And the “exclusively gay moment”?? It’s REALLY easy to miss. I was kind of mad that we had all gotten worked up over something so small. If I hadn’t known it was going to be in there, I MIGHT have merely raised an eyebrow. Smaller kids will totally miss it, and if older kids do notice it, and you’ve already had “the talk” with them, it’s a great way to have the discussion on homosexuality with your kids without exposing them to anything inappropriate.
Also? LeFou’s character may be same-sex attracted, but he ends up being a good guy. Heterosexual Gaston? Totally evil. It’s a great chance to tell your kids not to judge the whole of a person on their sexual choices. It’s a good reminder that gay people are human beings, our friends and family even, and shouldn’t be demonized based on their same-sex attraction, no matter what we believe about the rightness or wrongness of it. (And also? Don’t let your kids see crap on movies and tv that is inappropriate and pat yourself on the back because it’s not gay. Inappropriate sexual actions and content is not limited to same-sex interactions.)
In short, I feel the director, Condon, blew this out of proportion and made it out to be more than it is — and got some great publicity for it.
Should you and your kids see this movie? Sure, if you want to. If you LIKE this kind of movie, go see it. I certainly enjoyed it, and I know my daughter did too. (She’s 10, and it all went over her head, but she’s right on the line of the age limit, I’d say.) If you need to have a conversation about it, with your kids, please do. If you don’t, then just enjoy.
The Bible tells us to be in the world, not of the world. That doesn’t exclude Christians from enjoying this tale as old as time, in my opinion. But as with everything, use discretion and be prepared to hold fast to what you know is true –and teach your children well.
