Another one, thank you!
Disney showed off a few clips from their upcoming Strange World movie at the Annecy International Film Festival this week and among them was a clip featuring a character who is being hailed as “the first LGBTQIA+ Teen character from Disney animation.”
Diversity win!
Strange World’ has the first LGBTQIA+ Teen character from Disney animation, Ethan! 🌈 Openly gay actor Jaboukie Young-White will voice Ethan Clade in ‘Strange World’. pic.twitter.com/KlKlZr5yP4
— Mario ˣ🧜🏽♀️ (@mmdisney200) June 17, 2022
Related: Chris Evans doesn’t mince words when asked about homophobes hating on ‘Lightyear’
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Reportedly, one of the scenes screened at the festival showed queer comedian Jaboukie Young White’s character Ethan Cade openly talking about his crush on another boy with other characters, including his father.
Don’t worry if this feels like déjà vu, we promise you’re not going crazy. This is somewhere between Disney’s 9th and 14th queer “first”, depending on who you ask.
As the firsts go on, they’re starting to get more and more specific. It’s not Disney’s first gay teen (thank you Joshua Rush in Andi Mack!) or Disney’s first gay character in animation (thank you lesbian Toy Story 4 moms!), but add both qualifiers and you’ve got a new announcement ready for Pride season!
Related: 5 times Disney has tried to do better by its LGBTQ fans
Okay, it’s actually not Disney’s first gay animated character around this Pride season either — Lightyear has made headlines recently after deciding to keep a gay kiss scene in the film despite being subsequently banned in several countries for it. But still. We’re excited!!
The move appears to be partially in response to public pressure from Disney’s less-than-perfect response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill earlier this year. Still, it’s nice to see the company trying to do right by it’s LGBTQ fans.
Catch the chimerical new teaser trailer for Strange World here:
powersthatbe
Awesome! More representation is always a win, no matter what form it comes in. Disney haven’t got it right in the past, but these massive corporates will continue to get it wrong until they get it right. It’s how humans learn, through their mistakes. We shouldn’t be so quick to cancel people, and perhaps see it as an opportunity to teach and inform. If it continues to be tone deaf, then boycott the af out of them. IMHO, for what it’s worth.
skeldare
Great! Another reference that can easily be edited out for homophobic markets.