Disability advocate Hannah Diviney pushes Beyonce, Lizzo and Disney for change

After taking on Beyonce, Lizzo and Eminem, Australian disability advocate Hannah Diviney is pushing forward for change at Disney.

After taking on Beyonce, Lizzo and Eminem, Australian disability advocate Hannah Diviney is pushing forward for change at Disney.

The Sydney writer has been campaigning the Hollywood heavyweight to create a character that is a “disabled princess”.

And Disney Studios, it seems, is paying attention to the 22-year-old.

“We love Hannah’s passion and hear her important voice on why inclusive representative storytelling matters,” Disney said in a statement to Australian Women’s Weekly, the magazine in which Diviney features in its latest issue.

“As storytellers at Disney, we’re committed to reflecting the incredibly rich diversity of the human experience, and in ways that inspire, open minds and hearts and bring people closer together in a world where we all belong.”

The Australian Women’s Weekly’s puts its 2021 Women of the Future finalist Hannah Diviney on the front cover for her push to for, among other changes, Disney to create a princess with a disability. Picture: Australian Women's Weekly

Diviney, a Women of the Future finalist in 2021, uses a wheelchair and was born with Cerebral Palsy, a physical disability which affects her fine and gross motor use skills.

Her online petition to Disney has reached more than 62,000 signatures.

Hannah Diviney, aged 12, with her family.

Hannah Diviney playing Nintendo with her sister Sophie, 7.

“It is a hugely positive step and one I have been waiting for quite a while now,” Diviney said. “I hope that statement is indicative of them wanting to move further in the direction of making a disabled Disney princess a reality.

“I would very much love to be involved in the creation of said character. It does make me very excited to see what Disney has up their sleeve.”

Diviney has made headlines internationally over recent weeks for calling out some of the biggest music acts in the world for using ableist slurs in their song lyrics.

Lizzo changed her lyrics after being called out by Hannah. Picture: Getty Images

Hannah says Beyonce’s reversal was a masterclass on how to be a successful ally. Picture: AFP

Beyonce and Lizzo, on separate tracks, agreed to remove the word “spaz” from their songs.

And this week, Diviney hit out at Eminem for including that same word on his new album Curtain Call 2 on the first track Godzilla, a duet with late rapper Juice WRLD.

“It is very abstract songwriting when you are assuming that someone will get the meaning or intention of a word without it causing harm to a marginalised community,” Diviney said.

“There are so many way more descriptive and clever words to communicate the same emotion or feeling.”

An original Disney princess, Cinderella.

More contemporary Disney princess Pocahontas.

Of the recent global attention, she said: “It is not what I thought I would make international headlines for. If it was ever going to happen, I thought it would be for the Disney campaign or my writing or a bunch of other advocacy related things but definitely not for calling out some of the most successful musicians we have at the moment.”

Diviney said “the trolling has been pretty intense”.

“I use the block button a lot and take comfort in the fact that at least for Lizzo and Beyonce, they heard me and they were very gracious in re-recording their tracks and they have given the world masterclasses in how to be successful allies,” she said.

“If they had reacted with anger or defensiveness, it would be a different story but they haven’t and I take that as a win.”