Gay character in new Beauty movie?

[mom25kiddos]

I appreciate the thoughtful and respectful dialogue here. I just want to raise the point for those that are concerned about children potentially asking awkward questions-bring. it. on. because I guarantee if they are not asking you these awkward questions they are getting their information from somewhere else, and you may or may not agree with that information. As an example, my 12 year old daughter came bounding into the kitchen one day and said my friend Beth says she is pansexual, what does that mean?-awkward question-yes, but wow, am I ever glad she felt ok with asking me. And she got a straight up, honest answer, no sugar coating, and no judgment. So parents, take this as a gift, where you are going into it expecting some awkward questions, be prepared to answer them (and no judgment on my part in how you answer them in terms of what you believe/feel), but it is a chance to be their source of information-instead of google, or some kid at school.

 

[atkinstogram]

And this is Disney. The so called gay moment isn't going to be rated R.

Yea, that was a misquote that got people carried away.

It has since been clarified that earlier reports of explicit homosexuality in the film were wrong. A spokesperson has explained that the line in questions was actually “Lumière loves the clock”, and had simply been misheard.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I appreciate the thoughtful and respectful dialogue here. I just want to raise the point for those that are concerned about children potentially asking awkward questions-bring. it. on. because I guarantee if they are not asking you these awkward questions they are getting their information from somewhere else, and you may or may not agree with that information. As an example, my 12 year old daughter came bounding into the kitchen one day and said my friend Beth says she is pansexual, what does that mean?-awkward question-yes, but wow, am I ever glad she felt ok with asking me. And she got a straight up, honest answer, no sugar coating, and no judgment. So parents, take this as a gift, where you are going into it expecting some awkward questions, be prepared to answer them (and no judgment on my part in how you answer them in terms of what you believe/feel), but it is a chance to be their source of information-instead of google, or some kid at school.

I feel real stupid I am 46 a gay woman married in the UK to my wife of 10 years and I have no ideal what a pansexual is! I had to look it up.. Oh my. It must be so hard to be a parent. I get to do the nice Auntie stuff.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I feel real stupid I am 46 a gay woman married in the UK to my wife of 10 years and I have no ideal what a pansexual is! I had to look it up.. Oh my. It must be so hard to be a parent. I get to do the nice Auntie stuff.

I have no idea either. I'm going to have to google.

 

[Madonna3]

You're a bit of a dreamer in this day and age, ain't ya?

I don't think so. I would call myself progressive

It must be all that Canadian influence.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I have no idea either. I'm going to have to google.

That is what I did! Maybe I need one of those Amazon devices you ask questions too.. Please what is a pansexual?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

So I would like to offer a bit of a counter-point - or at least to the point raised by a few here of "what is this not a non-issue?"

Why? Because of people like me

When I was raised, being gay was viewed as an alternative lifestyle - not that they were bad or evil or anything, but definitely not "just like every other family" - so seeing it more concretely represented in a Disney cartoon does make me think about it and what I will say to my kids if/when they ask about it as I certainly want to provide a different answer than I would have been given when I was a kid.

Am I over thinking it? Worry about where I don't need to? Of course - I am sure my kids won't see it as a big deal at all. But it is a mind-shift for me - I can't change how I was raised, I can just try to be conscious of it, move beyond it and ensure my kids know differently. So this definitely isn't a "non-issue" to me

 

[Josh Hendy]

Live-action remakes of classic cartoons are getting pretty lame. A totally expected, predictable and boring approach to making movies. They're bound to run into a brick wall of public apathy ... sooner rather than later.

UNLESS ... we can stir up an artificial controversy, and um, encourage facebook and twitter to promote the debate over "what's acceptable in a children's fairy tale movie". Hype the existence of a small number of isolated and marginal reactionary opponents into a fake "culture war" with echoes of the most bitter election campaign in the last 100 years. Get people talking and arguing over a total non-troversy in what is in fact a boring, uninspired and lazy cartoon remake.

Voila. Thank you all Disboarders for helping us out!

Signed
Iger

 

[Hikergirl]

So I would like to offer a bit of a counter-point - or at least to the point raised by a few here of "what is this not a non-issue?"

Why? Because of people like me

When I was raised, being gay was viewed as an alternative lifestyle - not that they were bad or evil or anything, but definitely not "just like every other family" - so seeing it more concretely represented in a Disney cartoon does make me think about it and what I will say to my kids if/when they ask about it as I certainly want to provide a different answer than I would have been given when I was a kid.

Am I over thinking it? Worry about where I don't need to? Of course - I am sure my kids won't see it as a big deal at all. But it is a mind-shift for me - I can't change how I was raised, I can just try to be conscious of it, move beyond it and ensure my kids know differently. So this definitely isn't a "non-issue" to me

That is what we did with our kids. I was raised Catholic, with very devout parents and grandparents so naturally my upbringing was not one where homosexuality was a non-issue either. However I personally never saw it as sinful so it was pretty easy for me to raise my own kids in a way where they see no difference between heterosexual relationships and homosexual relationships. Plus, I stopped practicing my religion and never raised my kids as Catholic.
Like the pp, when our kids asked the answer was "some men fall in love with women, and some men fall in love with men. Some women fall in love with men, some fall in love with women". We are more concerned with teaching our kids about what it meas to be in a loving relationship with the right person, not what sex the right person is.

 

[Strikan]

TheMaxRebo - I understand where you are coming from. However, you probably would have the same issue if you stood next to my family in the line for Peter Pan or any other attraction. We look and act like a family because we are one. No doubt your kids would notice that. So my advice to you and others is don't sweat it - lots of families are different and kids seem to just accept that, unless they have been taught differently. I am very happy that you plan on giving a different answer to your kids than what you were taught when you were young. That is huge and means so much to me and families like mine. I know our family is not the norm - but I hope that it eventually becomes a non-issue with everyone. Sometimes, in order to do that, people need to see families like mine in the media as well as standing next to them in a line.

 

[wilkeliza]

TheMaxRebo - I understand where you are coming from. However, you probably would have the same issue if you stood next to my family in the line for Peter Pan or any other attraction. We look and act like a family because we are one. No doubt your kids would notice that. So my advice to you and others is don't sweat it - lots of families are different and kids seem to just accept that, unless they have been taught differently. I am very happy that you plan on giving a different answer to your kids than what you were taught when you were young. That is huge and means so much to me and families like mine. I know our family is not the norm - but I hope that it eventually becomes a non-issue with everyone. Sometimes, in order to do that, people need to see families like mine in the media as well as standing next to them in a line.

I agree it is something that will naturally come up with little kids and you just say what feels right for you. One of my nephews is 3 and has already asked why one of his cousins doesn't have a daddy like him. They handled it by just saying some kids have a mommy and daddy, some have 2 daddies, some have 2 mommies, some have a mommy, some have a daddy, and some are raised by grandparents or aunts/uncles. Everyone has a different type of a family and that doesn't mean they are bad compared to us just different. He said okay and went along. No big deal to the 3 year old just an innocent question from an observation he made.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

TheMaxRebo - I understand where you are coming from. However, you probably would have the same issue if you stood next to my family in the line for Peter Pan or any other attraction. We look and act like a family because we are one. No doubt your kids would notice that. So my advice to you and others is don't sweat it - lots of families are different and kids seem to just accept that, unless they have been taught differently. I am very happy that you plan on giving a different answer to your kids than what you were taught when you were young. That is huge and means so much to me and families like mine. I know our family is not the norm - but I hope that it eventually becomes a non-issue with everyone. Sometimes, in order to do that, people need to see families like mine in the media as well as standing next to them in a line.

thanks for replying and I know it really is a "non-issue" - but just wanted to share why for some thinking about this/addressing it/etc. isn't a non-issue

Granted I have a mother-in-law who tells my kids they shouldn't wear certain colors because there are "boy colors and girl colors" and chats about the "oriental family down the street" so maybe I just have to spend more time thinking about how to address less, um, current points of view as it is

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I don't see the problem with this at all, or how anyone didn't get that Le Fou was gay in the original? I mean really people, open your eyes!

 

[Strikan]

Granted I have a mother-in-law who tells my kids they shouldn't wear certain colors because there are "boy colors and girl colors" and chats about the "oriental family down the street" so maybe I just have to spend more time thinking about how to address less, um, current points of view as it is

Haha - yes, looks like you have your work cut out for you in some areas! Wishing you all the best with that!

 

[smiths02]

That is what we did with our kids. I was raised Catholic, with very devout parents and grandparents so naturally my upbringing was not one where homosexuality was a non-issue either. However I personally never saw it as sinful so it was pretty easy for me to raise my own kids in a way where they see no difference between heterosexual relationships and homosexual relationships. Plus, I stopped practicing my religion and never raised my kids as Catholic.
Like the pp, when our kids asked the answer was "some men fall in love with women, and some men fall in love with men. Some women fall in love with men, some fall in love with women". We are more concerned with teaching our kids about what it meas to be in a loving relationship with the right person, not what sex the right person is.

My twins are 4, so they are just at the age of talking about who they will marry, differences between boys and girls, etc.
Anyhow, when I told them sometimes men marry men and women marry women...it was MUCH easier then explaining why they couldn't marry me, my husband, each other, or their big brother. Seriously.

For us, explaining the live action Cinderella was much more difficult than explaining that men marry men and women marry women. First, the mom dies, then the dad, then the stepmother and stepsisters are cruel when they should be family.

 

[Madonna3]

It is still the first time in a major Disney movie that this is being featured - and in many ways Disney reflects (and in some cases leads) American Society so it is a pretty important moment.

Well the more we portray it as something "unusual" the longer it will take before people stop viewing at such.

 

[ElyseInWonderland]

Lots of interesting and respectful dialogue here. Great stuff.

In my opinion, Disney's been reading the sociopolitical tea leaves and knows a subplot featuring a gay character will put more bodies in the theater than it will turn them away. The "family values" climate in America is changing, and while the DIS is often slow on the theme park rides side of things, they seem very agile in how they react to what the American consumer wants to see, experience, and buy. I've always loved how Disney touts the importance of being open and inclusive to all families and all people!

I can't wait to see the movie!

Hopefully parents with kids who have questions about LeFou will use it as a springboard for some age-appropriate discussion about love and being yourself....and if not, stay home so the rest of us can enjoy!

 

[mshanson3121]

Why is it not a non-issue? Because the majority of people in the world belong to an organized religion, almost all of whom (Christian, Judaism, Orthodox, Muslim, Buddhist etc...) view homosexuality as a sin. Is that right or wrong? Well, we'll all know one day. But, until then, we are all entitled to our beliefs, and ought to be allowed our beliefs without being belittled or put down or insulted - no matter what wing you're part of. There are hypocrites on both sides of this, everyone wants people to respect their views, but refuse to respect opposing views. You can see that plainly in many of the comments on this board that have come up in both threads on the subject.

We are Christian, so yes, in our eyes it is wrong/a sin. But, in our eyes homosexuality is not any worse than any other sin - and I agree with one of the comments about the theatre in Alabama that plans to boycott this film, but still shows others with language, violence, pre-marital sex etc... that is being extremely hypocritical. As a Christian, I am very sick and tired of seeing homosexuality placed on a pedestal as the sin of all sins. In all honesty, I see many other things being far bigger issues, but unfortunately the LGBT "issue" seems to be the one garnering all the attention these days. I'm tired of seeing LGBT people treated the way they are.

In our house, ultimately, the focus is that every person on earth deserves respect, regardless of color, orientation, religion/faith/lack thereof, political leanings, bank account balance etc... My children are/will be taught that while we may not agree with a person's choices/actions, that doesn't make them a bad person, or any less of a person, or any less deserving of love and respect. My parents didn't agree with many of my choices - but they still loved me and supported me. To us, it's the same thing.

I posted this question, not to stir up anything, or because I thought it was horribly wrong, but honestly just as a question of: is this legit? It seems so many times in the past, people have tried to "find" things wrong with Disney films, or tried to find some hidden message that just isn't there, and turn it into something it's not. It was going around some of my social media groups, and I figured that's all it was this time, too. But, it's not, and it's real. To me? Big deal. How does that affect my decision re: this film and taking the children? I will screen it first, but only because of my young autistic daughter, who often needs more detailed explanations than a typical child, and I really don't feel like getting into a discussion on homosexuality in the middle of the theatre, lol. Once she has a question/something in her mind, she's pretty pervasive and sometimes none too quiet We screen all movies and shows for her that might have something questionable, so that we can give her a little heads up (or sometimes avoid, depending on the issue. This is NOT one of those things that would make us avoid altogether). That said, I absolutely would not hesitate to take my son to the film.

 

[mshanson3121]

My twins are 4, so they are just at the age of talking about who they will marry, differences between boys and girls, etc.
Anyhow, when I told them sometimes men marry men and women marry women...it was MUCH easier then explaining why they couldn't marry me, my husband, each other, or their big brother. Seriously.

I'm still trying to explain to my daughter why she can't marry her first cousin, lol....

 

[rteetz]

I think this thread has run its course.