When I first heard that Disney is using the live-action Beauty and the Beast to further normalize homosexuality, 1 Peter 5:8 came to mind. The popular verse warns us that our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” With its latest decision, Disney continues to prove that it’s not just aligned with the devil, but is running with the devil/lion’s hunting pack. The prey this time? Children.
In case you haven’t heard, on March 17, Disney is planning on releasing a much-anticipated live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. Starring Emma Watson, the film has been hyped for months, tantalizing parents and children alike. The 1991 animated version of the fairy tale has become a beloved classic, and the thought of seeing Belle, the Beast, and the myriad of other lovable characters come to life appeals to a broad section of the market. Make no mistake, though, Disney is counting on children to push Beauty and the Beast into the box office stratosphere.
There was a time when parents could count on Disney to provide relatively ideologically “safe” entertainment options. To be sure, as the nineties progressed, Disney movies became more and more embedded with their creative and administrative teams’ leftist worldview. However, a sweet connection to traditional family values persisted. As long as the taboo of sexuality remained untouched, many Christians thought that they could appropriately discuss with their kids the feminism, environmentalism, and other leftist-isms that were boldly appearing in Disney movies. Last year, however, with the release of Zootopia, Disney signaled a sea change in how they’re planning on using their far-reaching platform to further their ideological agenda as it relates to gender and sexuality.
Attitude, a British magazine that’s marketed to the LGBTQ community, recently interviewed the film’s stars and director Bill Condon. According to Attitude, “While the reimagined romantic classic, featuring Emma Watson and former Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens, might seem like the ultimate celebration of heterosexual love, it’s actually harbouring a treasure trove of gay secrets – and is set to make history with Disney’s first ever ‘exclusively gay moment’ on film.”
lCondon revealed to Attitude that Gaston’s sidekick, LeFou, is gay in the movie. Furthermore, Lefou, played by funnyman Josh Gad, has “a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.” Of course, the LGBTQ community is loudly celebrating the news.
If it’s not telling enough that Beauty and the Beast’s marketing team set up a high-profile cast and director interview with a gay publication, the publication’s own editor-in-chief explicitly unveils the endgame for Attitude, Disney, Beauty and the Beast, and the LGBTQ community at large. Matt Cain gloats that “by representing same-sex attraction in this short but explicitly gay scene, the studio is sending out a message that this is normal and natural.” That’s correct, Christian parents, Disney and the LGBTQ community are counting on Beauty and the Beast to teach your children that homosexuality is normal and natural.
It’s unfortunate that many Christians have become somewhat conditioned to the normalization of homosexuality in and through pop culture. That’s not to say that those Christians are ok with the normalization of homosexuality by pop culture. It’s simply to point out that many Christians have resigned themselves to it—sadly resigned, to be sure. I pray that Disney’s assault on the morals of our children through the insertion of a “gay moment” in Beauty and the Beast is a bridge too far for all Christians. All of us need to be aware that the “devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” That warning carries extra significance for those called to safeguard children and teach them about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is designed to devour children.
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