The highly-anticipated release of Disney film studio’s revamped fairytale classic, Beauty and the Beast, was met with recent outrage after it was announced that the movie would include a gay character. The director of the film, Bill Condon, said the audience will follow LeFou, the movie antagonist Gaston’s side-kick, and the development of his conflicted emotions for Gaston.
“LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston,” director Bill Condon said. “He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realizing that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.”
Outrage broke immediately after this information was made public. Lifepetitions.com wrote an article calling for a boycott of the film and for further incensed individuals to sign a petition and send a postcard to Disney voicing their distaste. Evangelist Franklin Graham took this boycott to a whole new level by asking all Christians to say no to Disney.
It seems the intricate and complex development of a man’s feelings regarding another man cannot be stomached by these individuals while the undisguised bestiality, not to mention stockholm syndrome, that constitutes the entire relationship between Belle and Beast doesn’t make them bat an eye.
Disney has stood their ground amidst these protests issuing statements regarding their ever-present aim to remain inclusive of all walks of life. And so, despite the outrage the show must go on. If the boycotts turn out as planned a thank you can be issued after the movie for the shorter popcorn lines.