Conservatives fume over fake claim Disney is making Mickey Mouse transgender
No, Disney is not making Mickey Mouse transgender (Getty Images, Courtesy Disney)
Disney is not making Mickey Mouse transgender – but some people have fallen for a fake video “confirming” it and have reacted as you’d expect.
The post stems from Mouse Trap News on Instagram, which states in its bio: “Real Disney news that is 100% fake.”
Of course, that hasn’t stopped people getting themselves in a tizzy about it, with some going as far as saying they’d boycott Disney.
In a video from 19 August, captioned “this might be the most controversial move ever by Disney”, a voiceover says that Disney has announced in an “official statement” the beloved mascot is “undergoing gender transition surgery to become Moxie Mouse”. It goes on to claim that the move is being made in the name of “inclusivity, diversity and understanding”, saying: “It will help reduce the stigma around transgenderism, especially with kids.”
According to the fake statement, Moxie Mouse will look similar to Minnie Mouse but with a red dress.
Again, this news is “100% fake”, as already admitted by the Instagram account, but the comments section is full of people losing their minds.
“Why can’t we leave children alone! This is crazy!” wrote one person.
Another said: “Looks like a lot of people won’t be going to Disney anymore. They will lose a lot of money because people will stop watching. It will be all over for Disney.”
A third commented: “Never thought I’d say this but I’ll quit Disney!” Another added: “Time to boycott Disney button.”
Others tried their hardest to make it clear the news was fake, with one replying: “You know this is satire, right?” While another added: “It’s just a satire page, similar to The Onion, not to be taken seriously.”
However, the post did shine a light on the dangers of how easily fake news spreads on social media, with one person admitting: “I didn’t even look at the page. Post was just in my feed. Rage bait.”
If you need any more proof, aside from the fact the Instagram account literally says their news is fake, other posts include claims of Disney offering colonoscopies to park visitors, that Moana will be trans in Moana 2, and that Disney parks would charge visitors one cent per breath taken in a park.
Is Disney making Elsa a lesbian?
The same (again, fake) video mentions one of the accounts previous satirical videos, which claimed that Disney was making Elsa marry a woman in Frozen 3.
And while that isn’t true, the introduction of a new female villain (which is not fake, that was confirmed in a teaser at D23), has queer fans hoping Elsa will get a girlfriend.
It’s long been a campaign to “#GiveElsaAGirlfriend” and Idina Menzel, who voices the character, has even thrown her support behind it, but conceded she was happy to let Disney steer the ship when it came to those decisions.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
