The 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast is getting a modern live-action makeover that is coming to theaters this weekend. The film made waves after it was announced that it will feature the first openly gay character in Disney history.
According to the film's director Bill Condon, the character LeFou will have a "nice, exclusively gay" moment in the movie. Some feel it's a step forward for LGBT representation in mainstream entertainment, but critics feel there's a long way to go. This hour we discuss how depictions of gay and lesbian characters in film and television have evolved overtime.
Guests:
Brooks Barnes, reporter with the New York Times
Tre'vell Anderson, film reporter with the Los Angeles Times
David Filipi, Director of Film and Video at the Wexner Center for the Arts
Amy A. Ongiri, Director of Film Studies at Lawrence University