--- description: Evangelist Franklin Graham has called for a boycott of Disney over the inclusion of a gay character in the upcoming 'Beauty and the Beast.' title: Franklin Graham Calls for 'Beauty and the Beast' Boycott Over Gay Character image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta71a56507185b7ef/6988bcfc4dd21588adefe02e/franklin-graham-evangelist-disney.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Franklin Graham Wants People to Boycott _Beauty and the Beast_ Over Gay Character by [Aric Jenkins](/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 3, 2017 11:09 PM CUT  Reverend Franklin Graham looks on at a Billy Graham rally on June 12, 2003 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Reverend Franklin Graham looks on at a Billy Graham rally on June 12, 2003 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.David Hume Kennerly—Getty Images by [Aric Jenkins](/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 3, 2017 11:09 PM CUT Outspoken evangelist [Franklin Graham](http://time.com/4377051/donald-trump-evangelical-meeting/ "undefined") has called for a boycott of Disney over the company’s [inclusion of a gay character](http://time.com/4686896/disney-beauty-beast-emma-watson-dan-stevens-gay-character/ "undefined") in the upcoming [_Beauty and the Beast_](http://time.com/4674071/beauty-and-the-beast-what-to-know/ "undefined") remake. “They’re trying to push the LGBT agenda into the hearts and minds of your children—watch out!” Graham [wrote in a Facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/FranklinGraham/posts/1423857191003791 "undefined") on Thursday. “Disney has the right to make their cartoons, it’s a free country. But as Christians we also have the right not to support their company. I hope Christians everywhere will say no to Disney.” Graham’s Facebook post has been shared nearly 90 thousand times at this time of writing. Earlier this week, _Beauty and the Beast director_ Bill Condon told [_Attitude_](http://attitude.co.uk/world-exclusive-beauty-and-the-beast-set-to-make-disney-history-with-gay-character/ "undefined")that one of the film’s characters, LeFou, who is played by [Josh Gad](http://time.com/4690001/beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character-josh-gad/ "undefined"), will have an “exclusively gay moment” on-screen with villain Gaston (Luke Evans). While Gad told _USA Today_ during the film’s Hollywood premiere that this moment [wasn’t in the script](http://time.com/4690001/beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character-josh-gad/ "undefined"), he added that it was important for him to expand on the original character, “giving him more dimension, making him human.” Reactions to this have mostly been positive, with observers [praising](http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2017/03/01/twitter-reacts-to-news-of-gay-scene-in-live-action-beauty-and-the-beast/ "undefined") Disney’s push for inclusivity. But others, in addition to Graham, are not happy with the news. On Friday, an Alabama movie theater [announced its refusal to screen _Beauty and the Beast_](http://time.com/4690579/alabama-theater-beauty-and-the-beast-gay/ "undefined") when it releases on March 17. “If I can’t sit through a movie with God or Jesus sitting by me then we have no business showing it,” a staff member of the theater wrote on Facebook. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4691035/franklin-graham-beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4691035/franklin-graham-beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character/"},"headline":"Franklin Graham Wants People to Boycott Beauty and the Beast Over Gay Character","datePublished":"2017-03-03T23:09:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T03:39:57.271Z","description":"\"They’re trying to push the LGBT agenda into the hearts and minds of children\"","url":"https://time.com/4691035/franklin-graham-beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character/","keywords":["movies","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta71a56507185b7ef/6988bcfc4dd21588adefe02e/franklin-graham-evangelist-disney.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aric Jenkins","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta71a56507185b7ef/6988bcfc4dd21588adefe02e/franklin-graham-evangelist-disney.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Billy Graham Rally","caption":"Reverend Franklin Graham looks on at a Billy Graham rally on June 12, 2003 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.","creditText":"David Hume Kennerly—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4691035/franklin-graham-beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character/","name":"Franklin Graham Wants People to Boycott Beauty and the Beast Over Gay Character"}}]}] ```