This Alabama theater is boycotting “Beauty and the Beast” because of LeFou’s sexuality

LeFou’s sexuality in the new Beauty and the Beast is causing an Alabama theater to boycott the film. According to the LA Times, Henagar Drive-In Alabama is refusing to screen the film. According to the owners, the presence of a gay character conflicts with their Christian values.

It was announced last week that Disney includes its first “exclusively gay moment” in the remake. This was generally hailed as the film giant  stepping toward inclusiveness.  The move is also a tribute to the late Howard Ashman. Ashman, who was openly gay, lost a battle to AIDS while working on the original Beauty and the Beast in the ’90s.

The theater made the announcement to pull the film from its roster after catching wind about the historic moment.

According to the drive-in owners, LeFou acknowledging his romantic feelings toward Gaston is the reason for their cancellation. And they took to their Facebook page to explain how it goes against their values.

"When companies continually force their views on us, we need to take a stand," the rural drive-in wrote on Facebook. "We are first and foremost Christians. We will not compromise on what the Bible teaches."

It looks like Henagar residents will have to travel outside of the city limits to check out the film.

While disappointing to movie fans, the owners can legally bar any film from their theater. It may not be clear to us why showing a gay person is forcing an agenda, while a main plot about a heterosexual (though non-human) romance is not, one thing is clear: this continued divide between progressive and conservative beliefs is a tale as old as time.