Disney refused to cut gay scenes in ‘Lightyear,’ Malaysia’s censors say

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia —  Malaysia’s film censors said Friday that it was Disney’s decision to ax the animated film “Lightyear” from the country’s cinemas after refusing to cut scenes promoting homosexuality.

The Film Censorship Board said it approved the movie with parental guidance for those under 13 on the condition of modifications. Scenes and dialogues that it “found to contain elements promoting the LGBT lifestyle which violate key aspects of the Guidelines on the Film Censorship” were ordered to “be cut and muted,” the board said in a statement.

“However, the film distributors did not agree to comply with the instructions” and decided instead to cancel the screening, the board said, adding that it would not compromise on any LGBTQ scenes. The board did not specify in the statement which scenes violated censorship guidelines.

“Lightyear” includes a female character voiced by actress Uzo Aduba briefly kissing her female partner in one scene in the $200 million film.

Authorities across much of the Muslim world have barred “Lightyear” from being played at cinemas because it includes a brief kiss between a lesbian couple. Many Muslims consider gays and lesbians to be sinful and many Muslim-majority nations criminalize same-sex relationships. The United Arab Emirates also announced it would ban the Pixar animated feature from showing in movie theaters because of the kiss.