Disney CEO reverses course and opposes Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

Dealing with a rising outcry from workers, Walt Disney chief govt Bob Chapek has reversed course by publicly voicing his opposition to a invoice in Florida that has been dubbed the “Don’t Say Homosexual” regulation.

The choice to signal formally an announcement condemning the invoice, printed by Chapek on the Disney shareholder assembly on Wednesday, comes simply two days after he despatched a 900-word memo outlining why the corporate wouldn’t publicly oppose it. “Company statements do little or no to vary outcomes or minds,” he wrote.

However the memo solely infected criticism, with the Animation Guild describing it as a “momentous mis-step”.

Chapek’s predecessor, Bob Iger, criticised the invoice final month on Twitter, whereas Abigail Disney — granddaughter of a Disney co-founder and a vocal critic of the corporate’s insurance policies — mentioned she was “deeply angered” by its refusal to criticise the Florida laws.

The blowback marks Chapek’s first public relations mis-step since he took over totally after Iger’s retirement on the finish of final 12 months. Additionally it is an early take a look at for Geoff Morrell, the corporate’s new head of company affairs.

Chapek advised shareholders that the corporate had at all times opposed the laws however had chosen to work “behind the scenes” to influence lawmakers to not cross it. After “weeks of effort”, the corporate was “in the end unsuccessful”, he conceded.

“I perceive our political method, irrespective of how properly intentioned, didn’t fairly get the job completed,” he mentioned.

Chapek mentioned he had spoken with Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, who had agreed to satisfy him and a few of Disney’s LGBTQ+ workers within the state, which is house to the Walt Disney World resort. With about 65,000 workers within the state, Disney is one in every of Florida’s largest personal employers and carries important political weight.

His earlier memo mentioned that the corporate’s greatest likelihood of bringing about change was “by the inspiring content material we produce” and that its potential to take action “could be diminished if [we] had been to change into a political soccer in any debate”.

The Florida invoice, which is aimed toward curbing discussions in colleges about sexual orientation and gender identification amongst youngsters aged 9 and youthful, was handed by the Florida state legislature on Tuesday. Formally often called the Parental Rights in Training act, it should require DeSantis’s signature to change into regulation.

Activists have criticised Disney for contributing to politicians who’ve subsequently supported the laws. Chapek appeared to nod to such considerations by pledging to reassess Disney’s “method to advocacy — together with political giving in Florida and past”. 

Chapek mentioned Disney can even signal the Human Rights Marketing campaign’s assertion opposing such legislative efforts across the US and donate $5mn in the direction of teams working to guard LGBTQ+ rights.

Joni Madison, interim president of the Human Rights Marketing campaign, mentioned the group would refuse the donation from Disney till it noticed extra proof that the corporate was working with LGBTQ+ advocates to dam or overturn “harmful proposals”.

“At this time they took a step in the fitting route,” Madison mentioned. “But it surely was merely step one.”

Disney shouldn’t be the primary Hollywood firm to attract hearth from workers over points going through the LGBTQ+ group. In October Netflix workers walked out over a stand-up particular by comic Dave Chappelle by which he made mocking references to transgender individuals.

Lawmakers in Georgia this week launched a invoice much like Florida’s. Disney has filmed lots of its big-budget Marvel motion pictures within the state and, underneath Iger’s management, had warned in 2019 it will be tough to maintain filming there if the state handed a controversial “heartbeat” abortion regulation, which was in the end struck down.