Disney is removing transgender storyline from upcoming Pixar streaming series

Disney has adapted a transgender story from “Win or Lose,” an eight-episode Pixar streaming series debuting in February, the company said Tuesday.

“When it comes to animated content for younger audiences,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement, “we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain topics with their children on their own terms and schedule. “

The character will remain in the series, but references to the character’s gender identity have been removed, the company said. The change includes “just a few lines of dialogue” near the end of the season.

“Win or Lose” centers on a co-ed middle school softball team leading up to a big game, with each episode focusing on a different character’s perspective. The animated series features the voices of “Saturday Night Live” alum Will Forte and “Fresh Off the Boat” actor Ian Chen.

The plot change drew criticism from Chanel Stewart, an 18-year-old transgender actor who portrayed the transgender character.

“I was very discouraged,” Stewart told Deadline, an entertainment news website. Stewart told the publication that Disney called her mother on Monday night to inform her of the change.

“From the moment I received the script, I was excited to share my journey to empower other trans youth,” Stewart said. “I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter and deserve to be heard.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger said he wanted the company to move away from issues that could be perceived as political. “We have no intention of breaking news,” Iger said in an interview with CNBC in early April. “We have to be entertaining.”

In recent years, Disney has sometimes found itself at the center of broader American culture wars, particularly under the tenure of Iger’s short-lived predecessor, Bob Chapek.

Chapek was vilified by staff in 2022 after appearing to remain silent on what critics called Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which limited discussion of LGBTQ issues in classrooms, and then faced criticism from conservatives , when he finally publicly spoke out against the bill.

That same year, conservative activists attacked Disney for including LGBTQ characters in two animated family films: Pixar’s “Lightyear” featured a brief same-sex kiss, and Disney Animation’s “Strange World” centered in part on a gay teenager.

Disney has continued to feature LGBTQ characters and themes in adult content, including the Searchlight Pictures films “All of Us Strangers” and “Fire Island,” as well as the FX series “Pose,” which ended in 2021.

The decision on the “Win ​​or Lose” story was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The show was co-created by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, who worked on previous Pixar projects such as Toy Story 4 and Inside Out 2.