Representation of queer characters remains few and far between in children's entertainment and virtually non-existent when it comes to leading roles. It is time for Disney to provide us with more diversity with regard to sexual orientation and give us a lesbian Disney Princess!

 

Background context: 

The world is slowly but surely moving towards a more accepting place with regard to LGBTQ identities. However, Disney’s representation of such identities is still lacking. This lack of representation is even more true for lesbian characters.

In 2017, the character Cyrus in the Disney Channel show Andi Mack made history by saying the words “I am gay” on the show, making him the FIRST Disney character to do so EVER.

Considering how Disney Channel is exclusively aimed towards children and they were able to portray a gay main character back in 2017, I say it’s high time Walt Disney Animation Studios follows suit with a lesbian main character, and what better way than to have a lesbian Disney Princess!

There have only been two named, openly gay female characters in animated Disney films so far: Alisha Hawthorne from Lightyear (2022) and Officer Specter from Onward (2020). Officer Specter isn't a main character and we never actually see her relationship with her wife. As for Alisha Hawthorne, her character is the best lesbian representation in an animated Disney movie so far. She is an important character and her relationship is shown, including a kiss between her and her wife. However, this is a Pixar film so technically not the doing of Walt Disney Animation Studios. In fact, Disney tried to force Pixar to remove the same-sex kiss and many Pixar employees had to threaten to walk out in order to keep the scene in. That being said, I don't think Disney should be the one being praised for that representation. 

Disney is arguably the most influential company in the world when it comes to entertainment, especially children’s entertainment, so having them utilize their platform to represent and support the LGBTQ community in this way has the potential to create lasting social change and set a new precedent for LGBTQ main characters in media. 

 

Why is this important:

Representation is vital: Many queer social media users, especially lesbian women, have recounted their confusion when trying to understand their sexualities and a common theme that is brought up time and time again. Either they explain how the expectation of a Disney princess-esque happily ever after caused them to feel that that was the only path or they express sadness over feeling they would never experience that happily ever after due to their sexuality. By portraying a lesbian Disney princess, Disney would be showing children that everyone is capable of having and deserves their fairytale ending, no matter who it’s with. 

Normalize queer relationships in child-friendly spaces: This representation can also prove those who sexualize queer relationships, saying that they are inappropriate for kids, wrong. A lesbian Disney princess movie would be just as innocent and G-rated as any other Disney princess movie, having nothing more than the iconic kiss at the end to symbolize their happily ever after.

Promote kindness and acceptance for future generations: If kids are raised being exposed to non-hetero forms of love and relationships, there will be less hate and hostility towards those types of relationships in the future. Show kids it's normal!

No profit without representation: Disney is a large contributor to “rainbow capitalism”, selling Mikey face pins with the lesbian flag, as well as other pride collection items. They have shown that they are fine profiting off of the LGBTQ community while remaining hesitant to fully support and represent them. We must continue to call them out on this and let them know merch does not equal support. 

 

What can we do:

Advocate for a queer Disney Princess by signing this petition, sharing it on social media, and posting your thoughts on the topic!

Disney will go where the money is, if mass amounts of people let them know we want this representation and will support a movie that has it, they are more likely to listen!

By signing this petition we can bring attention to how important this issue is and how many people support it. The sooner we act on this, the sooner we can make a change. The world is progressing and we need to demand that Disney progresses with it.

 

Conclusion:

Disney has long used the idea that Disney is for everyone to market their movies and parks, yet their lack of representation of different sexual orientations as prominent characters sends a different message. Everyone deserves to see their identities reflected on the big screen and this is a great way for many young kids and teenagers to know that they are perfectly normal for being attracted to the same sex. The idea of the “Disney Princess” is something that has played a large role in the lives of many and it should be as inclusive as possible. It’s time the queer community gets to see themselves as the princesses and heroes instead of the background characters.