“It’s a kid’s film; why does there even need to be kissing?” *eye roll*

Chris Evans struck out at the ban of his new movie Lightyear in places like the U.A.E. and several other Middle Eastern and Asian countries because it features a same-sex kiss.

“The real truth is those people are idiots. […] It’s tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion. The goal is to get to a point where it is the norm, and that this doesn’t have to be unchartered waters, that eventually this is just the way it is.” Says Chris.

Every Karen personality type is pretending that it’s not the homosexuality aspect they take fault with but the kiss itself.

It’s no surprise that the film has been banned in places like the U.A.E., whose views on homosexuality are no secret. As much as I find him calling them “idiots” somewhat problematic – not because I agree with their views, but because there are better ways to express such things – I feel Chris’s frustration. It happened to Dr Strange, and it’s happened to many movies before, and in places where members of the LGBTQ+ community are shunned, humiliated, and killed, it’s unlikely any advancement will be made anytime soon. If the ban wasn’t bad enough (no matter how expected it was), some of the comments from seemingly “progressive” people have been nothing but jarring.

In the comments of all of the posts I’ve seen, hypocrisy seems to be the meal of the day, and every Karen personality type is pretending that it’s not the homosexuality aspect they take fault with but the kiss itself. I must have read, “It’s a kid’s film, why does there even need to be kissing?” about 50 times.

Insert over dramatic eye roll here. Let’s talk about this for a second because too many people claiming to be progressive are using this technicality to peddle their views which are drenched in homophobia – and no one is buying it.

[…] the truth is, we aren’t progressing nearly as fast as is necessary.

Cinderella, Snow White, Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, and even the fucking Lion King have kissing scenes – well, the lion’s equivalent of kissing. Not only are these films decades old, but they are still celebrated and championed by each generation. Granted, they may have remastered a few in an attempt to bring each princess into the 21st century, but the kiss still remains, and you still allow your children to watch them.

Films aside, let’s take a look at all the ads your children are exposed to on a daily basis. For some reason, every advert is filled with overtly sexual displays and not-so-subtle innuendos, even when they’re selling soap. The average child in 2022 is exposed to more ads in a day than any researcher can keep track of. Although it was reported this year that “harmful ads” in traditional media are at a record low, that’s not considering internet ads which can expose children to way more harmful things than two people of the same sex kissing. If any kids are into anime, you can’t go on an anime website without an ad for Hentai popping up unsolicited.

I understand different cultures have attitudes to homosexuality that I’d like to say the majority of us in the West don’t, but the truth is, we aren’t progressing nearly as fast as is necessary. The same people pushing their outdated views are probably the same people reading their children Snow White at bedtime. And, if you ask me, teaching your children that women can’t survive without a man is far more harmful than teaching your children from an early age that love is love and comes in many different forms, all of which should be celebrated.

Had the kiss in Lightyear occurred between two people of the opposite sex, what else would there be for you to complain about, Karen? It’s bad enough that we wake up to a news story every other day that a childhood hero we coveted is now a racist, paedophile, T.E.R.F or all-around asshole without these people lurking in the comments making nonsensical points that no one asked to hear.

If you’re an anti-LGBTQIA+ person, don’t hide behind something so trivial and insignificant as a kiss, and don’t use your children as an excuse. Heed the same advice you teach your children: if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all, and let the rest of us can get on with our day – championing change and supporting those using their platform to do so.

There are many things that can corrupt a child’s mind, but seeing two people of the same sex kiss is not one of them. Grow the fuck up.

Image credit: ComicBook.com