A controversy has erupted around the release of Pixar’s new flagship animated TV showWin or Loseon Disney+, in relation to a transgender character depicted in the series. The character Kai is the star player of the Pickles, the little-league softball team at the center ofWin or Lose. They were also set to be portrayed openly as a transgender character, untilDisney stepped in to remove any reference to Kai’s gender identityfrom the show.
This move has led to a backlash, with Chanel Stewart, the trans voice actor who portrays Kai inWin or Lose, publicly expressing how “disheartened” she is that her character’s gender identity has been cut from Win or Lose (viaDeadline). “Trans stories matter,” Stewart added, “and they deserve to be heard.” Nor is she the only one to have been disappointed by Disney’s decision, as various formeremployees at Pixar who were involved in makingWin or Losehave reactedwith sadness and frustration that Kai’s story has been changed in this way.
Why Disney Removed A Transgender Storyline From Win Or Lose
The Company Has Ended Up Playing Politics By Erring On The Side Of Caution
According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Disney decided to cut Kai’s trans identity fromWin or Losebecausethey recognized that many parents would rather not introduce the subject to their childrenin this way. It explained that their move would allow parents to “discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.” Their choice to cut certain lines of dialogue from the show means that Kai remains in the show – in theory, as a transgender character – but their gender identity is never referenced or spoken about in the film.
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Judging by the two episodes ofWin or Losewhich have been released so far, Kai’s trans identity is now completely absent from the show. “My character would now be a cis girl,” Stewart has explained, referring tothe non-transgender identity Kai appears to have in the final version. It remains to be seen how the series will tackle its seventh episode, “I Got It,” which focuses specifically on Kai, without addressing the character’s identity in some way.
What Ex-Pixar Employees Have Said About The Removal Of This Transgender Storyline
Some Of Those Who Worked On Or Knew About The Storyline Are Unhappy
A former Pixar employee who’s seen the final cut of “I Got It” has expressed their dissatisfaction with what’s beenremoved fromWin or Lose’s main storyabout Kai. In their words, the episode “was literally going to save lives” with its storyline about what it’s like to be a trans child. They described Disney’s decision to get rid of this storyline as “very frustrating.”
Another ex-employee at Pixar said they weren’t surprised that Disney had cut trans references out of the show, suggesting that the current political climate in the United States had put extrapressure on the company around the release ofWin or Lose. They cited an episode ofMoon Girl and Devil Dinosaurthat suffered a similar fate, and said that everyone “who knew about Win or Lose and this character were all just clenching” in advance of Disney’s call.
Meanwhile, Sarah Ligatich, a trans editor who used to work at Pixar, has decided to go on the record about how upset she is that Kai’s character story has been changed inWin or Lose. Her devastation isn’t just for the trans community at large, but forthose who worked hard to bring the series to life in its original form, and for voice artist Chantel Stewart in particular. “Not only are you asking someone to play someone they’re not,” she said, “but to also get them to wrap their mind around a political conversation that is just so beyond them.”
How Disney Changed Kai’s Story For Win Or Lose
All References To Kai’s Gender Have Been Removed
Disney altered the depiction of Kai last year,delaying the release ofWin or Lose onDisney+for months, by completely removing any reference to the character’s transgender identity from the series. In practice, this change meant simply cutting several lines of dialogue from the show’s eight episodes in the editing room. In the first two episodes ofWin or Lose, this doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference to the story. Kai is still an important member of the cast, with a natural talent for softball. Kai continues to factor into various stories, albeit without this particular face of the character.
