The lawmaker, Vitaly V. Milonov, relied on news media reports and complaints from parents that the children’s film includes a gay character who participates in a “sexually deviated scene,” said his spokesman, Ilya Yevstigneyev. This is an apparent reference not to the concept of love between a human and a beast but to a seconds-long glimpse of a gay character near the end of the movie dancing with the object of his affections. Bill Condon, the director, said as much in an interview with a British magazine, noting as a point of pride that it would be the first Disney movie to do so. The Russian Culture Ministry did not respond to a request for comment, and Disney did not respond to a query. Fighting homosexuality has been a recurrent theme for Mr. Milonov, 43, a champion of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Source: New York Times March 06, 2017 16:41 UTC