Disney/Pixar has removed a trans storyline from its upcoming Win Or Lose show – and sadly, the online discourse has not been pleasant.
It was with a heavy heart that I headed into the comments sections around the internet following the news that Disney/Pixar had made a change to its upcoming animated show, Win Or Lose.
The animated series, in short, had amidst its narrative threads a transgender storyline, that’s been removed in the run-up to the show’s release. A few lines of dialogue have reportedly been taken out of the show, and Disney isn’t denying this. Its spokesperson has said that “when it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”
I’ve not seen Win Or Lose, and nor was I particularly aware of it until this story broke. Disney/Pixar of course has the absolute right to tell the stories it wants to tell, just as we have the absolute right to choose whether to watch them or not.
The alterations made to Win Or Lose were apparently made several months ago, and we’re just hearing about them now. Without the context of the show, it’s hard to fully assess whether this alters, harms or damages the story. It lands on Disney+ in February.
Putting aside feelings for the minute to do with the Disney/Pixar decision itself, what’s depressingly predictable but also utterly horrible about this is the state of online discourse. It’s no secret that trans people have been caught in the middle of a culture war of late, that serves the politicians and personalities who have the power to benefit from it, and harms those without a microphone, a pedestal, or often an iota of power to fight back. This culture war has led to hostility online, and hostility – and that’s putting it mildly – offline as well. Oftentimes, just so someone can get a few more clicks or a few more votes or a few more book sales.
There’s enough conversation around the internet already about trans matters. In some corners that conversation is constructive, curious, and respectful. Under articles to do with Win Or Lose, there are plenty of instances where that isn’t the case.
People may or may not have strong views about trans, about gender identity, about the many nuances involved in these conversations. Shutting down constructive discourse serves nobody.
But attacking people? Abusing people? Hurling insults at people? The depressing thing here is that Win Or Lose both now and in February has empowered people to go on the attack. On the attack against people who may be struggling, who are having to deal with potentially huge questions and conversations in their life. Or who just fancied a day without having to face pushback for who they are.
I don’t fully understand the nuances of what trans people face day to day. But I can tell them: you are welcome here. You matter. You are a human being, and you will be treated as such.
I’m sure that out there somewhere, there’s a Reddit group wanting to send an influx of hate to sites who want to say something about this. But I hate bullies. Like many of you, they’ve taken too many chunks out of me over the years. As long as I have moderation tools for the comments here, I’ll endeavour to keep the below the line sections of Film Stories as safe a place as possible to have actual proper debate and conversation. Without attacking people, without abusing people, without bullying people.
Film Stories is a tiny independent. There’s only so much we can do. If you see any abusive comments below our articles – and we can’t control Facebook etc sadly – then please hit the flag button. It may take us a while to get to them, but I will do my best.
Again, I’ve not seen Win Or Lose. I can’t comment on whether Disney/Pixar has made the right decision there for its story. I couldn’t even tell you what the story is, in truth.
I do know though that it’s not an excuse to treat human beings like shit.
