With all the recent fuss over LeFou being gay in Disney's live action Beauty & the Beast and the discourse about Elsa having a girlfriend that occurred several months ago, the conversation about where Disney stands with gay characters has been brought to the spotlight more and more frequently. Whether Disney should have gay characters in their films is often a heated debate, with both sides having strong beliefs. These are just a few reasons why Disney needs to have a movie starring a gay prince or princess right now.

It needs to be a main character.

LeFou in Disney's live action Beauty & the Beast is gay, and that's great! However, it was only shown through subtle subtext with Gaston and a quick glimpse of him dancing with another man at the end of the film. I want to see a prince saving another prince from a tower and falling in love with him. I want to see a princess whose magic powers lead her on a quest where she meets a gorgeous farm girl that she develops feelings for. No subtext. No quick glimpses of same-sex love. Just a beautiful, explicit gay romance included in whatever wild adventure happens in the plot.

Gay characters are not inappropriate for children.

Let me repeat that. Gay characters are not inappropriate. The word "gay" is not a swear word that children need to be sheltered from. Same-sex relationships are not difficult to explain to children. I'm tired of seeing people claim that they want to protect their child's innocence to argue against having a Disney movie with a gay main character. Same-sex love is no more unsuitable for children to view than love between members of the opposite sex. To argue otherwise is simply homophobic. Educating your child is not ruining their innocence, but rather helping them be more understanding and open in the future.

Representation is important.

What kids see in the media largely shapes their views of the world around them. The normalization of LGBTQ+ individuals will make it easier for kids to realize their own identities if they do end up being a part of the queer community. If a child develops a crush on a classmate of the same-sex, which happens since gay people don't suddenly start being gay as teenagers, then they will be able to recognize those feelings and be okay with it. Growing up, I ignored the crushes I got on other girls because I never saw or heard of girls liking other girls before. I can't help but think that if I had seen a lesbian princess as a child, then accepting my sexuality in later years would have been a lot easier. Sheltering your children from simple and innocent ideas such as being gay only does more harm in the long run.

This isn't a request to make a movie about a princess or prince realizing their sexuality, coming out, then having the whole plot be about them being a flaming homosexual. I want a movie that has a romance like the one between Ana and Kristoff in Frozen. The romance isn't the main focus of the movie, but it's there. It's obvious and it's important. There's no good reason why Disney shouldn't create a same-sex couple with the same concept.