In 2021, there were rumblings online that Pixar was looking to cast actresses 12 to 17 who were “enthusiastic, outgoing, funny and energetic” and able to “authentically portray a 14-year-old transgender girl” named Jess for an upcoming animated project.
A casting call sheet seeming to confirm this was shared by sites catered towards fans of animation like comicbook.com, which noted, “Though it’s unclear which role the character of “Jess” could be being written for, it’s certainly possible that this part could be for the “Win or Lose” series,” and it would seem that the site was correct about that, although the character will now no longer be trans, with Disney having made the decision to cut the storyline over concern for parents.
On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter ran an exclusive on the edit made to Pixar’s first-ever original long-form animated series that centers on a co-ed middle school softball team in the week leading up to their championship game, which debuts on Disney+ in February, detailing that the character Jess will remain in the show, but absent any references to gender identity.
A Disney spokesperson addressed the edit in a statement, writing, “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.”
Although Disney has featured LGBTQ+ content like Marvel Television’s “Agatha All Along” and Disney Animation’s “Strange World,” which featured an openly gay lead character, the Walt Disney Corporation has made significant political donations to Republicans who voted for the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in the past year.
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