Gay Man Speaks Out: Gay Scene in Beauty and the Beast Too Mature for Kids

By Nancy Flory Published on March 14, 2017

A conservative gay man has taken issue with Disney’s “gay scene” in the newest Beauty and the Beast film, saying that interjecting mature themes in children’s movies robs them of their innocence.

The movie includes one character, Le Fou, dancing with another male character. The director, Bill Condon, calls the brief scene “a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.” Condon is gay.

Joseph R. Murray II, LGBTrump administrator and former Pat Buchanan campaign official, writes in the Orlando Sentinel that pushing the gay lifestyle on kids makes them grow up much too soon. Describing himself as “a proud member of the LGBT community,” he writes: “Why do we have to expose our kids to such mature themes?” Murray asked. “Do they not have plenty of time to grow up? Or maybe the point is to make them grow up too soon and that is where I part ways with my community.”

Disney a Conduit to Social Change

While Walt Disney wanted to entertain children, this generation of Disney leaders has veered sharply off course, Murray said. “No longer did it see itself as a defender of children’s innocence. Instead, it saw itself as a conduit to social change. Walt Disney became Harvey Milk.” Milk, a San Francisco supervisor, was one of the first openly gay politicians in America and known for his advocacy of gay causes.

Others are excited by the scene. Editor-in-Chief of English gay magazine Attitude Matt Cain hopes that the social change message will impact adults and children, calling the implications of the scene in the movie a “watershed moment” for Disney. “By representing same-sex attraction in this short but explicitly gay scene, the studio is sending out a message that this is normal and natural — and this is a message that will be heard in every country of the world, even countries where it’s still socially unacceptable or even illegal to be gay.”

For those who believe gays need approval for their homosexual lifestyle, Murray has an answer for them, too. “As for the argument LGBT kids need reaffirmation, I was gay and grew up without gay Disney and made it just fine. I bet the fact I was able to keep my childhood innocence played a part.”

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