Everybody loses when the upcoming Pixar series Win or Lose launches next year on Disney+ after cutting a transgender storyline.

I’m going to say this in no uncertain terms: I came out as transgender in my 30s because I didn’t know what the heck was wrong with my during middle school. I knew for sure that something was off in 7th grade but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you at the time. We didn’t have the education and awareness in the 1990s that we have in 2024. What we have right now is a massive amount of transphobic bigotry, which marred coverage of the 2024 World Series on Fox. We have a media conglomerate that would rather cave into the transphobic politicians than do the right thing here. That’s right–shame on Disney for taking the cowardly way out.

You want to know what else happened in the 1990s? My grandmother gifted me with a share of Disney stock. In full transparency, I’ve held onto that share. I’m speaking out right now in both my role as a critic and Disney shareholder.

The long-form Pixar series is set to run eight episodes on Disney+. According to Variety, “references to one of the characters’ gender identity was removed, affecting a few lines of dialogue in the show’s later episodes, though it appears that there was not a full episode devoted to the subject matter.”

Disney provided a statement to Variety: “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.”

SHAME ON THEM. If some parents don’t want to discuss certain subjects with their children because of their own bigotry, why should art have to suffer? Do you know what would have happened in the 1990s if I saw myself on screen? I would have figured out what was going on with me. Instead, I spent many years repressing and suppressing just to be able to live–you can read it all in this very personal essay. The next four years are certainly going to be very terrible for transgender rights. Republicans are already doing their best to legislate us out of existence! We have a House Speaker who is already federally mandating transphobia. Look at the transphobic rhetoric coming from Nancy Mace. Trans people exist. You can’t just ignore our existence. We are here and we are valid, even as have been pushed out of trans spaces due to antisemitism.

Here’s what we know about Win or Lose:

Pixar Animation Studios’ original series Win or Lose follows the intertwined stories of eight different characters as they each prepare for their big championship softball game. The series reveals what it actually feels like to be in the shoes of each character—the insecure kids, their helicopter parents, even a lovesick umpire—with incredibly funny, very emotional and uniquely animated perspectives.

Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates direct, write and executive produce the series. David Lally produces. Did they fight back against the studio for wanting to remove any references to transgender characters? If they didn’t, they should all be ashamed of themselves. TRANS LIVES MATTER!

Disney+ will premiere Win or Lose on February 19, 2025.

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