Posted in: Disney+, TV | Tagged: pixar, trans, transgender, win or lose

Win or Lose Actress "Disheartened" by Disney Pulling Trans Storyline

Win or Lose voice actress Chanel Stewart is speaking out after news hit that Disney had pulled a transgender storyline from the Pixar series.

"Oh my God, it was crazy. I wore it as a badge. I wore it with pride. I wore it with honor because it meant so much to me. The thought of authentically portraying a transgender teenage girl made me really happy. I wanted to make this for transgender kids like me." That was how 14-year-old actress Chanel Stewart felt when she learned that she had been picked to voice a transgender teenager in Disney+ and Pixar Animation Studios' Win or Lose. That would change dramatically on Monday when Chanel and her mother, Keisha, were informed that the animated series' transgender storyline had been pulled.

"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," Disney shared in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter when asked to confirm reports that the change was being made to the animated series. Though Stewart's character remains in the Pixar project, several lines of dialogue referencing gender identity have reportedly been edited out. "It's just that my character would now be a cis girl, a straight cis girl. So yeah, that's all they really told me and that I was still a part of the show," the now 18-year-old actress shared.

"It was upsetting because my daughter is transgender, and this is her life. I felt like it was very important that we not hide that fact," Keisha shared exclusively with Deadline Hollywood. "There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but this is the world that we live in, and everyone should be represented. Everyone deserves to be recognized. And it felt like it was just another setback for the LGBTQ community because it's very hard on transgender teenagers … transgender people, period. Especially when you're young and you're trying to figure out how to navigate this world that you live in and be able to grow into your own person."

"I was very disheartened. 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,' Stewart shared, adding that there is one thing that Disney definitely can't take away from here. "I'm definitely one of the first [transgender girls] to do this! It's a true honor to be a part of queer history."

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