Disney’s new TikTok feature has been called out on the grounds that it prevents people from using the words gay and lesbian.
Disney’s App Censors Words ‘Gay and Lesbian’ From Its Users To Stop Them Using It On TikTok
The premise behind the feature is that it should allow its users to include their favourite voices from their Disney characters, so that people can include them as part of their TikTok posts.
This is part of a text to speech function that allows users to say what they want to post, before the app turns it into the voice of a Disney character.
TikTok, for its part, has been accused in the past of not being very friendly towards content that is focused on LGBTQ issues. Much in line with that, it looks as though Disney may have toed the line in order to ensure compliance with TikTok.
Although Disney did outlaw swear words which is not surprising, the fact that gay and lesbian were banned shocked many people.
One person on TikTok wrote: “Did you guys know that Disney won’t allow the voice to say, Gay?” Much in the same way, another TikTok video shows that a user cannot get all the voices to recognise the word gay rights.
It is not clear whether this is a bug with the app or whether it is a deliberate move by Disney. Disney has never made things easy for itself, however, when it comes to LGBTQ community issues.
After all, it was only in June of this year that an employee at the company sued on the grounds that they were being discriminated against as a result of their sexual orientation.
In a statement at the time, the plaintiff’s attorney said: “Plaintiff has direct and repeated complaints to HR about the discrimination he has endured while employed by Defendants.
“And, concomitantly, the related failures to promote him and to pay him at the same level as other department heads.”
It will be fascinating to see where Disney goes from here. If they do not reform their app, it is likely that their fan base will turn against them. But as of now, the jury is still out on whether this is simply a malfunction in the app.
If you liked reading this article, then check out our other features on the Daily Soap Dish. Please also visit The Go To Family for all of the latest exciting news on all of your favourite daytime television soaps.
