By: Emily Hur

Millions of lightyears away from Earth, a crew of futuristic astronauts throw a huge party. Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear watches the door open to a blue banner for his friends’ 40th wedding anniversary. Then, the married women share a small peck on the lips and turn away to join the celebration.

Pixar released a new movie, ‘Lightyear,’ last week, but received some backlash when a short scene featuring a lesbian couple sparked worldwide controversy over same sex relationships. Some countries went as far as to ban screenings of the movie all together.

An article by Jon Gambrell from ABC News counts about 13 countries who decided to withhold showing the movie. Disney says these include Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. Several of the listed nations look down on members of the LGBTQ community since same sex activity is illegal there and can lead to consequences including arrest, imprisonment, and even death. Many also have large Muslim populations who believe homosexuality goes against their religion.

As countries continue to refuse to release the film, fans and cast members respond with frustration. Actor Chris Evans, the voice behind Buzz Lightyear, spoke out at the film’s premiere, “it feels good to be a part of something that is making social progress, but it’s with this ribbon of bittersweet frustration that at the same time, there are still places that have not caught up.”

The movie premiered in June, which happens to be Pride month, when people are supposed to come together to celebrate and accept LGBTQ communities. While censoring ‘Lightyear’ goes directly against this month’s purpose, many remain ecstatic about Disney’s big step toward social change and look forward to more progress in the future. “It’s an excellent sign of the times that things are moving in the right direction,” Evans comments.