Saudi Arabia, which legalised cinemas in 2018, also banned the recent West Side Story remake as it contained a transgender character. The 2020 Pixar film Onward was banned in Kuwait, Oman and Qatar as well Saudi Arabia after a character voiced by Lena Waithe implies she is a lesbian, while Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was refused release in a number of Gulf countries due to the inclusion of teenage lesbian character America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez). Lightyear’s problems in the Middle East are the latest in a string of difficulties faced by films containing LGBTQ+ content in the region. Lightyear’s same-sex kiss was subsequently reported to have been reinstated after being cut.
The protest was provoked by internal anger at Disney’s corporate stance on Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill, which saw the company agree to pause political donations after staff walkouts. The scene in question had earlier triggered controversy inside the producing studio Disney, after a group of LBGTQ+ Pixar employees published a letter protesting that material containing “overtly gay affection” was being removed from all animated films by studio executives.
