Disney introduces Christian character to Win or Lose months after axing transgender plot

Disney Pixar’s new animated softball series Win or Lose has introduced an explicitly Christian character, the entertainment giant’s first in almost 20 years, months after confirming a trans plot line had been axed.

The first episode of the new show saw viewers introduced to Laurie, the right fielder for the Pickles softball team, and daughter of the team’s coach, Dan. Clearly struggling with insecurities around her softball abilities and anxious to impress her father, Laurie turns to a higher power to ask for support.

“Dear Heavenly Father, please give me strength,” she says, clutching her hands into a clenched fist prayer. There’s also an angel cutout in Laurie’s bedroom, depicting her faith.

The introduction of an explicitly Christian character is fairly innocuous on its own standing, but the context surrounding the show – and Disney at large – has left some LGBTQ+ TV lovers a little uneasy.

In December, Disney confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Win or Lose was originally set to feature a young character seemingly struggling with her gender identity, but the dialogue was cut.

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Disney have introduced their first Christian character in 20 years just months after cancelling a transgender storyline from the same show. The debut episode of the new Pixar Disney+ series “Win or Lose” features a character called Laurie, the daughter of the team’s softball coach who struggles with insecurity. In one of her first scenes in the show, she begins with the words “heavenly father”. A cutout of an angel is also placed in Laurie’s bedroom. This is the first Christian character from Disney since their 2007 film “Bridge to Terabithia”, in which kids Jessie and Leslie attend church together and discuss religion. The new animated series received backlash last year when it was reported that a story arc involving a transgender character was removed from the show. According to an article by the Hollywood Reporter, while the character starring in the episode remains the same, references to her gender identity were removed. A Disney spokesperson said: “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.” One transgender ex-Pixar employee said the decision to remove the storyline was “100% political”. #disney #disneyplus #winorlose #transgender #christianity #lgbtqia

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“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognise that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” a Disney spokesperson said at the time.

The character in question, Kai, played by 18-year-old trans actress Chanel Stewart, remains in the series but with no reference to being trans. At the time, Stewart voiced being “very disheartened” that the plot had been nixed, as she “wanted to make this for transgender kids like me”.

“From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard,” she said. A petition to re-instate the character garnered thousands of signatures, but with no luck.

Now, while Laurie’s Christian beliefs aren’t depicted as being anti-trans, and Christian characters aren’t incongruous with trans characters – of course, someone can be both religious and transgender –  some viewers feel the two conjunctive decisions are indicative of Disney moving back towards a more traditional, conservative worldview.

It’s relevant to note that the last time Disney introduced an overtly Christian character was almost two decades ago, in the 2007 film Bridge to Terabithia, which made numerous positive references to Jesus Christ and the church.

In the years since then, Disney has made somewhat of an effort to increase LGBTQ+ representation across its output – from Ethan in Strange World to practically everyone in Agatha All Along – but it’s not been without mixed results and major pushback from the community.

Until very recently, Disney’s LGBTQ+ representation was limited to fleeting moments or blink-and-you’ll-miss-it glances. Then, films with LGBTQ+ representation – Strange World, Lightyear – were box office flops, which some felt was due to lacking promotion. Most recently, fans criticised the mass media producer for not explicitly making Riley queer in Inside Out 2, and then for pulling an episode of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur from Disney Channel as it featured a trans character. Now, the Win or Lose fiasco.

As the US descends into a post-diversity, equity and inclusion era thanks to Donald Trump’s administration, Disney lovers are concerned the company could be moving in a similar direction, internally and externally. A memo shared with Reuters in February suggested that, if it isn’t explicitly binning DEI programmes, it’s certainly being more careful with how they’re worded.

A memo from a Disney HR officer noted that the company’s “Reimagine Tomorrow” site, a space for “amplifying underrepresented voices” and which listed its DEI commitments, has been rebranded as “MyDisneyToday”, with the focus being pushed onto how the media conglomerate attracts the best staff who “reflect the consumers we serve” – and how the company supports underserved communities.

It’s another chapter in Disney’s potted history with LGBTQ+ folk, and the community will be watching very closely to see how it unfolds.

Win or Lose is streaming now on Disney+.

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