"Win or Lose" is an upcoming animated series produced by Pixar for the Disney+ streaming service, about a co-ed middle school softball team, set to debut in February. It was just revealed that the series was to include a transgender storyline, but that arc has been removed from the series. Link to an article by Pamela McClintock in The Hollywood Reporter is here.
A spokesperson for Disney confirmed that the story arc was removed and provided the following statement to THR: "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."
The character remains in the show, but a few lines of dialogue that referenced gender identity are being removed. A source close to Win or Lose said the studio made the decision to alter course several months ago.
Disney declined to comment on any further details.
All media companies will be grappling with tension between DEI sentiments and the new political environment, and Disney seems to be at the forefront. The company entered a protracted war with Florida governor Ron DeSantis when it issued a statement opposing his "Don't Say Gay" law, incurring retributive governmental action against its Florida theme parks.
But now we seem to be seeing a Disney company less willing to take on MAGA culture wars generally, and Trump specifically. The company just paid $15 million to settle a frivolous defamation lawsuit brought by Trump against its subsidiary ABC for a news anchor's comment that Trump had been found liable for "rape," rather than "sexual abuse." This capitulation to Trump has been widely criticized on the left, and reporters at ABC found the surrender "frightening."
Here is a teaser for the series that was released four months ago, promising a premiere date of December 6. One might assume the delay to February was necessary to excise the transgender story arc.
