It’s easy to think of Disney as a company that champions human rights. After all, the company took governor Ron DeSantis to task over his ‘Don’t say gay’ bill. Disney also made headlines in the 90s when they announced they’d offer insurance benefits to same-sex partners long before it was commonplace.
Los Angeles native Chanel Stewart was elated to audition, and eventually be cast, as a transgender character in the upcoming show—which centers on a middle school softball team in the leadup to the big game. Stewart, a trans actress, later received word from Disney that the transgender storyline was being removed. According to Deadline, this left the actress and her mother “heartsick.”
What does the company have to say for itself?
Here’s the most telling excerpt from Disney’s statement:
"When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline."Statement from Disney
Why parents can’t discuss the issue after watching Win or Lose together, I do not know. Interestingly, neither Disney nor Pixar felt that way when the topics at hand were things like death and dying (Coco, Bambi) revenge (Lion King), questioning one’s upbringing (Mulan, Brave), or when taking sweeping liberties with historical people and events (Pocahontas). Pardon me if I find that explanation to be a bit... wishy-washy. It seems pretty obvious that the carefully planned transgender storyline was cut to avoid “controversy.”
In our current media landscape, “controversy” is a term used to legitimize bigotry. There’s nothing controversial about showing children that transgender people exist. It’s not any more controversial than a character that is left-handed, ginger, uses medical aids, or is in any other way innocuously different from their peers. So...what’s the big deal? If it’s a non-issue, why announce it?
Representation isn’t just a good idea, it’s vital.
The media we consume impacts our feelings and emotions. Several studies suggest that consuming fiction through reading or viewing increases empathy and understanding. That’s why it’s vital for media to show people, and especially children, a broad spectrum of humanity so less of it feels scary or dangerous when they encounter it in the world. We do children a disservice by pretending certain demographics don't exist. (And if you really think transgender people are inherently dangerous—please feel free to contact me to discuss. Bring stats.)
Because Disney and Pixar have such a wide percentage of the children’s viewing market—they had a big opportunity to decrease ignorance and inspire empathy. Sadly, they blew it while pretending they had family-friendly reasons for doing so. I don’t mind saying that it’s a big blunder.
We wish Chanel Stewart all the best in her now cis-washed role. Her mother, Keisha, told Deadline:
"There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but this is the world that we live in and everyone should be represented. Everyone deserves to be recognized. And it felt like it was just another setback for the LGBTQ community..."Keisha Stewart, mother of actress Chanel
That it does. Here's hoping Pixar and Disney do a better job understanding the assignment in the future.