EXCLUSIVE: In 2020, Chanel Stewart was just browsing

Stewart, who had already done a few commercials by the age of 14, knew immediately that it was the role of a lifetime.

“I was exactly what they wanted and that’s why it felt so right. It just felt right,” says Stewart, a transgender girl from Los Angeles. “I immediately asked my mom if I could do it because I just felt like it wouldn’t make any sense if I didn’t. You know what I mean?”

Stewart eventually got the dubbing job Win or loseabout a co-ed middle school softball team called “The Pickles” in the week before their big championship game. Stewart couldn’t wait to share the news with her friends.

“Oh my God, it was crazy,” recalls the now 18-year-old. “I wore it as a badge. I wore it with pride. I wore it with honor because it meant so much to me. The thought of authentically portraying a transgender teenage girl made me really happy. I wanted to do this for transgender kids like me.”

When Disney called Monday night to tell her mother, Keisha Win or lose Since there would no longer be a transgender storyline, both she and Chanel were heartbroken. (Disney released a statement saying, “When it comes to animated content for younger audiences, we recognize that many parents would prefer to explore certain topics with their children on their own terms and in their own Schedule to be discussed.”)

“It was disturbing because my daughter is transgender and this is her life. I thought it was very important that we not hide that fact,” Stewart’s mother, Keisha, tells Deadline. “There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have this conversation, but this is the world we live in and everyone should be represented. Everyone deserves recognition. And it felt like it was just another setback for the LGBTQ community, because it’s very hard on transgender teenagers…transgender people, period. Especially when you’re young and trying to figure out how to navigate the world you live in and grow into your own person.”

“I was very discouraged,” Stewart adds. “From the moment I received the script, I was excited to share my journey to empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter and deserve to be heard.”

By cutting the transgender storyline, Disney has removed “some lines of dialogue” from an episode that reference a character’s gender identity. Stewart wasn’t at liberty to share details about her character with Deadline, but Disney told her she was “still an important part of the series.”

“It’s just that now my character would be a cis girl, a straight cis girl,” says Chanel Stewart, who is repped by KEY Talent Management and Innovative Artists. “So yeah, that’s all they really told me and that I was still part of the show.”

But there’s one thing Disney can’t take away from Stewart. “I’m definitely one of the first (transgender girls) to do this!” says Stewart of her voiceover appearance. “It’s a true honor to be part of queer history.”

Win or losein which Will Forte portrays the voice of softball coach Dan, will be available on Disney+ from February 19, 2025.