The anticipation for the Big Hero 6 spinoff series Baymax! is finally over, as it has made its way over to Disney Plus for streaming. However, even though the series has only been on the streaming platform for a short time, it's already managed to spark up some controversy.
The six-episode Disney Plus series follows the huggable and helpful robot in the city of San Fransokyo. In the third episode of Baymax! 12-year-old Sofia is taken aback after walking into an all-gender bathroom where she realizes she's started her period for the very first time, coincidently just prior to a performance she’s set to do at the school talent show. With the bathroom dispensers empty of both pads and tampons, Baymax rushes to the nearby supermarket to do what he does best— help.
Confused about what product to buy for his overwhelmed young friend, Baymax asks many people in the grocery store for recommendations on what to purchase. Some of these people are a dad purchasing for his daughters, a woman, and a transgender man who tells Baymax, “I always get the one’s with the wings.” The appearance of the transgender character, although short, has managed to succumb to some backlash. On Twitter, conservative writer Christopher T. Rufo slammed Disney's choice to include an LGBTQ character in a series for children, accusing the studio of orchestrating a “plan to re-engineer the discourse around kids and sexuality."
Some also agreed that the period storyline would make young viewers uncomfortable. The show also faced backlash for episode four of the series where Baymax convinces and helps a man named Mbita go on a date with Yukio, another man. The episode closes with the boys walking off together as Baymax watches them from afar. Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton also criticized the show as he took to Twitter to say, “This is so sick and weird. We have to protect kids from the sick adults who want to sexualize them and let them be kids."
Disney's choice to include LGBTQ characters and the storyline about menstrual cycles, although facing backlash from conservatives, does have supporters from more progressive audiences who believe teaching younger kids about these topics is beneficial in the long run. This comes after Disney also faced backlash for a same-sex kiss in Lightyear and even theatrical bans in other countries.
This type of backlash seems inevitable for Disney, which is attempting to make its content more diverse. Many may not like its choice to include LGBTQ stories, but for young people struggling to come to terms with whom they are, seeing these depictions is beneficial and in some cases they even save lives.
Baymax! is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: Christopher F. Rufo/Twitter