<P> Controversy erupted after director Bill Condon said there was a "gay moment" in the film, when LeFou briefly waltzes with Stanley, one of Gaston's friends . Afterwards in an interview with Vulture.com, Condon stated, "Can I just say, I'm sort of sick of this . Because you've seen the movie--it's such a tiny thing, and it's been overblown ." Condon also added that Beauty and the Beast features much more diversity than just the highly talked - about LeFou: "That was so important . We have interracial couples--this is a celebration of everybody's individuality, and that's what's exciting about it ." GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis praised the move stating, "It is a small moment in the film, but it is a huge leap forward for the film industry ." </P> <P> In Russia, Vitaly Milonov agitated the culture minister for banning the film, but instead it was given a 16 + rating (children under the age of 16 can only be admitted to see it in theaters with accompanying adults). Additionally, a theater in Henagar, Alabama did not screen the film because of the subplot . In Malaysia, the Film Censorship Board insisted the "gay moment" scene be cut, prompting an indefinite postponement of its release by Disney, followed by their decision to withdraw it completely if it could not be released uncensored . The studio moved the release date to March 30, to allow more time for Malaysia's censor board to make a decision on whether or not to release the film without changes . The distributors and producers then submitted an appeal to the Film Appeal Committee of Malaysia, which allowed the film to be released without any cuts and a P13 rating on the grounds that the "gay element" was minor and did not affect the positive elements featured in the film . In Kuwait, the movie was withdrawn from cinemas by National Cinema Company which owns most of the cinemas in the country . A board member of the company stated that the Ministry of Information's censorship department had requested it to stop its screening and edit it for things deemed offensive by it . </P> <P> There were also a number of boycotts against the film . A call to boycott on LifePetitions received over 129,000 signatures, while the American Family Association featured a petition to boycott with the film, asking the public to help crowdfund a CGI version of Pilgrim's Progress instead . </P> <P> The film also received criticsm over its portrayal of LeFou, as many felt that it relied on stereotypes and was used as a way of teasing LGBT+ viewers without providing adequate representation . LeFou's status as a sidekick to the main villain brought about criticism over Disney's queercoding of villains in the past, and his infatuation with Gaston was seen as relying on a stereotype of gay men being predatory towards straight men . Furthermore, the only gay interaction LeFou has is a three second clip of him dancing with another man at the end of the film . Many saw this as Disney cheating its LGBT+ audiences . </P>

Who plays belle's father in the new beauty and the beast movie