A same-sex kiss scene was reportedly restored to Pixar’s new film “Lightyear” after the studio’s employees criticized it over the response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Pixar employees had sent a letter to executives at the Walt Disney Company in early March, accusing the company of censoring “overtly gay affection” in their movies.
The letter, signed by “LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar and their allies,” did not mention a particular film or scene, according to Variety.
The film is set to tell the backstory of the “Toy Story” character Buzz Lightyear. It also includes Hawthorne, a leading female character in a relationship with another woman.
After the letter and intense criticism of Disney CEO Bob Chapek, the kiss between Hawthorne and her partner was restored.
Multiple former Pixar employees told Variety that they have tried for years to incorporate LGBTQ representation in movies.
“We very often came up against the question of, ‘How do we do this without giving them a love interest?'” one source told the outlet. “That comes up very often at Pixar”.
Chapek was slammed for not denouncing the Florida law, which bars Florida teachers from discussing topics such as sexual orientation or gender identity with students in third grade or below.
He recently told shareholders that Disney had unsuccessfully lobbied against the bill behind the scenes. “You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry,” he said to staffers.