Malaysia says Disney refused to cut gay scenes in Lightyear
‘Those people are idiots,’ says Chris Evans, who voices the titular space ranger in the animated film
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.Malaysia's film censors on Friday (17 December) said that Disney decided against releasing Lightyear in the country after refusing to cut scenes “promoting the LGBT lifestyle”.
The inclusion of a kiss between two female characters reportedly prompted as many as 14 countries to ban the Disney-Pixar film. These include UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Indonesia, Kuwait, and Egypt, in addition to Malaysia.
On Friday, the country’s Film Censorship Board said it approved the movie with parental guidance for those under 13 on the condition of modifications.
Scenes and dialogues that it “found to contain elements promoting the LGBT lifestyle which violate key aspects of the Guidelines on the Film Censorship” were ordered to "be cut and muted,” the board reportedly said in a statement.
However, the film’s distributors decided to cancel the screening instead, the board continued, adding that it would not compromise on any LGBTQ scenes. The board did not specify in its statement which scenes violated censorship guidelines.
Lightyear includes a female character, Alicia Hawthorne, voiced by Uzo Aduba briefly kissing her female partner in one scene in the $200m film.
Responding to criticism over the same-sex kiss, Chris Evans – who voices the character of titular legendary space ranger Buzz Lightyear – told Reuters: “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.”
Pixar had earlier restored the same-sex kiss in Lightyear in March, after staff released an open letter criticising Disney’s response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Authorities across much of the Muslim world have barred Lightyear from being played at cinemas because it includes a brief kiss between a lesbian couple.
Many Muslims consider gays and lesbians to be sinful and many Muslim-majority nations criminalise same-sex relationships.
Additional reporting by AFP.