Film

‘Beauty And The Beast’ Will Feature Disney’s “First Gay Character” And People Aren’t Very Happy

This guy's no Timon and Pumbaa...

by Meg Watson  2 March 2017

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Hey, you know that upcoming reboot of your favourite old Disney movie that may or may not have some weird Stockholm syndrome vibes? Turns out it’s giving you one more thing to feel a little conflicted about! Beauty and the Beast will feature what’s being touted as Disney’s first openly gay character, and the specifics of that are already causing a lot of controversy.

In a just-published interview with Attitude Magazine, the film’s director Bill Condon has revealed that Gaston’s sidekick LeFou (Josh Gad) will lust after the douchey brute in the film (played by Luke Evans).

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“LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston,” Condon said. “He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realising that he has these feelings.

“Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its pay-off at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.”

LeFou’s sexuality has been reportedly written into the script as a tribute to Howard Ashman — the original film’s lyricist who was gay and died of AIDS in 1991 before the film’s release. According to Condon, Ashman was the one who pushed for the film to be framed around the Beast as well, and had often discussed the film as a metaphor for AIDS.

“[The beast] was cursed, and this curse had brought sorrow on all those people who loved him, and maybe there was a chance for a miracle — and a way for the curse to be lifted,” Condon said. “It was a very concrete thing that [Ashman] was doing.”

With both this and some positive response about LGBT representation from fans — Attitude‘s editor-in-chief has hailed the move a “watershed moment for Disney — Josh Gad (who is straight) has taken to Twitter to express his excitement over the role:

However not all LGBT fans feel quite so great about it. Disney has a long history of queer-coding its villains without explicitly stating their sexuality. Characters such as Jafar from Aladdin, Scar from The Lion King, and Ursula from The Little Mermaid have long been speculated as being gay which arguably contributes to a kind of demonisation.

LaFou is not only on the side of the bad guys in Beauty and the Beast, his name also translates to “the fool”. Though his overt queerness is a step forward in a long line of characters who frustratingly hint at their sexuality, LaFou, for many, doesn’t feel like the right person to lead the way for LGBT representation.

Of course, no one can fully judge the move until the film’s release, and the movie could be a pleasant surprise. Condon’s promise of a “nice, exclusively gay moment” hints that LeFou and Gaston may even end up together in some way. That would be significant.

I mean, it’s no Timon and Pumbaa as Disney’s first openly gay parents, but hey The Lion King remake is on its way too.

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Beauty and the Beast is out March 23.