WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Pixar's Turning Red, now streaming on Disney+.
The Disney brand took a hit following criticism by Pixar employees over the company's refusal to take an overt stance against Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill, which included allegations the entertainment giant cut depictions of LGBT affection from Pixar's content. It created a stir with creatives, such as The Owl House writer Molly Ostertag, who urged Disney to speak up; Marvel writers Christopher Cantwell and Jordan Blum also donated to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. And it doesn't seem like the discussion will go away anytime soon, after Pixar's latest release, Turning Red, proved the LGBT problem was real in terms of minimizing representation.
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Fans called out last year's Luca for queer-baiting after it seemed like the title character and his friend, Alberto, were in love. Ultimately, it was kept platonic, but it felt like a missed opportunity for two characters who naturally made a good couple. Turning Red, on the other hand, downplayed a couple of key moments with Mei's fellow 13-year-old, Priya, who, along with Miriam and the feisty Abby, was trying to see the boy band 4*Town. They all swooned over the performers, but there was one moment when Priya seemed to shoot a wistful glance at a goth girl at school.
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Yasmine Leung
Yasmine is a third-year Anthropology and Media student at Goldsmiths University with a new obsession with League of Legends, despite being really bad. She's always on social media keeping on top of the latest news and trends and is HITC’s expert in Korean pop culture. She also loves music, TV and fashion - her favourite things to write about.