Topline
A group of LGBTQ+ Disney employees and allies organized a series of walkouts starting Tuesday to protest CEO Bob Chapek’s and the company’s responses to Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Micky Mouse shaped pride signs reading Celebrate Diversity at the London Pride Parade 2019.
Key Facts
On the website WhereIsChapek.com, the Disney Do Better group listed six demands of The Walt Disney Company, including indefinitely stopping all political donations to leaders who supported the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, donating to the Trevor Project and other advocacy groups, allocating content spending to expand LGBTQ+ representation and starting an LGBTQ+ brand.
Though it is unclear how many employees plan to partake, the group’s Twitter account @DisneyWalkout has roughly 400 followers.
From Tuesday to Monday, employees participating in the protest will stage “break” walkouts from 3 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. in their respective time zones, leading up to a full-day walkout on March 22.
Disney Do Better includes employees across The Walt Disney Company, including the corporate offices, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Disney Television Animation, Bento Box and others.
The walkout’s organizers are unaffiliated with various employee resource groups within the company, and a message from the LGBTQ+ group in the company’s PRIDE Slack channel said it did not organize the protest or write the list of demands, according to Variety.
Forbes has reached out to The Walt Disney Company for comment.
Crucial Quote
“By supporting the politicians who brought this legislation and not taking a public stand against it, Chapek and [The Walt Disney Company] leadership have made it clear they are more than willing to sacrifice their employees’ health and wellness in service of the bottom line. We will not stand for this anymore,” the group’s open letter reads.
Key Background
Disney has a substantial presence in Florida, where both the House and the Senate have passed the Parental Rights in Education bill (HB 1557). Known by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the legislation limits how gender identity and sexual orientation can be discussed in schools, and completely prohibits the subjects until third grade. It has not yet been signed into law, though Gov. Ron DeSantis is largely expected to do so. Disney came under fire for not immediately opposing the bill, especially as the Orlando Sun Sentinel reported that the company funded every politician who sponsored it (the company noted it donates to both Democratic and Republican lawmakers). The Human Rights Campaign said Wednesday it would not accept donations from Disney until it took “meaningful action” over the bill. That same day, a letter from “the LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies” was published by Variety and claimed that Disney executives demanded the studio cut from “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” in their content, “regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.” Disney said Friday it would pause all political donations, and Chapek said he was “sorry” for the company’s response.
Tangent
The actions from the Disney employees mirror those taken by some Netflix employees last year while protesting statements made about the transgender people by comedian Dave Chappelle in a special for the streaming service.
Further Reading
‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Passes Florida Senate (Forbes)
Controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Passed By Florida House (Forbes)
Disney Censors Same-Sex Affection in Pixar Films, According to Letter From Employees (Variety)
Netflix Employees Plan Walkout Amid Chappelle Controversy (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/03/15/disney-employees-stage-walkout-over-companys-response-to-dont-say-gay-bill/