Buzz Lightyear Film Banned In 14 Countries Over Brief Same-Sex Kiss
thegailygrind.comLightyear – the long-awaited Toy Story prequel from Disney-Pixar studios – has so far been banned in 14 Asian and Middle Eastern countries due to its depiction of a lesbian marriage and a same-sex kiss.
The film was first banned in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), whose Media Regulatory Office of the Ministry of Youth and Culture announced on June 13 that Lightyear was banned from screening in all cinemas for “its violation of the country’s media content standards“.
The countries that have banned the film include: Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE. “We were warned that this would be a likely outcome,” US producer Galyn Susman told AFP. “But we weren’t going to change the film we wanted to make just because of some countries with – for lack of a better term – backward beliefs,” she added.
Susman adds her voice to those of the film’s cast who earlier this week expressed disappointment over censorship of the film because of LGBT+ content. “It’s frustrating,” said Chris Evans, who voices titular character Buzz Lightyear. “It feels good to be a part of something that is making social progress, but it’s with this ribbon of bittersweet frustration that at the same time, there are still places that have not caught up.” The film features a character called Alisha, a lesbian space ranger voiced by actor Uzo Aduba.
