Hot on the heels of increasing backlash against the Beauty and the Beast remake among conservatives in Southeast Asia, Singapore’s National Council of Churches Singapore (NCCS) has become the latest opponent against the film’s inclusion of Disney’s first openly gay character.
Josh Gad (Olaf from Frozen) plays Le Fou — the sidekick to Belle’s hypermasculine suitor, Gaston — who happens to be into dudes (his sexuality is merely portrayed as vague though).
Before the film opens in theatres here tomorrow, NCCS has followed suit to the call recently made by Bishop Rennis Ponniah of St Andrew’s Cathedral, who wasn’t too thrilled that a Disney film for children won’t be having “wholesome, mainstream values”.
As promised, the Bishop has since issued a fully loaded advisory under the NCCS banner, expressing harsh sentiments against “The Gay Agenda” in Beauty and the Beast.
“The inclusion of the ‘gay moment to the story by way of the sub-plot is totally unnecessary and signals a marked departure from the original 1991 Disney classic,” NCCS wrote in the statement.
Urging pastors and church leaders to alert their congregation about the film’s homosexual content, NCCS wants parents to exercise discretion in letting their children watch the Disney flick.
“Studies have shown that watching LGBT characters in popular entertainment may not only result in greater acceptance of these groups but also the lifestyles they have adopted,” NCCS stated. Which we believe is the intention of the film director and Disney — to be progressive.
But really, it’s fine that NCCS is discouraging Christians to watch the movie; homosexuality doesn’t align itself with their beliefs, after all, and their advisory doesn’t affect those who do want to watch it. It’s a whole different story in Malaysia, where censors have taken out the “gay moment” from Beauty and the Beast. Disney is offended, however, and has indefinitely shelved the screening of the movie in Malaysia.
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