Disney removes transgender storyline from Pixar’s animated ‘Win Or Lose’ series: “I was excited to help empower other trans youth”

nme.com:

Disney has pulled a transgender storyline from the upcoming Pixar animated series Win Or Lose – and the actress playing the character in question has spoken out.The show, which is set to premiere on Disney+ on February 19 next year and features Will Forte as Coach Dan, will no longer include a transgender story arc in an episode, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed.Win Or Lose centres around a co-ed middle school softball team, the Pickles, in the week leading up to their championship game.

Each of the eight episodes will focus on the off-the-field life of a character, whether they’re a member of the team, a parent, a coach, or an umpire.A spokesperson for Disney confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the storyline had been removed, giving this explanation in a statement: “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”Reportedly, the character in question will remain in the show, but a few lines of dialogue that reference gender identity have been removed.

Disney declined to comment on any additional details.However, Chanel Stewart, who plays the character in question, has spoken out.

Stewart, who was 14 years old when she saw that Pixar was looking for a transgender girl to voice a trans teenager in a new animated series in 2020, told Deadline: “I was very disheartened.