Gary-thanks for your writing and putting yourself out there. Please keep doing what you're doing! You add humor in this madness and we all need to be able to laugh, especially at ourselves. I truly value your opinions and look forward to reading your articles. You are important to many that you don't know and you matter. Thank you!!
I am so super excited to hear that they backed off an agenda on this - but hoping the actual message gets through to the older kids who will watch. My 19 yo theater kid is gender confused and she was very excited to hear that this movie was coming out. I knew the plot revolved around "feelings" and wondered if this would just be more encouragement for extreme rumination that this cohort is always engaging in (to their detriment). Her cohort also goes looking for "trans" or social justice issues in just about every piece of media they consume.
Interestingly, she has from time to time commented with disgust on stories that encourage a girl to change something about themselves to win the heart of a suitor. Trans is a flashpoint for us, so I just nodded along, wondering when she will realize she's engaging in the very behavior she condemns - maybe not for a suitor, but she's definitely looking to medicalize herself to fit some image she has in her head.
I'm glad that you don't post a lot....it can get repetitive and stale. Your opinion matters to me when I'm feeling like ALL the LGB people are "queering out" and praising "trans" while flying the flags. Your opinion is grounding and lets me know that what I'm witnessing is nothing more than product marketing by activists. Please keep writing!
I don't hate Disney, but there are things they have done that I don't/can't/never will agree with. Although I no longer have small children, I'm glad that Disney has started to come to its senses in regards to the gender issue. Maybe decreased box office sales and listening to the tenor of the nation has had a noticeable effect on their direction? I hope it continues because Disney really is one of the happiest places to visit (my opinion).
I’m so encouraged by this update, Gary, thank you! I will offer to take my trans-identifying daughter and see if it ignites a spark of recognition. She’s more likely to get it from an animated character than from me: that much I know. 🤞
I really sat up in my seat when they thwacked that puberty button and it was clear: this is scary but important and good developmentally, this brings you to complete humanity.
It felt like a poke in the eye to the rhetoric on puberty blockers. Maybe Disney is trying to win normies back or maybe they have realized they have facilitated a medical assault on kids and are trying to reverse ferret. Either way I am pleased.
As a gay man in my late 60s who detests every aspect of the "Queer" phenomenon, especially the hegemonic way it goes about making gay men invisible, I am delighted that you're using your platform to champion gay visibility. If Disney isn't a large part of my world, it's for generational reasons not animosity toward the enterprise or its intellectual property. In fact, as a boy living in a South American capital over 60 years ago, I looked forward to the Disney program that was the last show before my bedtime on Sunday evenings.
I agree that it would have been appalling had Disney made a boy posing as a girl the protagonist of "Inside Out." There is no more scientific basis for gender identity ideology than there is for alchemy, with which gender has much in common. Unlike the gay rights struggle, which followed thousands of years of oppression against men who love men (see Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13), queer theory gave birth to a novel trans culture that is without precedent in human history. That's why I oppose giving minors access to materials of any kind that normalize the notion that boys and girls and men and women can and should reflect and pick the sex and sex roles that suit them best. Let's hope "Inside Out" signals a change of course away from trans and gender ideology.
I need to preface my next point by quoting your synopsis of "Inside Out":
"For those unaware of the first movie, Inside Out follows young girl Riley via the emotions in her head: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. (That’s all you really need to know to get the idea.) The sequel focuses on the development of Riley’s ‘Sense of Self’ and introduces four new emotions as Riley enters puberty: Embarrassment, Envy, Ennui (my favorite), and Anxiety."
What about boys and male teens?
To be clear, I'm hostile to the fashionable trope that the feminization of society is oppressing boys and men by squelching their innate drive to carry on like the 1950s male stereotype. I doubt I am the only former gay youngster who got fed up early on with straight boys being boys, that is, engaging in compulsive roughhousing and harboring grossly insensitive attitudes toward females from an early age. Don't even get me started on their obsession with throwing, kicking, chasing and catching balls. Are all future heterosexuals like that? Of course not. Enough of them are for it to be a problem, though reasonable people can differ about the sports thing.
I submit that Disney owes it to young males, particularly those approaching puberty or undergoing it, to create an "Inside Out" for that demographic. Imagine if it had been possible to write this:
"For those unaware of the first movie, Inside Out follows young boy Rex via the emotions in his head: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. (That’s all you really need to know to get the idea.) The sequel focuses on the development of Rex's ‘Sense of Self’ and introduces four new emotions as Rex enters puberty: Embarrassment, Envy, Ennui (my favorite), and Anxiety."
Stoicism and emotional illiteracy are two of the biggest obstacles males face when seeking to have fulfilling relationships with themselves and others. There are those on the cultural right who would be just as outraged by a Disney film featuring a "sensitive" boy as by a Disney homage to trans allyship. Let them stew. It isn't fair to girls or boys to create the expectation that only females are in touch with their emotions or need to be.
As you say many will interpret this as they want,as they believe that they can shape everything and everyone around them to fit with their 'feels' but (I say this with slight trepidation) it does sound like perhaps Disney is waking up a little. Really they would have to be in a valium and Xanax induced sleep by this point not to see which way the wind is blowing..
Thank you for sharing some corporate light at the end of cesspool. I’m a peanuts fan too. Disney and peanuts were about all we had unless it was Saturday morning.
Another brilliant article. Really glad to hear these positives about the movie and Disney Pride merch this season. We at LGB Alliance USA appreciate your voice and ability to find humor, kindness and joy throughout.
Thank you so much for your writing, Gary! As a lesbian who feels exactly as Ollie Parks does about the queer squad It was a huge relief to find you here. I love hearing your perspective. Living on the left coast of "Tranada" surrounded by wokeness can feel pretty isolating! Your writing helps.
I lived for the Disney Sunday movie as a child but only sometimes watch Disney or Pixar now. I didn't bother with the 1st Inside Out but I might watch this one, you know, once I can watch it for free. 😎
Thanks for writing this. Yes, Let’s take the win. And good to know that Disney Pride merch is sticking with the good ol’ inclusive (ugly) rainbow flag.
I was really nervous about this too and sat there waiting for the subtle yet powerful propaganda- I survived. Neurons intact. You are so right though, people hear what they want to hear and I do think they will hear the opposite message to what GC people are hearing. It’s hard sitting in a bell jar - for all of us, somehow though I have optimism that we will be able to meet each other on the outside. Thank you for your writing!
This is great news but my cynical brain when it comes to corporate greed tells me financial pressures caused this re-direction. I'll take the win and keep hoping for more wins. You're doing excellent work and I appreciate your perspective.
Thank heavens!!! I was extremely wary and was just preparing myself to be “anti-Inside Out 2” and go on a rant in front of my 13 year old and 16 year old so they could see mom had a strong perspective (this has been basically my ONE tool) if it turned out to be a “trans” movie, lord. It
I'm so glad to read this, and hope it's true! I have a 2 yo grandson and I want him to have as much fun growing up, including being able to watch Disney movies, as our kids did and -- thank you, sir, for writing. I appreciate you.
Gary-thanks for your writing and putting yourself out there. Please keep doing what you're doing! You add humor in this madness and we all need to be able to laugh, especially at ourselves. I truly value your opinions and look forward to reading your articles. You are important to many that you don't know and you matter. Thank you!!
Thank you so much! 😁
I am so super excited to hear that they backed off an agenda on this - but hoping the actual message gets through to the older kids who will watch. My 19 yo theater kid is gender confused and she was very excited to hear that this movie was coming out. I knew the plot revolved around "feelings" and wondered if this would just be more encouragement for extreme rumination that this cohort is always engaging in (to their detriment). Her cohort also goes looking for "trans" or social justice issues in just about every piece of media they consume.
Interestingly, she has from time to time commented with disgust on stories that encourage a girl to change something about themselves to win the heart of a suitor. Trans is a flashpoint for us, so I just nodded along, wondering when she will realize she's engaging in the very behavior she condemns - maybe not for a suitor, but she's definitely looking to medicalize herself to fit some image she has in her head.
In the same boat with you-my daughter is 21 and trying to fit into a "mold". Strength and courage to you!
sorry to hear about your kid. having a girl must be tough. i dont have any advise but found these articles online
https://hazelappleyard.substack.com/p/my-advice-for-gender-critical-parents
https://www.pittparents.com/s/daughters
I'm glad that you don't post a lot....it can get repetitive and stale. Your opinion matters to me when I'm feeling like ALL the LGB people are "queering out" and praising "trans" while flying the flags. Your opinion is grounding and lets me know that what I'm witnessing is nothing more than product marketing by activists. Please keep writing!
I don't hate Disney, but there are things they have done that I don't/can't/never will agree with. Although I no longer have small children, I'm glad that Disney has started to come to its senses in regards to the gender issue. Maybe decreased box office sales and listening to the tenor of the nation has had a noticeable effect on their direction? I hope it continues because Disney really is one of the happiest places to visit (my opinion).
Love all of this! Thank you!😊
I’m so encouraged by this update, Gary, thank you! I will offer to take my trans-identifying daughter and see if it ignites a spark of recognition. She’s more likely to get it from an animated character than from me: that much I know. 🤞
Oooh maybe a good family movie this summer. Thanks for the recommendation Gary and I respect the shit out of you.
❤️❤️❤️Thank you!
I really sat up in my seat when they thwacked that puberty button and it was clear: this is scary but important and good developmentally, this brings you to complete humanity.
It felt like a poke in the eye to the rhetoric on puberty blockers. Maybe Disney is trying to win normies back or maybe they have realized they have facilitated a medical assault on kids and are trying to reverse ferret. Either way I am pleased.
As a gay man in my late 60s who detests every aspect of the "Queer" phenomenon, especially the hegemonic way it goes about making gay men invisible, I am delighted that you're using your platform to champion gay visibility. If Disney isn't a large part of my world, it's for generational reasons not animosity toward the enterprise or its intellectual property. In fact, as a boy living in a South American capital over 60 years ago, I looked forward to the Disney program that was the last show before my bedtime on Sunday evenings.
I agree that it would have been appalling had Disney made a boy posing as a girl the protagonist of "Inside Out." There is no more scientific basis for gender identity ideology than there is for alchemy, with which gender has much in common. Unlike the gay rights struggle, which followed thousands of years of oppression against men who love men (see Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13), queer theory gave birth to a novel trans culture that is without precedent in human history. That's why I oppose giving minors access to materials of any kind that normalize the notion that boys and girls and men and women can and should reflect and pick the sex and sex roles that suit them best. Let's hope "Inside Out" signals a change of course away from trans and gender ideology.
I need to preface my next point by quoting your synopsis of "Inside Out":
"For those unaware of the first movie, Inside Out follows young girl Riley via the emotions in her head: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. (That’s all you really need to know to get the idea.) The sequel focuses on the development of Riley’s ‘Sense of Self’ and introduces four new emotions as Riley enters puberty: Embarrassment, Envy, Ennui (my favorite), and Anxiety."
What about boys and male teens?
To be clear, I'm hostile to the fashionable trope that the feminization of society is oppressing boys and men by squelching their innate drive to carry on like the 1950s male stereotype. I doubt I am the only former gay youngster who got fed up early on with straight boys being boys, that is, engaging in compulsive roughhousing and harboring grossly insensitive attitudes toward females from an early age. Don't even get me started on their obsession with throwing, kicking, chasing and catching balls. Are all future heterosexuals like that? Of course not. Enough of them are for it to be a problem, though reasonable people can differ about the sports thing.
I submit that Disney owes it to young males, particularly those approaching puberty or undergoing it, to create an "Inside Out" for that demographic. Imagine if it had been possible to write this:
"For those unaware of the first movie, Inside Out follows young boy Rex via the emotions in his head: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. (That’s all you really need to know to get the idea.) The sequel focuses on the development of Rex's ‘Sense of Self’ and introduces four new emotions as Rex enters puberty: Embarrassment, Envy, Ennui (my favorite), and Anxiety."
Stoicism and emotional illiteracy are two of the biggest obstacles males face when seeking to have fulfilling relationships with themselves and others. There are those on the cultural right who would be just as outraged by a Disney film featuring a "sensitive" boy as by a Disney homage to trans allyship. Let them stew. It isn't fair to girls or boys to create the expectation that only females are in touch with their emotions or need to be.
As you say many will interpret this as they want,as they believe that they can shape everything and everyone around them to fit with their 'feels' but (I say this with slight trepidation) it does sound like perhaps Disney is waking up a little. Really they would have to be in a valium and Xanax induced sleep by this point not to see which way the wind is blowing..
Thank you for sharing some corporate light at the end of cesspool. I’m a peanuts fan too. Disney and peanuts were about all we had unless it was Saturday morning.
Another brilliant article. Really glad to hear these positives about the movie and Disney Pride merch this season. We at LGB Alliance USA appreciate your voice and ability to find humor, kindness and joy throughout.
P.S. I'm with you on Peanuts, 100%.
Thanks! Appreciate you! 😊
Thank you so much for your writing, Gary! As a lesbian who feels exactly as Ollie Parks does about the queer squad It was a huge relief to find you here. I love hearing your perspective. Living on the left coast of "Tranada" surrounded by wokeness can feel pretty isolating! Your writing helps.
I lived for the Disney Sunday movie as a child but only sometimes watch Disney or Pixar now. I didn't bother with the 1st Inside Out but I might watch this one, you know, once I can watch it for free. 😎
Thanks for writing this. Yes, Let’s take the win. And good to know that Disney Pride merch is sticking with the good ol’ inclusive (ugly) rainbow flag.
I was really nervous about this too and sat there waiting for the subtle yet powerful propaganda- I survived. Neurons intact. You are so right though, people hear what they want to hear and I do think they will hear the opposite message to what GC people are hearing. It’s hard sitting in a bell jar - for all of us, somehow though I have optimism that we will be able to meet each other on the outside. Thank you for your writing!
This is great news but my cynical brain when it comes to corporate greed tells me financial pressures caused this re-direction. I'll take the win and keep hoping for more wins. You're doing excellent work and I appreciate your perspective.
Thank heavens!!! I was extremely wary and was just preparing myself to be “anti-Inside Out 2” and go on a rant in front of my 13 year old and 16 year old so they could see mom had a strong perspective (this has been basically my ONE tool) if it turned out to be a “trans” movie, lord. It
I'm so glad to read this, and hope it's true! I have a 2 yo grandson and I want him to have as much fun growing up, including being able to watch Disney movies, as our kids did and -- thank you, sir, for writing. I appreciate you.