A Disney XD show subtly displayed several gay kisses on an episode that aired on Monday. The Star vs. the Forces of Evil episode featured a scene at a boy band concert, where several people, including gay and lesbian couples, kiss to the music. The gender of various other lip-locked couples shown is unclear.
Though this is the first on-screen same-sex PDA, Disney has periodically included non-heterosexual relationships in its TV shows, including a lesbian couple in Good Luck Charlie and a gay couple in Gravity Falls.
Viewers also have speculated about possibly gay characters included in the films Zootopia, Finding Dory, and Frozen. Cosmopolitan has expanded the list, suggesting that The Little Mermaid’s Ursula, Sleeping Beauty’s Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, and even Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston may be gay.
And last fall, the creators of Moana told the Huffington Post they wouldn’t rule out an LGBT Disney princess. Director Ron Clements said:
“It seems like the possibilities are pretty open at this point.”
Disney has also been under pressure to portray openly gay relationships in its TV shows and movies. At one point last year, the hashtag #GiveElsaAGirlfriend was trending.