Win or Lose Transgender Actress Opens Up About Axed Storyline: ‘I Was Very Disheartened’

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Win or Lose Transgender Actress Opens Up About Axed Storyline: ‘I Was Very Disheartened’

Chanel Stewart, a trans actress who is set to voice a role in the upcoming Pixar Disney+ series Win or Lose, has opened up about her character’s storyline being cut out.

Speaking to Deadline in a recent interview, Stewart said she was “disheartened” by the move, as she was happy and excited to get the chance to try and help other trans youth.

“I was very disheartened,” said Stewart. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”

Stewart said she initially found the role in 2020, when she stumbled upon a post that Pixar was looking for a transgender girl in the 14-years-old age range to voice a role in the series. After landing the job, Stewart (now 18) was excited to get the chance to not only voice a role in a Disney project, but play a transgender character.

“Oh my God, it was crazy,” Stewart said. “I wore it as a badge. I wore it with pride. I wore it with honor because it meant so much to me. The thought of authentically portraying a transgender teenage girl made me really happy. I wanted to make this for transgender kids like me.”

Stewart couldn’t expand exactly on what the storyline was meant to show, but did Disney told her that her character was now “a cis girl, a straight cis girl,” but would still be in the show heavily. Despite the removal of the storyline, Stewart remains happy about the role, calling it “a part of queer history” due to her getting the job in the first place.

“I’m definitely one of the first [transgender girls] to do this!” said Stewart. “It’s a true honor to be a part of queer history.”

What was removed from Win or Lose?

The series follows the stories of different characters on a co-ed middle school softball team. Each episode of the series follows a different character in the show, with THR reporting that one of the episodes was set to include a transgender storyline in some form. However, Disney confirmed to the outlet that the story arc has been removed.

“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” said the company.

The character will remain in the show, per THR, but the dialogue referencing their gender identity are being removed. THR’s report also notes that the decision was made “several months ago” and was not done recently. No further information has been made about the storyline, so it remains to be seen just how much has been removed from the series.