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Credit: Disney/Pixar, CanvaThe star of Disney’s upcoming new series speaks out about the company’s bombshell decision to cut out her character’s sexual identity.
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Transgender actress Chanel Stewart is speaking out following the news of Disney scaling back her role in Pixar’s upcoming made-for-streaming TV series Win or Lose. News of Disney changing course over the trans character broke Tuesday, prompting a firestorm of controversy online.
Win or Lose, a first-of-its-kind original streaming series, has been a long time coming, suffering from numerous delays. The show is set to premiere on February 19, 2025, but it will now no longer feature a transgender character as originally intended.
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As Deadline reports, Chanel Stweart first came across the role in the upcoming Disney Pixar series back in 2020 while scrolling through X (then Twitter). Pixar had sent out a notice the studio was looking for an authentic 14-year-old transgender girl to play a character in a new animated series. Chanel immediately knew this was the role for her.
“I was exactly what they wanted to a T, and that’s why it felt so right. It felt just so right,” said Stewart, “I immediately asked my mom if I could do it, because I just felt like if I don’t do this, it wouldn’t make sense. You know what I mean?”
Stweart eventually made her dream come true, snagging the voiceover job in Pixar’s Win or Lose. The upcoming series follows a co-ed middle school softball team called the Pickles. Each episode of the new streaming series will be told from the point of view of a player on the team, which would have presumably extended to Chanel’s trans character.
However, somewhere down the line, Disney and Pixar decided to cut the transgender element from Chanel’s character entirely, turning her into a cisgender girl.
A few lines of dialogue were reportedly cut, which made reference to Chanel’s character’s identity.
As stated earlier, this news went public on Tuesday, prompting thousands upon thousands of reactions online. Disney likely knew the storm it was causing with the decision, which many feel goes against the company’s efforts to be inclusive and welcoming to all.
These initiatives have seemingly been put on the back burner for now, with Disney CEO Bob Iger himself stating he wants to remain politically neutral going forward.
To say that Chanel and her mom, Keisha, were disappointed would be an understatement.
“It was upsetting because my daughter is transgender, and this is her life. I felt like it was very important that we not hide that fact,” Stewart’s mom Keisha told Deadline.
“There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but this is the world that we live in and everyone should be represented. Everyone deserves to be recognized. And it felt like it was just another setback for the LGBTQ community, because it’s very hard on transgender teenagers … transgender people, period. Especially when you’re young and you’re trying to figure out how to navigate this world that you live in and be able to grow into your own person.”
“I was very disheartened,” adds Stewart. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
In its announcement, Disney stated that it recognizes parents may prefer to discuss subjects such as transgenderism with their children on their own time. The company still says Chanel’s character is very much a part of Win or Lose, though the original design of the character seems to be lost.
Chanel remains proud of her identity, saying, “I’m definitely one of the first [transgender girls] to do this! It’s a true honor to be a part of queer history.”
Will you be watching Win or Lose?