A recent episode of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder sees supporting character Zoey Howzer run for class president. She’s campaigning for votes when she finds herself in a tricky situation involving bigotry and prejudice. But in order to remain neutral and avoid hindering her potential in the election she decides against defending the children of same-sex parents when they are subject to discrimation. Like Disney right now, she is demonstrably in the wrong and comes to face the consequences of her own apathy.
This is a very timely narrative to explore in the wake of Disney’s indirect support of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ which will see LGBTQ+ issues removed from discussion in schools, and legal consequences brought upon those who dare act otherwise. The company has since tried to backtrack, assuring it will continue to produce positive queer content while donating to relevant causes, but it’s impossible to take away from the fact you donated to and showed support to archaic politicians hoping to make the world a worse place for queer people. It’s a direct contradiction of your family values, an act of hypocrisy so transparent that thousands of fans and creatives have now stood up in defiance.
Art can often imitate life, and The Proud Family has always been on the pulse of cultural issues in a way that isn’t afraid to bring forth political topics to viewers both young and old in surprisingly poignant ways. It centres on the circumstances of growing up as a young Black woman in contemporary America, helmed by POC creators who understand the nuance of such a family and the sort of situations they’ll come to encounter. Louder and Prouder is a modern interpretation of that vision, and more relevant than ever in the themes it hopes to discuss. Queer acceptance rocking up this week of all weeks feels almost poetic, shining a light on Disney’s current ignorance and how perhaps its corporate ideals should reflect the art its creative teams are working so hard to produce. Do better, Disney - for yourselves and the increasingly diverse swathes of young people who have no choice but to look up to you.
This week has been a rocky one for Disney - and rightfully so. Once it became clear it wasn’t going to distance itself from supporting politicians funding the bill it released a statement which screamed hypocrisy. We covered it at the time, but now the corporation has said it will evaluate relationships with existing political parties and ensure it is donating to the right causes while continuing to champion queer content. Realising your mistakes is one thing, but this feels like you’ve been caught and are desperately trying to save face by throwing money at the problem. It isn’t good enough, and represents a pattern of behaviour that has become all too clear. Companies like this can’t be trusted to push queer storytelling forward because it treats people like me as a commodity, a commercial aspect to be brought into the fold or brushed aside whenever it’s convenient to the bottom line. Disney did pledge $5 million to ‘protect LGBT rights’ earlier today. Disney also made $67 billion in 2021 - that means it pledged 0.0075 percent of its earnings from last year alone.
When I was growing up queer representation was often ruled by harmful stereotypes. We had to search long and hard for meaningful depictions of LGBTQ+ people in media, or create our own subtext in shows, films and games where it was clear some form of queer representation was being strived for, but powers that be stamped down and made an unfiltered expression impossible. We still see it today, with Pixar employees speaking to Cartoon Brew about queer stories and characters that have frequently been stifled by upper management. You can find an excerpt from the studio’s full statement below:
“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, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar. Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it. Beyond the ‘inspiring content’ that we aren’t even allowed to create, we require action.”
Disney claims it will continue to create said ‘inspiring content’, but employees from its most well known animation studio have now come out to publicly state that in the past they’ve been stopped time and time again from doing so. This is immediately before the release of Turning Red on Disney+, making this issue and the charming animated film inseparable bedfellows. Pixar is right to speak out and label the hypocrisy expressed by Disney as a damning indictment of everything the company continues to do wrong. I love many of the things it has created, but these are products of passionate animators, writers, producers, directors, and other creatives who are often subject to outdated corporate management.
Being queer goes against traditional family values and makes marketing products to a mass market more difficult because as a society we are still subject to widespread prejudice. The world’s biggest corporation shouldn’t be bowing to these demands, especially when it has the power to challenge them and enact lasting change. The Owl House creator Dana Terrace put it best earlier this week when she said in a tweet that she’s “fucking tired of making Disney look good” before announcing a livestream that aims to raise money for queer kids and speak out against everything Disney has done wrong. She helmed one of the most progressive animated shows in recent memory and was met with a sudden cancellation. I’d like to think positively and say it wasn’t due to queer themes and characters, but with arrival of recent news, it’s increasingly hard not to feel cynical.
When covering queer culture and how it intersects with animation I’ve come across the same thing over and over: Corporations can’t be trusted to further queer storytelling. There are too many shortcomings or compromises that LGBTQ+ creators are forced to contend with when it comes to crafting characters and stories that feel genuine. These are found in books, webcomics, graphic novels, music, art, and other endeavours often outside the mainstream sphere. The Owl House, Steven Universe, and She-Ra, and other such shows are all triumphant milestones, but they were made possible by people who fought tooth and claw for representation despite executives at the top fighting back against any form of progression.
ND Stevenson made Catradora happen, Dana Terrace made Lumity canon, and Rebecca Sugar brought an array of queer characters to life because they all believed it was not only possible, but necessary to show queer kids they aren’t alone and deserves representation that cares about who they are or will grow up to be. Disney doesn’t, and thus many of these people are taking a stand against an outdated stance that is damaging in so many ways. It is a media monopoly without compare, and if it doesn’t believe in LGBTQ+ rights, we need to do everything we can to champion them and make it clear we won’t stay silent. I know amazing people working within the company and across animation who are doing just that, and they’re brave for putting their careers on the line and standing up for what’s right. I’m right there with them, a singular voice striving for greater change.
Together we can make try and make a difference and show that queer kids deserve so much better from a company that for decades has defined itself as a source of magic and whimsy. By turning its back on LGBTQ+ people it is little more than a hollow facsimile of that identity that will crush us beneath its boot whenever we aren’t relevant to corporate interests. Seek out alternate queer stories, support smaller creators, or perhaps even tell your own. That’s what I’m doing, and I’m learning more every day about how to make the world a better place.