Russia has banned kids from seeing 'Beauty and the Beast' because of its gay character

The Russian authorities have given Disney's new 'Beauty and the Beast' movie a restrictive rating which means that only audiences over 16 will be able to watch it.

Much of the pre-release talk around 'Beauty and the Beast', which stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, has focused on how a storyline involving Josh Gad's character LeFou features the first 'exclusively gay moment' in a Disney movie. The film's director Bill Condon said of LeFou: 'It's somebody who's just realising that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it.'

No doubt that 'something really subtle and delicious' is what has upset the Russian ministry of culture, which certificates movies in the country. The restrictive rating comes after a ruling party MP, Vitaly Milonov, called for a ban on the film, calling the film's content 'perverted sexual relations' and claiming that the film would be in conflict with a Russian law that opposes 'gay propaganda against minors'.

The film opens worldwide this weekend and is predicted to be an enormous hit for Disney.

'Beauty and the Beast' opens in cinemas this Friday.

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