Omar Navarro, a right-wing congressional candidate and convicted stalker, is facing backlash and getting roasted over his homophobic complaint about Disney’s Cruella.
The California politician, who has failed multiple times to unseat Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, made the bigoted comments via Twitter on Monday, just days after the live-action film hit theaters and Disney+. Navarro’s issue was seemingly with the character of Artie (John McCrea), an openly gay vintage shop owner who is also a member of Cruella’s crew. The Republican accused Disney of trying to shove “the LGBT agenda down our throat,” and then asked his followers if they intended to boycott the entertainment conglomerate.
“The new Disney Cruella with Emma Stone just ruined my childhood with an openly flamboyant gay in the movie,” Navarro tweeted. “Disney persist shoving the LGBT agenda down our throat.”
Twitter users were quick to slam Navarro over his ignorant take; some dismissed the tweet as nothing more than transparent pandering, others deemed it a form of hate speech, and many mocked it for its histrionic tone. A number of critics also used the opportunity to highlight Navarro’s criminal record. The 32-year-old was placed on probation in 2016 after he pleaded guilty to putting an electronic tracking device in his wife’s car. He also spent six month behind bars last year after he pleaded guilty to a stalking charge.
It’s also worth noting this isn’t the first time Navarro has criticized Disney for featuring an LGBTQ character. Pink News reports in 2019 the politician expressed outrage over The Owl House, an animated series that featured the Disney Channel’s first bisexual lead character.
“I don’t agree with this crap being pushed down our throats,” he wrote on Facebook about the program. “What people do at home is there business but publicly I shouldn’t have to be forced. Will Christians please stand up?”
Navarro also recently took aim at Nickelodeon for its Blues Clues sing-along Pride Month special, featuring drag queen Nina West.
You can read some of the reaction’s to Navarro’s Cruella criticism below.
