'Beauty and the Beast' will introduce world to first gay Disney character

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story misattributed a quote to director Bill Condon.

This beloved Tale as Old as Time is getting a major update.

Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon revealed in an interview with Attitude that Gaston’s sidekick, LeFou, played by Josh Gad, will explore his sexuality in what Attitude calls a "small but significant subplot" during the film.

“LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston,” Condon said in the interview. “He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realising that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.”

Although Disney films may have hinted at homosexuality in the past, including the speculation over Frozen's Elsa, this would mark the first openly gay character to be featured in one -- a landmark moment that has the potential to impact its global audience, especially in countries where LGBT representation is even less visible on screen.

Beauty and the Beast hits theaters March 17.

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