Following Backlash, Disney CEO Says He’s Opposed To Florida’ ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
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Following a huge online protest, CEO Bob Chapek has done a 180 and says he’s opposed to Florida’s Don’t Day Gay bill and intends to meet with Florida Governor Ron De Santis.
Please don’t be fooled by this half-hearted triage. The bill was allowed to pass with no public position from Disney, and they still intend on funding all the politicians that passed it. https://t.co/nqz1AgEIzo
— Benjamin Siemon (@BenjaminJS) March 9, 2022
The Walt Disney Company has now come out against Florida’s Parental Rights In Education bill. The so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill was passed by Florida’s House and Senate and is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.
The bill would limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
In recent days, Disney employees shared their outrage on social media when the company did not denounce the proposed legislation. On Wednesday, at Disney’s annual meeting with shareholders, Disney CEO Bob Chapek acknowledged their anger, saying that he knows “many are upset that we didn’t speak out against the bill.”
Chapek explained that Disney leaders were opposed to the bill “from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind-the-scenes, engaging directly with lawmakers — on both sides of the aisle.”
Now, Chapek said the company is “reassessing our approach to advocacy — including political giving in Florida and beyond.”
Chapek said that he called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this morning, “to express our disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families.” Chapek says DeSantis has agreed to meet with him and some of Disney’s LGBTQ+ employees to hear their concerns.
