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The first two episodes of Win or Lose premiered this Wednesday, February 19, 2025, on Disney+. The series, which is based on a middle school softball team, is the latest project that has been put out in Pixar's line of animated shows. Including actors like Will Forte, Ian Chen, Rosa Salazar, Lil Rel Howery and more, the show also packs in a big cast filled with many talented actors.
However, the road to Win or Lose coming out on Disney+ has been controversial to say the least. Before its release, in December, 2025, it was revealed that Disney altered a story in the show that included LGBTQ+ elements and was in connection to a transgender character as well. The character was voiced by Chanel Stewart, a trans actress herself, with the character being named Kai.
Disney explained that the decision was taken as they thought that certain topics would be better suited to be discussed by parents with their children.
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Disney pulled transgender story from Win or Lose that related to gender identity
The story was initially revealed by The Hollywood Reporter in December, 2024. They spoke about how prior to its release, Disney pulled a transgender story from Win or Lose that related to Gender Identity. In a statement provided to them by Disney, a spokeperson said:
“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.”
Later, actress Chanel Stewart shared in an interview with Deadline how she was "disheartened" by the exclusion of her story in Win or Lose. She thought the show would help have a healthy conversation about trans youths, but that wouldn't be the case anymore:
“I was very disheartened. 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," said Stewart.
While Stewart's character Kai is still a part of the show, Disney eliminated a few lines of dialogue that would have revealed more about Kai's gender identity. Talking about this, Stewart shared:
“It’s just that my character would now be a cis girl, a straight cis girl. So yeah, that’s all they really told me and that I was still a part of the show.”
Win or Lose isn't the first time Disney has fallen into a controversy relating to LGBTQ+ elements
In 2022, during the release of Pixar's Lightyear, a spinoff from the Toy Story films, a gay kiss scene was taken out from the film and later restored after much backlash from fans. During the Bob Chapek era of Disney as well, the company was set to back Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill as well and this further landed the company in deep controversy.
Disney Channel's animated show Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur also made headlines after it was revealed by many working on the show that an episode from the series was banned for including a transgender character.
The exclusion of the gender identity plot from Win or Lose also just comes after Donald Trump once again became the President of the U.S.A - as gender identity as topic in the country continues to become a further divisive.
Fans can check out Win or Lose, as it's streaming on Disney+ right now.
