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A same-sex kiss has been added back into the upcoming Pixar film Lightyear, following backlash from Pixar LGBTQIA+ employees.
The Toy Story prequel will star Chris Evans, who will voice Buzz Lightyear, and Orange Is The New Black actress Uzo Aduba will provide her voice to the character of Alicia Hawthorne.
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The film is said to explore the romantic relationship between Hawthorne and another female character, featuring a scene that will show the pair kissing.
The scene was removed, resulting in backlash from Pixar employees, who accused the studio of censoring 'overtly gay affection' as tensions rise over Floria's ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.
It was after entertainment publication Variety broke the news on the change that it was restored to the film, prompting backlash from both employees and audiences around the world.
Pixar LGBTQIA+ employees took action earlier this month by issuing a letter criticising the company for ‘barring’ them from telling them diverse stories.
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The statement reads: “We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were.
“Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest … Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it.”
The letter comes after the company’s lack of public response to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which proposed that sexual orientation and gender identity stories shouldn’t be conveyed to young children.
Following the criticism, Disney CEO Bob Chapek quickly defended the company’s silence on the matter, citing their content alone wasn’t enough to change the bill.
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“Corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds … they can be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change.
“While we have not given money to any politician based on this issue, we have contributed to both Republican and Democrat legislators who have subsequently taken positions on both sides of the legislation,” he wrote.
“The biggest impact we can have in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create here and the diverse community organisations we support, including those representing the LGBTQ+ community.”
Featured Image Credit: PixarTopics: News, TV and Film, Pixar, Disney