Protests and calls for a boycott of companies that support anti-gay Florida lawmakers continue to grow following the revelation that Disney donated to every single sponsor and co-sponsor of Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which seeks to curb discussions of LGBTQ topics in schools, and which was recently passed in the House and is expected to pass in the Senate and be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In response, Disney released a statement Thursday.
Despite branding itself as caring about inclusion, and its penchant for selling Pride merch every year, the conglomerate apparently so far has not pledged to resist making contributions to politicians who back the bill.
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“The biggest impact we can have in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create here and the diverse community organizations we support, including those representing the LGBTQ+ community,” the company said in a statement.
The elephant, or should we say giant mouse, in the room is what it doesn’t say: That it will stop supporting the candidacies of politicians who are committed not to equality and inclusion, but rather anti-LGBTQ legislation.
NEW: Disney responds to protests and calls for action surrounding Florida's "Don't Say Gay" Bill, saying in part, "The biggest impact we can have in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce."
MORE: https://t.co/AwwtfrXXVI pic.twitter.com/79iyWyt02B
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 4, 2022
“The business lobby seems more focused on securing tax breaks…than living up to their so-called corporate values of inclusivity,” Orlando Democrat State Rep. Anna Eskamani told the Orlando Sentinel.
While former Disney CEO Bob Iger has come out in opposition of the bill, current CEO Bob Chapek has remained silent, and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, he is “staunchly opposed to bringing Disney into issues he deems irrelevant to the company and its businesses,” while fearing the company could be labeled as too liberal otherwise.
Chapek’s most recent personal political donations were reportedly made in 2017, when he and his wife, Cynthia, each donated $500 to then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has his own history of anti-LGBTQ votes. That same year, Chapek also donated $500 to a McCarthy-affiliated PAC.
I'm with the President on this! If passed, this bill will put vulnerable, young LGBTQ people in jeopardy. https://t.co/fJZBzre4yM
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) February 25, 2022
Instead of taking a more public stance, Disney’s chief diversity officer, Latondra Newton, sent out an internal memo to Disney employees about the “deeply troubling and heartbreaking” developments with the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and adding Chapek wanted “to meet with leaders in our company’s LGBTQ+ community to discuss how Disney can best support these important and valued employees and cast members.”
The company will host a “Reimagine Tomorrow” conversation on the 22nd to discuss “issues of concern to our LGBTQ+ colleagues.” This will be followed, on April 13, by a “Reimagine Tomorrow Global Summit,” billed as “the first gathering of our employees worldwide to discuss our progress on and plans for improving diversity, equity, and inclusion at Disney.”
Disney has only recently dipped its toe into increasing on-screen LGBTQ representation, with a barely-there gay(ish) moment between LeFou and Gaston in the 2017 live-action adaption of “Beauty and the Beast,” which Josh Gad, who played LeFou, has said didn’t go far enough in his opinion.
“My regret in what happened is that it became ‘Disney’s first explicitly gay moment’ and it was never intended to be that. It was never intended to be a moment that should laud ourselves for, because frankly, I don’t think we did justice to what a real gay character in a Disney film should be,” he told The Independent last month.
“If we’re going to pat ourselves on the back, then damn it we should have gone further with that. We didn’t go far enough to warrant accolades. We didn’t go far enough to say, ‘Look how brave we are,'” he added.
Abigail Disney, a filmmaker and granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, who co-founded The Walt Disney Company with her granduncle Walt Disney, has also criticized the company, chastising the decision to donate to the sponsors and co-sponsors of Florida’s anti-LGBTQ legislation.
“I could not be more unhappy with their political activities, both in terms of whom they fund and how they lobby. I would strongly support a law to require all corporations to reveal ALL of their funding and lobbying moves,” she tweeted, in response to a question about why Disney made those donations.
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SamB
Well, there you go. I don’t know why so many gay people (adults!!) love going there and love their movies.
Eternal.Cowboy
You have claimed Trump Created 6.6 million jobs in the first two months of 2020 before covid hit, that Trump won the popular vote and that Clinton worked with Russia to spy on Trump. All of which is false. So the list of what you do t know is rather extensive and growing.
SamB
Cowboy: No I didn’t. by 2020 until covid hit.
Enjoy your Disney gay days.
Eternal.Cowboy
Actual quote of what you said said and it doesn’t say “by”.
“Trump created 6.6 million jobs n 2020 before Covid hit.”
SamB
Cowboy: n = until. but you believe what you want.
SamB
Cowboy: And I never said Trump won the popular vote. How old are you?
Eternal.Cowboy
Ha …. In what world did n become an abbreviation for until? The way you try to spin your misstatements is hilarious.
You said the people voted for Trump to become President over Clinton. The people’s vote is the popular vote. So you did make that claim and it was objectively false.
Not sure what my age has to do with any of this.
Den
@Eternal.Cowboy:
Don’t forget that the far right has a very hard time differentiating between what is real and what is either their imagination or things they are told to believe are real. They also have a poor understanding of what constitutes a fact and what constitutes an opinion, what is empirical and what is anecdotal. So, if he claims what is most likely a typo for “IN 2020”, as opposed to “UNTIL 2020”, he supposes “n” as an accepted abbreviation for “until” becomes real. They truly are that messed up!
And of course Trump never won the popular vote. The majority of Americans never liked or trusted him and still don’t. His only chance in 2024 would be similar tiny victories in battleground states to what he achieved in 2016. Lightning does strike twice (though rarely) so getting out the vote in 2024 will be imperative! How gratifying it will be to see the grifter repudiated a final time (assuming he is not in jail, barred from running, or at least already humiliated/discredited).
MarcyMayer
Everyone knows today that Roy and Walt Disney were far-right politically.
inbama
Walt Disney, who was once rumored to be cryonically frozen, died 56 years ago. No one by name or marriage has any significant ownership of Disney or has anything at all to do with the running of this now publicly-owned and traded corporation.
Fahd
What would happen to Disney if every gay employee quit or if gay people stopped spending money on Disney crap?
It’s really one step forward, three steps backward with the current Disney corporate leadership. This egregious behavior goes to their treatment of employees and customers alike on pretty much every front. Happiest place on earth? Not so much.
From what I have heard, Abigail Disney and her backers are the single best hope for Disney. I hope the current set of profiteers don’t succeed in their greed fueled destructive course.
bsg1967
The new CEO seems very suspect, wouldn’t surprise if he’s a GOP supporter
Chrisk
“current CEO Bob Chapek has remained silent, and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, he is “staunchly opposed to bringing Disney into issues he deems irrelevant to the company and its businesses,” while fearing the company could be labeled as too liberal otherwise.”
That’s a far right statement if ever there was.
Invader7
He probably is , the two faced traitor !!
cuteguy
If this were the 1940’s, Mickey would be a Nazi lover. How unfortunate that Disney is supporting lgbtq hate.
Chrisk
Yes true. I could see this right wing shithead ceo saying we don’t want to appear liberal by defending them jews.
Den
Since Mickey Mouse has been around since 1928’s Steamboat Willie (and was a hugely important cartoon in the history of animation), one need not speculate about this at all as you both are doing. Disney, and certainly Mickey as his creation, were neither pro Nazi, nor more anti Semitic than was typical at the time. Disney hired and socialized with Jews, but also engaged in the same subtle denigration when they were not around. And he produced at least one animated anti-hitler, anti-nazi film, which won an Oscar and helped sell a ton of war bonds.
Den
And as to the current CEO’s statement, most modern corporations are facultatively amoral, taking stands when expedient economically, and dodging the issues otherwise.
BDAguy
Look, it’s a shameful piece of legislation enacted by a feckless bunch of politicians who fear and need the monetary support of the wing nuts who currently control the GOP and who vote — not like the bulk of the US population, including LGBTQ+ folks.
Yeah, it would be great if companies said something, but they aren’t going to step into anything related to how parents raise their kids; the shock of the GOP win in Virginia over school board policies and “parental rights”has had deeply chilling effect on anything related to kids and companies don’t see any upside to getting vocal.
jt1990
If someone is gay there’s no need to silence them. However, cross dressers and trans folk should speak up about their real gender. For the second time this week I approached a very attractive female this time near a local bar. Except, it wasn’t female at all. Luckily a bystander knew CPR or I wouldn’t be here typing! This strange hobby from the lgbt community is becoming quite a nuisance; I’d appreciate if you guys would wear a sign or something.
Den
We, by contrast would appreciate if ignorant and dull straight folks like you didn’t come here to troll. We don’t care at all what someone like you thinks, so long as you have the good sense to keep your stupidity to yourself (unless you enjoy the humiliation of letting others see how much intellectual skill you lack).
Cross dressers are not the same as trans people, little boy. And most transvestites and cross dressers are actually heterosexual like you. And you have to be pretty damn foolish to mistake a typical drag queen for a woman.
Assuming that if the person who knew CPR in your apocryphal little tale was transsexual you would have preferred to die? Look up the word TWIT, it is the nicest possible description for you.
bren1712
Well the Nazis had them wear pink triangles, which is the direction DeSantis and company would like…..that work for you ?
Cam
Hi @jt1990
Sweetie, you’ve already been exposed as another screename of SamB and Marcy Mayer.
The fact that you’ve tried posting multiple times on here shows how worried you trolls are that this bill might not pass.
inbama
In the end, the Florida bill doesn’t matter anyway. Kids are getting their sex ed from cable and the internet.
Maybe school could teach them a little math, science, the Constitution or even where Ukraine is.
Me2
While mainstream media has distracted the public for years with weekly helpings of what some extreme idiot is saying or what some brain dead beauty is wearing, corporations like Disney were allowed to grow too big to be held responsible. The public has unwittingly handed over much of their political power to “monopolistic” corporations like Disney. These corporations will continue to support policies set by politicians who’re willing to compromise our antitrust laws and rig the government in their favor. Once the public realizes that we can actually live without half of the crap we’ve been convinced to believe we absolutely need, then we can take our power back and have government work for the people again.
JeffBaker
An artist I met who’d worked with Disney said of the company “They are assholes.” I wonder if the Christians who had the failed “boycott” of Disney years ago were doing it for show?
rbernard
The most impactful thing we can do is make a lot of noise about this and don’t use their streaming service nor go to see one of their new release movies.
Invader7
BOYCOTT Disney !!