LGBTQ employees for Disney have planned a walkout protesting the controversial Florida Bill and the company's poor handling of the situation. A recent bill in Florida, known as the Parental Rights in Education bill, but has earned the nickname "Don't Say Gay Bill," prevents the teaching of various LGBTQ+ topics in schools from Kindergarten to third grade and allows parents to sue educators who bring up these issues in the classroom. With Disney being a major influence in the state of Florida, with Disney World and the various theme parks that make up the travel destination, many expected Disney to take a stand as the company public face has been that of progressive ideals.
However, Disney's new CEO, Bob Chapek, remained silent on the bill for quite a long time, and then released an internal email saying that he stands with the LGBTQ+ community, but did not think any actual action from the company would be better than the material they create, a comment that was heavily criticized by Disney employees. The CEO even had to answer tough questions during an investor call. While Chapek later said that the company would ease all donations and reassess who they contribute to politically, the CEO never claimed any further action that would take place after that, and it appears the damage has already been done.
According to Variety, a group of Disney employees have planned a week of in-person and virtual walkouts in response to Chapek's poor handling of the Florida "Don't Say Gay Bill," starting Tuesday, March 15. The walkouts are planned during a 15-minute break period and are set to take place daily from 3:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. (respective to the employees' timezone), through Monday, March 21. On Tuesday, March 22, organizers have planned a full-scale walkout. The Twitter account, Disney Walkout, posted an open letter written in partnership with members of the LGBTQ community across the Walt Disney Company, including Disney Corporate, Disney Television Animation, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Disney Media, and Entertainment Distribution, Disney Streaming, Enterprise Finance, Enterprise Technology/Global Information Security, and Bento Box. The statement can be read below:
“The LGBTQIA+ workers and allies at The Walt Disney Company are standing in solidarity together over the coming weeks. The recent statements by The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) leadership regarding the Florida legislature’s recent ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill have utterly failed to match the magnitude of the threat to LGBTQIA+ safety represented by this legislation. Primarily, those statements have indicated that leadership still does not truly understand the impact this legislation is having not only on cast members in the state of Florida, but on all members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the company and beyond. While we certainly appreciate Bob Chapek’s apology note, there is still more work to be done....As a community, we have been forced into an impossible and unsustainable position. We must now take action to convince TWDC to protect employees and their families in the face of such open and unapologetic bigotry.”
Disney's response to this bill has been a very public misfire for the company, one of many for Chapek, like the very public lawsuit with MCU star Scarlett Johansson over the Disney+ release of Black Widow, one that likely would not have happened under former CEO Bob Iger. It has also been reported that Disney staff asked Chapek to oppose the "Don't Say Gay" Bill before it passed, and Pixar employees said Disney censored LGBTQ+ material in their films, a very different sentiment from the public perception the company wants to show as they often host pride events and like to boast the first gay character in a film so many times, it has become an internet meme.
The news of the walkout comes on the same day that Disney released a trailer and premiere date for the MCU series, Ms. Marvel, and while not done intentionally, the studio is likely hoping to draw attention away from the walkout news and the Florida Bill with this trailer, similar to how the Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer was released shortly after Chapek's controversial memo. While the company has made strides for more inclusive entertainment like Ms. Marvel, the recently released Turning Red, and a number of upcoming projects, the studio cannot only rely on entertainment. Disney has a very public face, and with that comes a certain amount of responsibility they must take on and use their vast influence to help those with less, not just in the types of stories they see reflected, but with real-world action.
Source: Variety, DisneyWalkout