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On May 28, 2025, American commentator Ben Shapiro reposted a conversation about the popular anime Sailor Moon that took place during his discussion at Yale University on October 8, 2024. During the event, a student had asked Shapiro about his views on the popular anime, which followed the story of Usagi Tsukino, a schoolgirl who transformed into Sailor Moon, a warrior who protected Earth from evil threats.
"I don't know if you've heard of an anime franchise called Sailor Moon. Do you think it promotes homosexuality and transgenderism?" the student remarked.
Reacting to his comments, Ben Shapiro shared that he had "heard" about the anime.
"I do not know what it is. And are you asking me a question about anime? Is that a thing that's happening in real life right now?" he said.
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The student further said that after watching the anime he realized that the anime promoted "lesbianism and transgenderism."
"I used to watch it and like it... I'm just starting to realize, they seem to like promote lesbianism and transgenderism in certain—ceratin of its seasons."
Shapiro further remarked that he had "no specific views" on this topic.
American representation of Sailor Moon
According to CBR, the 1990s anime series Sailor Moon, as well as the manga it was based on, both openly represented the LGBTQ+ community with bisexual, gender fluid, gay, and lesbian characters. However, when the anime series was dubbed and released in the USA in 1995, parts of queer representation was censored.
For instance, Sailor Uranus (Haruka) and Sailor Neptune (Michiru), who were originally in a romantic relationship in both the anime and manga, were portrayed as cousins in the American adaptation.
The character Zoisite, who was part of the Shitennou group, was portrayed as a woman in the American adaptation of the anime. The change may have been made because Zoisite was portrayed in a homosexual relationship with Kunzite in the original manga.
The censorship also occurred in season 4 of the anime, when Fish Eye, a character from the Amazon Trio, who could take human and animal forms, was portrayed as a woman in the American-dubbed anime. In the original anime, he dressed up as a female and lured men into his traps.
Meanwhile, other character, including Usagi Tsukino, the protagonist of the anime series, was seen showing romantic interest in both men and women, before marrying Mamoru Chiba. More characters like Sailor Star Fighter (Seiya Kou), Sailor Star Maker (Taiki Kou), and Sailor Star Healer (Yaten Kou) also represented the LGBTQ+ community in the anime.
Created by Naoko Takeuchi, Sailor Moon follows the story of Usagi Tsukino, a high-school girl, who meets a talking cat named Luna and discovers that she is a reincarnation of Sailor Moon, a princess from the Moon Kingdom. Her mission is to save Earth from evil threats, and she is joined by other Sailor guardians. The highly celebrated anime and manga series is based on the theme of love, friendship, and justice.
