‘Woke’ Disney Show Faces Backlash for Suggesting ‘Men Can Have Periods’
Nurse robot taking advice on menstrual products from a transgender person
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The Walt Disney Company has come under fire again, this time for a clip from the new series “Baymax!” which showed the namesake nurse robot taking advice on menstrual products from a transgender person.
Conservative author and filmmaker Christopher Rufo obtained the video and shared it on social media.
Rufo publicized video footage of an internal company call earlier this year which Disney executives discussed the company’s “not-at-all secret gay agenda."
“I’ve obtained leaked video from Disney’s upcoming show ‘Baymax,’ which promotes the transgender flag and the idea that men can have periods to children as young as two years old,” Rufo wrote in a Jun. 28 post on Twitter.
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“It’s all part of Disney’s plan to re-engineer the discourse around kids and sexuality," he said.
In the clip, Baymax can be seen standing in the female hygiene product aisle.
When he asks someone for suggestions, they are surprised but then go on to recommend “the tampons I usually use,” before several other customers join in to offer advice.
“I prefer pads, they’re more comfortable for me,” a woman tells the inflatable robot.
“I always get the ones with wings,” recommends a male-sounding person wearing a transgender flag.
“Get unscented and bleach-free if you can,” another woman says.
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“My daughter loves these!” a man says while showing Baymax some other product.
“These might be easier if it’s her first period,” yet another woman offers. “These are really environmentally friendly!”
Unsurprisingly, the clip sparked furious debate on social media on whether the animated series directly aimed at younger viewers is appropriate.
Many accused Disney of trying to normalize to children the idea that biological males can have periods.
“I have 4 kids, ages 8-15, who would watch this and it would make them all uncomfortable. What is the purpose?” journalist Nicole Russell wrote on Twitter.
Others applauded the inclusion of the period talk and dismissed Rufo’s concerns as “conspiracy theory.”
“Apparently, this is all you need to trigger Christopher Rufo into an unhinged rant and conspiracy theories,” Alejandra Caraballo, an instructor at Harvard Law School, wrote alongside a transgender pride flag.
The debate comes as the Disney-Pixar movie “Lightyear” falls short of box office expectations for two consecutive weekends.
The latest installation in the “Toy Story” franchise, “Lightyear” earned only about $51 million in North America on its opening weekend.
The film landed 5th at the box office on the second weekend, with just $17.6 million, falling even behind the independent horror film “The Black Phone.”
Critics argue that the poor performance of “Lightyear” has to do with Disney’s focus on pushing LGBT-friendly messages rather than entertaining the audience.
As the result of Disney’s insistence in keeping a same-sex kiss between two female characters in “Lightyear,” the film has been banned in 14 countries, including China and Indonesia.
“Baymax!,” a spin-off of the widely successful 2014 movie “Big Hero 6,” premiered on June 29 on Disney Plus.
