A movie theater in Alabama says it will not screen Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” after the film’s director stated in interviews that there will be a “gay moment” during the movie.
At the “Beauty and Beast” premiere, director Bill Condon stated that LeFou, the sidekick of the evil Gaston, stated that the character has a “a nice, exclusively gay moment.”
By confirming the sexuality of the character, LeFou will become the first gay character to appear in a Disney movie.
Josh Gad, the actor portraying LeFou, stated in an interview with USA Today that he felt that the character’s sexuality was a “little overstated,” and that the character’s sexuality was not explicitly spelled out in the script.
But Condon’s comments were enough for one movie theater in Alabama to announce it would not show the film when it premiers around the country on March 17. Owners of the Henager Drive-In Theater in Heneager, Alabama took to Facebook to confirm that it would not show the film due to LeFou’s sexuality.
“When companies continually force their views on us we need to take a stand. We all make choices and I am making mine,” the theater wrote on Facebook.
“If we can not take our 11 year old grand daughter and 8 year old grandson to see a movie we have no business watching it. If I can't sit through a movie with God or Jesus sitting by me then we have no business showing it.”
The theater also added that it will continue to only show family-oriented films.
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
