Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch has called out Disney for ‘cutting’ LGBT+ characters from shows after the company celebrated Pride Month on Twitter. (Twitter/@Disney)
Disney has been called out for hypocrisy by Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch over a tweet celebrating Pride Month.
Disney joined in with Pride Month celebrations on June 1, posting a tweet of some of its iconic characters walking across a flag with all the colours of the Progress Pride flag. The tweet read: “There’s room for everyone under the rainbow.”
The company was criticised by many for the hollow gesture, including Hirsch, who created the Disney Channel animation Gravity Falls.
Gravity Falls confirmed a gay romance between two characters – Sherrif Blubs and Deputy Durland – in its series finale in 2016. But denouncing Disney’s Pride celebration, Hirsch suggested he met resistance behind the scenes.
He accused the company of hypocrisy, tweeting: “Disney privately: Cut the gay scene! We might lose precious pennies from Russia & China!
“Disney publicly: Honk honk we put a rainbow bumper sticker on Lightning McQueen today CONSUME OUR PRODUCTS TEENS”.
He then urged other creatives: “Please mercilessly spam your execs with ‘there’s room for everyone under the rainbow’ next time they tell you to ‘please revise’ your LGBTQ+ character for ‘not being Disney appropriate’.”
To any creative at Disney TV, Feature, Publishing or Streaming: please mercilessly spam your execs with “there’s room for everyone under the rainbow” next time they tell you to “please revise” your LGBTQ+ character for “not being Disney appropriate”
— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) June 2, 2021
Hirsch also responded to a social media user who claimed “Disney might have changed since Gravity Falls ended”.
He hit back that Disney has “heavily” backtracked on any progress towards better LGBTQ+ representation. He said: “Unfortunately, they’ve made some recent business choices that heavily walk back much of that progress.
“Steps forward often are followed by steps backwards, especially when companies are operating from a place of fear.
“I criticise in hopes of seeing less fear from them in the future.”
Unfortunately theyve made some recent business choices that heavily walk back much of that progress. Steps forward often are followed by steps backwards, especially when companies are operating from a place of fear. I criticize in hopes of seeing less fear from them in the future
— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) June 2, 2021
This is not the first time that Hirsch has spoken out against the alleged censorship of LGBT+ characters at Disney.
Hirsch said in 2020 that the company “forbade” him from any “explicit” LGBT+ representation when he made Gravity Falls. But he also shared his the joy that Dana Terrace and her team could feature “explicitly queer animated main characters” on their Disney show Owl House.
Gravity Falls is an animated television show created by Hirsch for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series, which ran for two seasons, followed the adventures of twins Dipper and Mabel Pines who are sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle in Gravity Falls, Oregon.
PinkNews has contacted Disney for comment.
