The Walt Disney Co. swore to devote itself to radical LGBTQ activism, and the company continues to make good on that ominous promise. Marvel Studios has reportedly cast RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shea Couleé in its upcoming Disney+ series Ironheart — the latest indicator that the studio is making drag culture a prominent component of its entertainment for children.
Shea Couleé — real name, Jaren Kyei Merrell — is a drag performer who appeared in the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, finishing in the top four. Deadline reported he will join a cast that already includes Dominique Thorne as the title character, as well as Anthony Ramos and Alden Ehrenreich.
Ironheart, which is expected to debut on Disney+ next year, tells the story of Riri Williams, aka, Ironheart (Thorne), an inventor who like Tony Stark creates a suit of armor to become a superhero. It remains unclear what role Shea Couleé will play and if he will appear in drag or not.
Disney has increasingly embraced drag culture in recent years, putting it front and center in its content for children.
The studio gave drag queen Nina West a starring role in its Disney+ This Is Me: Pride Celebration Spectacular last year. The special also featured drag queen Jackie Cox as well as “gender-fluid” and “gender non-binary” performers.
As Breitbart News reported, a Disney division recently hosted a drag queen story hour event aimed at the children of employees, with the intention of celebrating the “gender fluidity of childhood” while providing kids with “unabashedly queer role models,”
Disney CEO Bob Chapek swore earlier this year to devote the company to radical LGBTQ activism following the debacle over Disney’s response to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law.
“You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry,” Chapek said in a groveling memo to Disney staffers this year.
“I truly believe we are an infinitely better and stronger company because of our LGBTQ+ community. I missed the mark in this case but am an ally you can count on—and I will be an outspoken champion for the protections, visibility, and opportunity you deserve.”
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