Russia may ban “Beauty and the Beast” calling it “gay propaganda,” and come on now

We’re less than a couple weeks away from the release of the Beauty and the Beast live-action film, starring Emma Watson. And we could not be more thrilled about it. (Admittedly, we’ve been watching the final Beauty and the Beast trailer on loop.) However, there is one country in particular who is not especially excited for the movie:  Russia.

This may come as a shock to those who think Beauty and the Beast is a pretty family-friendly movie.

Apparently, Russian officials might ban Beauty and the Beast with anti-gay propaganda laws.

The BBC reports that Vitaly Milonov, MP of the United Russia party, has requested that Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky screen the film for gay content.

So what is the offensive homosexuality in question? According to director Bill Condon, there may be  romantic feelings toward Gaston from his sidekick, Le Fou. If you watch the clip below, Le Fou clearly admires Gaston pretty intensely (as, btw, he did in the animated version.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JG6f5_37tg?feature=oembed

In an interview with BBC, Bill goes one step further:

"I don't want to give too much away, but there is an explicitly gay moment in the movie in the spirit of inclusion and in the celebration of love."

Additionally, according to the BBC, an MP has described the film as a “shameless propaganda of sin.”

There’s also anti-gay backlash a little closer to home.

A drive-in movie theater in Alabama has refused to screen the film because it contains a homosexual character.

Just another reminder that LGBTQ rights have a long way to go.

But thanks to people like director Bill Condon, same-sex relationships are getting more recognition in heteronormative classic tales. Well done, Bill!