By: Jerry Wang
Many Muslim dominated nations refuse to allow the new animated film, “Lightyear,” to be played in their theaters, rejecting the Disney film because of a scene in which a lesbian couple are kissing.
Pixar’s “Lightyear” is a juggernaut in the animated feature industry, starring the popular Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story films. Currently, it is the top grossing animated feature since the start of the pandemic back in late 2019. However, the loss of support by many Muslim-majority nations such as Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and more has led to Pixar missing out of millions in potential profits.
Historically, almost all Pixar movies earn more internationally than domestically. Many movies even earn 50% more in the international market. “Lightyear,” on the other hand, has only made around 35 million in ticket sales internationally and 51 million domestically. This difference in sales between the two audiences displays the millions of dollars that Pixar missed out on during “Lightyear’s” release.
While the financial loss is a massive downside to this situation, the lack of equality can be seen as a larger issue. Chris Evans, who played the main character of Buzz Lightyear, stated that “[i]t 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 some places that have not caught up.” This statement is strengthened by the fact that many nations criminalize same sex relationships; some nations like Saudi Arabia even enforce death penalties for it.
It is still too early to tell how Muslim culture will treat LGBTQ+ laws in the future, or if they will become more accepting of LGBTQ+ ideals and practices. However, currently Islamic culture around the world is accepting of the idea of having a transgender man or woman identifying as a certain gender. Since 1988, transgender surgeries have been allowed under Islamic law. Having such a law proves that there is still hope for the future.
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