Last weekend I took my mum to see the new Beauty and the Beast film and we loved it! Not only was it an extremely welcome escape from the day to day after having such a rotten couple of weeks with such poorly children, but it was a film that I absolutely adored as a child and as such it has a special host of memories for my mum and I.
Anyway, we loved it. It was funny, it was magical and it was like a blast from my past but with a modern flare. Emma Watson was epic, and considering she is somewhat my girl crush (for her brain because that girl has smarts) I was in seventh heaven. What I wasn’t overly chuffed about was the response to the film when I had a little Google to see what the ‘tinterweb thought about my 6 and 4 year going to watch the movie. Page after page of complaint about LaFou being a homosexual and how it was deviating from the film, stripping our children of their innocence, shoving a sinful lifestyle choice down our throats that was both unnecessary and wholly inappropriate. This gem of a post in particular caught my attention, from a woman who I have spoken to on Instagram many a time, and it saddened me to see such hatred and intolerance, though why it surprised me I don’t know – Christianity is often used to mask intolerance and general assholery (technical term there).
Here’s the thing, Beauty and the Beast is a film about love, and how it concurs all – so what more appropriate film is there to have a homosexual character? Secondly, though this shouldn’t need to be said in 2017, homosexuality is NOT a lifestyle choice. Religion is a lifestyle choice, you choose to believe in whatever you want, you choose to be Christian, Sikh, Muslim… you do not choose who you fall in love with. You do control whether you act on that impulse, which is presumably why there are so many devout Christian’s in the closet. Just saying.
I have no issue with LaFou being overtly homosexual in this film, at the end *spoiler* he dances into the arms of another man, and smiles as if he has found his rightful place. I think that’s both beautiful and reassuring considering the message of the film – love conquers all, bravery can be fuelled by love, stupidity can be fuelled by love – hence the reason LaFou has always blindly followed Gaston. A couple of weeks ago Reuben asked me, can / boy marry a boy mummy? Of course, I answered yes, only to be told he was informed by an older boy at school that no, a boy couldn’t marry a boy. You have to marry a girl. The truth is, he doesn’t have to marry at all, he could choose to be celibate for all I care, but I do care that he understands that no matter who you are, who you love, you have the right to be with whoever you want.
I can’t abide intolerance, I can’t abide people who hide their intolerance behind a book written thousands of years ago by men with an agenda to oppress. I hate it. You are not religious, you’re an arsehole… something millions of devoutly religious people would agree with. There have been thousands of complaints about calls to give Elsa a female partner too – something I personally don’t want, I kind of love that Elsa doesn’t want a partner, I like the idea of showing kids that humans don’t need a sexual/romantic partner to complete their lives, some people like to be single – the same as some don’t want to have kids. Snaps for you, I’m totes down with that. I would like to see a homosexual character as the lead in a film if and when it’s appropriate, I mean why not? There is no difference – love is love… I am totally tangenting here. Oops.
I am delighted that Disney is embracing what has always been present in their films (go ahead and Google gay Disney characters, they’ve been knocking about for a while) because there is nothing wrong with teaching our children that our world is full of difference, but we all share one common factor: our uncontrollable ability to love.
So religious fanatics who are boycotting Disney and disgusted by La Fou’s homosexuality and Disney’s decision to embrace it, keep your religion out of my Disney.
One of your best posts to dye my darling – and that’s saying a lot! I wholeheartedly accept people’s CHOICE to believe in a religion, but not their CHOICE to be bigoted, homophobic dicks. Not that all followers of religion are of course, I’m referring to the few – just as you are.
Tobyis just at the age where he’s questioning a lot of things now – what is for boys, or girls, or men, or ladies. I’m embracing this and am gently guiding him to understand that mostly, anything in life is for boys AND girls. I want him to always know that whoever he falls in love with in the future, will be welcomed into our family as long as they treat him well!xx
Thank you lovely 🙂 x
Hi Harriet,
Let me start off by laying all my cards on the table. I like you and your blog and often agree with what you say. I loved beauty and the beast. I’m a mummy blogger too. And I’m a Christian.
While I sympathize with the feelings that you express about how some Christian blogger’s have overreacted to the LaFou scene (I agree with you!). Statements like this: “I can’t abide intolerance, I can’t abide people who hide their intolerance behind a book written thousands of years ago by men with an agenda to oppress. I hate it. You are not religious, you’re an arsehole…” are by nature intolerant of anyone with a divergent worldview to yours.
Anyway that’s not really why I wanted to comment. What I want to say is this: don’t let this bad experience put you off faith or Christianity. The Bible wasn’t written with an agenda to oppress people but to liberate them. Not to cause hatred but promote love. Not to promote dead religion but relationship with God. Most of the authors of the New Testament were martyred for believing in Jesus, they died because they really thought he has something worthwhile to say, not because they thought that they could control and manipulate people.
Anyway I just wanted to offer a different voice into the debate. Hope you’re keeping well and that your blog continues to grow!
Cathy xx
Hi Cathy,
Thanks for such a long comment, I really appreciate the other perspective. I do have to disagree with you saying that by nature I’m being intolerant of anyone who has a different view – I’m not, not at all. My son goes to a religious school, lots of his associations are with deeply religious people. My intolerance is for bigotry, and sadly a lot of people use religion to hiude behind being a plain ole’ bigot. You see, the old testament (which was written thousands of years ago) was written by men, men who did seek to oppress a variety of people, not exclusive to but inclusive of women, homosexuals and anyone NOT Christian. The new testament was adapted slightly, and whilst I would still disagree that the bible is a book, like any other religious document, that by it’s very nature oppresses, I can see why that is exclusively MY interpretation of it and not gospel (and yes, that was a loose pun). The worst thing about not having documented fact is that we don’t know what was really true in the bible and what wasn’t, we don’t know what the reality of society was back then – but we do now, and a lot of the way that religion IS used (perhaps by people who choose to interpret it that way and manipulate the original meaning) is unacceptable in a modern society.
Sunday school and an intolerance for having religion shoved down my throat put me off faith in all forms a long time ago Cathy, but I wholeheartedly embrace anyone who has found religious belief in any form and uses it to make THEIR life happier and more fulfilling. H x
I completely agree. People are still so narrowminded these days. I loved the film too!
Thanks lovely – you are so right!