the
Palestinian
territory
barred
the
Pixar
film
that
has
actor
Chris
Evans
voicing
the
inspiration
for
the
astronaut
hero
Buzz
Lightyear
from
the
“Toy
Story”
movies,
The
Walt
Disney
Co
said.
This
represents
a
major
challenge
at
the
box
office
for
one
of
Disney's
biggest
animated
films
of
the
year
as
the
film
industry
comes
out
of
the
depths
of
the
coronavirus
pandemic.
Analysts
estimated
it
could
gross
over
$100
million
in
its
first
weekend.
“Lightyear”
includes
a
female
character
voiced
by
actress
Uzo
Aduba
briefly
kissing
her
female
partner
in
one
scene
in
the
$200
million
film.
That
proved
too
much
for
censors
in
many
Muslim-majority
nations,
where
laws
often
criminalise
same-sex
relationships.
Nations
that
refused
to
allow
the
film
to
be
shown
include
Bahrain,
Egypt,
Indonesia,
Iraq,
Jordan,
Kuwait,
Lebanon,
Malaysia,
Oman,
Qatar,
Saudi
Arabia,
Syria
and
the
United
Arab
Emirates,
Disney
said.
The
UAE,
home
to
Abu
Dhabi
and
Dubai,
earlier
this
week
announced
it
would
not
allow
the
film
to
screen.
Many
Muslims
consider
gays
and
lesbians
to
be
sinful.
In
some
parts
of
the
Arab
world,
members
of
the
LGBTQ
community
have
been
arrested
and
sentenced
to
prison.
Some
countries
even
maintain
the
death
penalty.
The
film's
stars
had
called
the
earlier
decision
of
the
UAE
disappointing.
“Yeah,
it's
frustrating," Evans
told
The
Associated
Press
earlier
this
week
at
the
premiere
of
“Lightyear”
in
London.
"It
feels
good
to
be
a
part
of
something
that
is
making
social
progress,
but
it's
with
this
ribbon
of
bittersweet
frustration
that
at
the
same
time,
there
are
still
places
that
have
not
caught
up.”
Studios
have
allowed
censors
to
cut
films
in
global
distribution
for
content
in
the
past,
including
in
the
Mideast
market.
Recently,
Disney
has
faced
protests
from
activists
and
its
own
staff
over
what
they
described
as
CEO
Bob
Chapek's
slow
response
in
publicly
criticising
Florida
legislation
that
opponents
dubbed
as
the
“Don't
Say
Gay”
bill.
Florida
Gov
Ron
DeSantis
in
late
March
signed
the
bill,
which
forbids
instruction
on
sexual
orientation
and
gender
identity
in
kindergarten
through
third
grade.
The
moment
had
been
earlier
cut
from
the
film
but
was
restored
after
Pixar
employees
protested
Disney's
response
to
Florida's
bill.