“Enough Queerbaiting”: Inside Out 2’s Potential LGBTQ+ Storyline For Riley Sparks Heated Debate

Inside Out’s Riley taught us so much wisdom when it came to understanding the challenges of navigating childhood. Nearly 10 years later, Pixar is reintroducing the little girl who learned to embrace her complex emotions, now as a teenager with all the trials and tribulations that entails, including a potential love interest, more specifically, a same-sex one.

LGBTQ+ folks are now anticipating a potential storyline representative of one facet of the community in Disney Pixar’s sequel to the emotional rollercoaster.

Inside Out 2 returns to Riley’s mind as she embarks on her teenage years. Moreover, the sequel introduces new emotions, reflecting on the struggles that come with adolescence.

Inside Out 2 revisits Riley’s journey through adolescence, potentially exploring LGBTQ+ representation

Image credits: Pixar

Image credits: Pixar

Amongst the new characters, Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke) makes an appearance, as well as Ennui (voiced by Adèle Exarchopoulos), Envy (voiced by Ayo Edebiri), and Embarrassment (voiced by Paul Walter Hauser).

A clip from the film was aired during the Super Bowl LVIII last month named Team, and on March 7, a second trailer, along with a new poster, was released.

In the clip and the trailer, Riley encounters a new group of friends, igniting potential discussions about her sexual orientation.

A trailer featuring a new character hinted at discussions about Riley’s sexual orientation

Image credits: Pixar

A segment showcases a subtle depiction of Riley blushing upon seeing a girl with pink hair who also happens to play ice hockey with her, as seen in the Team clip.

Riley’s evolution has sparked extensive speculation within LGBTQ+ communities online, with fans wondering whether Disney is subtly introducing a lesbian storyline.

“Inside Out 2 Riley’s new emotions are voiced by Ayo Edebiri, Maya Hawke, and Adèle Exarchopoulos? yeah, I’d start liking girls too,” a person wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Image credits: Pixar

A segment hinted at Riley potentially having a crush on a girl with pink hair

Image credits: Pixar

Another X user approached the speculations with caution, as they commented: “I’m refusing to believe that Riley in ‘Inside Out 2’ will be gay, I’ve seen enough queerbaiting from Disney.

“Only if she ends up saying romantic things to the other girl and kiss her, and/or say she’s gay/Lesbian/bi/queer/questioning I’ll accept it. The end.”

Queerbaiting refers to a practice where creators hint at an LGBTQ+ representation in their content to attract queer viewership or generate buzz without actually following through with substantial representation.

You can watch the trailer below:

Others pointed to the movie’s new alleged love interest’s age, who has been said to be a high school senior, while Riley is a junior. 

“Riley has a crush, platonic or not, and it’s for another girl,” someone penned.

Meanwhile, a separate individual had an entirely different take, as they chimed in on X: “Calling it now Inside Out 2 is gonna have Riley suffer a concussion and it’s gonna change how the emotions or whatever interact in her noggin.”

Inside Out 2 is scheduled to be released in theaters in the United States on June 14, 2024.

Inside Out 2’s trailer continued to ignite divided opinions

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