Trans Actress Confirms Pixar Character Is No Longer Trans After Disney Removed Storyline from New Show: She's a 'Straight Cis Girl' Now

A transgender actress has confirmed that the Pixar character she voiced is no longer transgender after Disney removed that storyline from their new show, making her a "straight cis girl" instead.

Pixar's animated series was supposed to feature the storyline of a transgender teen as one of the characters in the show "Win or Lose," which is about a co-ed softball team as they approach the championships. However, Disney confirmed that the storyline had been removed, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Chanel Stewart, 18, was selected to voice the character, who she said had been clearly identified as transgender in a 2020 Pixar casting announcement. Stewart, who is transgender, told Deadline that the calling just "felt so right."

But instead of being able to play a transgender teen, Stewart said her mom received a call that they had changed her character's storyline on Monday and that her character would now be "a straight cis girl," according to Stewart.

"I was very disheartened," Stewart told Deadline. "From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard."

Disney said in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter, "When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline."

While Stewart's character will remain in the show just with a few cut lines of dialogue, her mom, Keisha, said that the loss was "another setback for the LGBTQ community."

"There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but this is the world that we live in and everyone should be represented. Everyone deserves to be recognized," Keisha told Deadline.

This is not the first time Pixar employees have spoken out in favor of better LBGTQ+ representation within their work. Several workers signed a letter in 2022 saying that Disney censored LGBTQ+ storylines and representations, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.

The critical letter led to apologetic response from then-CEO Bob Chapek, who wrote that he was "committed" to becoming "a better ally." He also pledged to pause all political donations to Florida in response to the state's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill.