Lightyear: Oklahoma cinema sign promises to ‘fast-forward’ through same-sex kiss
‘We will do all we can to fast-forward through that scene, but it might not be exact,’ read the sign
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An Oklahoma cinema has been condemned after apologising for the “inconvenience” of having a same-sex kissing scene in Disney and Pixar’s new animated film, Lightyear.
The sign, which was reportedly posted over the weekend but has since been removed, also said theatre staff would do all they could to “fast-forward through that scene”.
“Attention Parents: The management of this theatre discovered after booking Lightyear that there is a same-sex kissing scene within the first 30 minutes of the Pixar movie,” read the sign posted on the window of the 89er Theatre in the city of Kingfisher.
“We will do all we can to fast-forward through that scene, but it might not be exact,” the sign added. “We apologise for any inconvenience this late discovery of this scene causes.”
The message, which has received tremendous backlash on social media, was apparently removed by Monday (20 June), according to KFOR.
According to The Washington Post, the owner of the theatre said “they took the sign down and never actually fast-forwarded through any showing of the movie”.
Chris Evans, who voices Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story spin-off, recently responded to criticism of the same-sex kiss in the film.
“The real truth is, those people are idiots. Every time there’s been social advancement, as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good,” Evans told Reuters.
Pixar had restored the same-sex kiss in Lightyear earlier in March, after staff released an open letter criticising Disney’s response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
While the nature of the characters’s relationship hadn’t been questioned by production, their kiss had reportedly earlier been cut.
Ever since the film’s release, it has also been banned in at least 14 countries over the kiss scene’s inclusion.