Beauty and the Beast is featuring Disney’s first ever gay character

But who is it?

belle beauty and the beast dress
(Image credit: © 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

But who is it?

We have been getting increasingly excited about Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast remake, with new updates from the latest trailers and costume reveals to the John Legend soundtrack release and scene snippets, emerging each day.

The most recent, however, is a real first, with Beauty and the Beast introducing Disney’s first ever gay character.

No, it’s not Cogsworth, Maurice or even Lumière – the remake’s gay character will be Gaston’s loyal sidekick, LeFou, played in the remake by Josh Gad.

Throughout the film, LeFou will apparently be coming to terms with his feelings for his best friend, adding a lot more meaning to his character’s big song.

Entitled 'Gaston', the song is essentially an ode to his friend, with the lyrics ‘no one’s slick as Gaston, no one’s quick as Gaston, no one’s neck’s as incredibly thick as Gaston’s. For there’s no man in town half as manly. Perfect, a pure paragon!’

The scene is being referred to by Disney as their first ever ‘exclusively gay moment’ on film.

Beauty and the Beast’s director, Bill Condon, spoke to Attitude Magazine about LeFou’s character and how it’s breaking Disney barriers.

‘It’s somebody who’s just realising that he has these feelings, And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it’, he explained. ‘And that’s what has its pay-off at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.’

Disney gay character

The editor of Attitude also praised the film for breaking boundaries. ‘It may have been a long time coming but this is a watershed moment for Disney,’ he announced to Newsbeat. ‘It’s a step in the right direction and I applaud Disney for being brave enough to make it.’

He continued: ‘In doing so, it will hopefully help change attitudes and bring about real social progress.’

This revelation comes just after Disney XD aired an episode of Star vs. the Forces of Evil, with one of the crowd scenes showing both gay and lesbian couples kissing in the background.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.