The fact that a monitory actress being given a role is seen as a political statement rather than simply a casting choice is part of the problem. People of color and LGBT+ people are seen as inherently politics for simply existing, and that shouldn’t be the case.

Also, the examples people keep giving about Tiana being replaced with a white girl doesn’t hold up because race actually is important for her character, as well as Charlotte and her father’s characters. Tiana is a black woman in the 1920’s south during a time where, historically, people of color couldn’t buy real estate or open businesses in “white” parts of town, and were often denied loans or investments based purely on race. We explicitly see this happen throughout the film with Tiana talking to the bankers. Replace her with a white girl and that part of her struggle is removed. Tiana being black is also important for the characters around her. Charlotte is a well-off white woman who is openly best friends with a black woman during a time where it would be outright scandalous to do so, and her father is fine with this! It speaks to how good the two of these characters are that they love and support Tiana even though it could be harmful to their social status. Again, doesn’t work if she’s white.

Meanwhile there is zero reason for Ariel to remain white. There is no context within the story that makes her race important.