LIGHTYEAR, representation and loving others
The ugliness that's revealed when you ask that others don't exist.
I took my kids to see LIGHTYEAR this past weekend. I’m not going to go into a full review or breakdown here, although I did review it at CinemaNerdz if you’re interested. The TL;DR version is that I think the latest Pixar entry is fun in places and makes room for some genuine emotional introspection, but it’s hampered by a messy script and a general lack of necessity. It’s enjoyable, but it’s telling that a film that attempts to paint a more human picture of Buzz Lightyear doesn’t have a single moment as powerful as the “I Will Go Sailing No More” scene from the original Toy Story. Buzz is just more fantastic when he’s plastic.
What’s stuck with me more than the movie itself is the mini controversy that erupted around its depiction of a same-sex relationship. One of Buzz’s fellow cadets is married to another woman, and the film includes a shot of her sharing a brief kiss with her wife. This has caused the film to be banned in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries and, of course, the usual suspects have chimed in asking if someone will please think of the children.
Before and after I took my kids to see the movie, several friends and family members brought this up, suggesting that it might be best if we were not exposed to this. It also appeared some of them were not completely informed about what the controversy actually was all about: several assumed this was a major driver in the film, complete with girl-on-girl makeout sessions; another thought Buzz Lightyear was gay.
So, let’s talk about what is actually in the film, instead of clutching our pearls and letting imaginations run wild, because debating what is actually in the film is key to actually having this discussion and understanding what makes me so mad about all the “controversy.”
A bit of context
The character in question is Alicia Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba), Buzz’s best friend and fellow Space Ranger. We get a sense of the dynamic between Alicia and Buzz in the opening sequence, when a critical mistake on Buzz’s end maroons thousands on an alien planet. Buzz is disheartened and ready to quit; Alicia firmly but gently reminds him that Space Rangers complete their mission.
Buzz does this, rocketing away to try and reach hyper speed and find the key that will allow everyone to return home. On his first mission, the time dilation effect means Buzz feels like he was gone for minutes but, to everyone else, it was four years. While Buzz was away, Alicia has fallen in love and gotten engaged. It’s just off-handedly mentioned that this is to a woman. Buzz goes on more missions, staying away longer each time and returning to find his friend aged, to the point where he returns to find her leaving a deathbed message. In between this, Alicia shares a brief, loving peck with her wife. Most of the movie actually follows Buzz’s adventures with Alicia’s granddaughter.
In all, this takes up about five minutes or less of screen time, and its depiction is of a loving relationship that leads to children and grandchildren who hold Alicia and her wife in esteem. And yet, it seems to be driving some people crazy, even sight unseen. And that reaction really angers and troubles me.
A brief theological digression
It’s probably no surprise that this outcry is coming from the far-right and many evangelical Christians who hold to a non-affirming stance of same-sex relationships. Many of my friends and family members hold to the interpretation that God frowns on same-sex marriage and relationships. Some of them seem to believe this is one of the greatest evils of all time and that, for some reason, it’s a greater moral evil than things the Bible actually brings up over and again, like greed, fear, pride, violence and heterosexual lust (indeed, Jesus and Paul actually said more, and in more detail, about divorce and how it makes someone ineligible for ministry, yet churches have regularly papered over this).
Here’s the thing, and I want to be clear on this: I respect the beliefs of people who, after much study and prayer, believe that the Bible prohibits same-sex relationships. That is between you and God, and I know there are issues where we all come to different interpretations. I also know I have many readers here who aren’t religious at all, and I thank you for bearing with this theological digression.
Personally, I don’t feel comfortable with these interpretations of Scripture. I won’t spend a whole lot of time delving into that so I can stay on track. But many of these verses rest alongside other verses in the Old Testament that, as Christians, we no longer hold to; and, there is considerable disagreement among Christians on what Paul meant when he used the term “homosexual” in later scripture passages (Matthew Vines’ book God and the Gay Christian was really helpful for me here). That uncertainty, coupled with the mounting proof that this seems to be a doctrine that has led to more harm than good, is why I no longer hold this view, although I know many good friends and family members disagree. In the end, I believe that if your doctrine leads to isolating and hating your neighbor, it’s probably not a Christian one. I’d rather err on the side of love and grace.
But like I said, I respect the views of those who hold to a non-affirming stance, with the condition that I ask them to express those beliefs lovingly. Your doctrines are never an excuse to disenfranchise others, act unkindly toward them, treat them as second-class citizens, avoid fellowship with them, kick them out of your church or to claim in your privilege that they should hide who they are. I know many Christians who hold these views and yet are able to lovingly live alongside queer friends and family members, knowing that love is always the Christian’s first obligation. I also recommend that Christians who hold these beliefs without having a friendship or family relationship with a member of the LGBTQ community might need to consider making friends across those lines to see how their actions are perceived by others.
Digression aside, I still think the controversy reveals an ugliness in the actions of people who claim to follow a man who preached loving your neighbor. That’s not to say you have to see Lightyear; if you feel strongly that you don’t want your children to see it, don’t take them. But to claim that your beliefs should make Disney reconsider representation of people whose actions are hurting no one but just goes against your beliefs is the height of privilege, and demanding that the world acquiesce to you is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus, who said “the last will be first.”
Hypocrisy and a lack of empathy
I’d also say that, knowing the viewing proclivities of many people who brought these objections to me, it’s a bit hypocritical. I didn’t hear any complaints about the gay character at the beginning of Avengers: Endgame, which is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, and one I know many pastors and Bible study leaders use as a basis for illustrations. Most of these people also saw Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness last month, which features a same-sex relationship that gets about as much screen time as the one in Lightyear. Many of my Christians friends wringing their hands over Lightyear also love Stranger Things, which features at least one (and, let’s be honest, really two) queer protagonists.
Is it the depiction of physical affection that gives you issues, or just the fact that when you really want to see a movie, you can more easily overlook something that will otherwise lather you up? I also know that most of these same people love movies and TV shows about mercenaries, serial killers, meth kingpins and conmen. Why is it okay to watch shows that depict these characters as heroes, but a depiction of a loving same-sex relationship gets under your skin?
Maybe it comes down to the fact that Lightyear is a PG-rated kids’ film. But again, I’m baffled by the vitriol. Like most parents, I don’t want overt sexual material in a kids’ film. I monitor what my kids watch, and visual depictions of sex are off the table; we also try (often in vain) to catch any innuendo or double entrendres. But Lightyear depicts two women who have had a loving, monogamous relationship and started a family they are proud of. The physical affection is just that; it’s not a makeout session, it’s a show of love and affection between two people who are committed to each other. I know many fathers who have taken their kids to see Top Gun: Maverick, a movie that is fairly chaste but does have a no-nudity sex scene (but it’s apparently okay because America). So, affection doesn’t seem to be an issue.
At heart, the critics of this scene are saying “we don’t want these people in our movies,” which is another way of saying “we don’t want these people to exist.” Let’s cover our eyes and ears and restrict a very large segment of the global population from being depicted in movies meant for a broad audience. And I think that’s very ugly and even anti-Christian.
One of the central truths we need to reckon with is that we are not the heroes of our story, and it's hubristic to suggest that the people you see on screen must line up with your preferences and beliefs. For every evangelical out there who is aghast that Disney suggest two women can love each other and raise a family — and how dare they show affection — is a woman who’s never seen a depiction of herself and her closest relationship truthfully and positively depicted in a movie, and a little kid who’s never seen a family like theirs in their favorite films. It’s the height of privilege to demand that a movie studio tweak its product to line up with your beliefs simply because your religion holds political sway. And again, Jesus had a lot to say about the folly of putting yourself first and not living with humility and grace.
In fact, the very act of trying to silence and cover up the marginalized is antithetical to how Jesus lived. His harshest words were for the theological elites, the people who wielded enormous power and demanded rigid adherence to arcane rules in order to be accepted by the religious community and, in theory, God. A look at how Jesus treated women, tax collectors and lepers should be a stark reminder that when we try to hide others and keep them out of conversation because their lives don’t fit with our preferences or the stories we think we’re the heroes of, God has a way of shining the spotlight on them and leaving us looking like fools.
Again, no one’s forcing you or your children to see Lightyear. If you choose to sit this out and vote with your dollars, fine (again, just be sure you’re consistent and maybe reconsider seeing those Marvel movies you love so much, especially when Thor: Love and Thunder’s Valkyrie is set to be Marvel’s first bisexual character). Heck, sit Lightyear out just because it’s not great (and before Pixar gets too high on its horse about representation here, I hope it addresses why Soul and Turning Red, two films with minority leads, were shuttled to Disney+ while lantern-chinned white hero Buzz Lightyear got the theatrical treatment). But if five minutes depicting a loving monogamous relationship and a happy family get you all angry, maybe it’s worth considering whether that’s truly Christian conviction stirring you up or whether you have some modern-day Pharisee tendencies.