Anti-Gay Christian Leaders Call for 'Beauty and the Beast' Boycott
It's a tale as old as time: the religious right freaking out on the Walt Disney Corporation.
In two weeks, one of the most eagerly awaited family film of the year, the live-action version of the Disney classic "Beauty and the Beast," will be released. But a pair of anti-LGBT evangelists are urging their followers to keep the kiddies away, lest they catch onto the subtle gay brief subtext of a secondary character.
News that actor Josh Gad, who plays villain Gaston's sidekick LeFou, has a brief moment where he acknowledges a gay crush in the upcoming big screen musical, which has anti-LGBT evangelist Franklin Graham clutching his pearls.
Taking to Facebook Thursday, Graham blasted Disney for their LGBT inclusion as well as a same-sex kiss featured in the Disney Channel animated program "Star vs the Forces of Evil."
"Disney has aired a cartoon with same-sex couples kissing. It has also been announced that their new movie 'Beauty and the Beast' will feature a gay character in an attempt to normalize this lifestyle," Graham wrote.
Graham issued a warning to his followers and urged them to stay away from Disney.
"They're trying to push the LGBT agenda into the hearts and minds of your children-watch out! Disney has the right to make their cartoons, it's a free country. But as Christians we also have the right not to support their company. I hope Christians everywhere will say no to Disney," he added.
Graham isn't alone in his outrage. Denny Burk, a professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was similarly apoplectic over "Beauty and the Beast."
Taking to his blog on Wednesday, Burk painted the upcoming family blockbuster as a nefarious move to undermine the soul of young Christian America.
"This movie will no doubt be packaged in a narrative and a production value designed to capture their imaginations, and it will do so in a way that conceals a false and destructive message. To let them see this material would go against everything that I am trying to teach them about the good, the beautiful, and the true," Burk wrote.
The Christian Post notes that parents like Burk are now in a tough spot explaining to kids why they can't go to the movie they've been looking forward to seeing.
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