Disney announces first 'exclusively gay moment' in live-action Beauty and the Beast
The director of the forthcoming live-action Beauty and the Beast movie announced Wednesday that his film will feature Disney's first-ever "exclusively gay moment," Pacific Standard reports. "By representing same-sex attraction in this short but explicitly gay scene, the studio is sending out a message that this is normal and natural — and this is a message that will be heard in every country of the world, even countries where it's still socially unacceptable or even illegal to be gay," wrote Attitude editor-in-chief Matt Cain, who published the interview with director Bill Condon.
Not everyone is excited about the "watershed" scene, though. The "gay moment" belongs to the character of LeFou, whose name means "the fool" in French and who exists in the original animated film mostly to make jokes. "'Disney is making history.' By making the comic relief character gay? Don't waste my time," tweeted writer Philip Ellis.
But Disney might have more gay characters coming soon: Moana director Ron Clements has confirmed the "possibility" of a future LGBT Disney princess.
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