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Disney CEO caves, signs statement opposing Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation, will meet with DeSantis

March 10, 2022 | | Print Article

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(Video Credit: Fox 35 Orlando)

Disney CEO Bob Chapek caved to pressure from leftists on Monday for not speaking out sooner on Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and says that he and Disney executives will meet with Governor Ron DeSantis over it.

The bill is meant to keep teacher-led discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity out of kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. It is directed at shielding young children from inappropriate issues that they aren’t old enough to understand.

“I understand our original approach, no matter how well-intended, didn’t quite get the job done,” Chapek contended during the company’s annual shareholders meeting.

He went on to say that he had called DeSantis Wednesday morning to voice his company’s “disappointment and concern” concerning the bill. He stated that if the legislation becomes law it “could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families.”

“The governor heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss ways to address them,” Chapek announced.

He also remarked that the outcome was “not what many of us were hoping for, especially our LGBTQ+ employees.”

“While we have been strong supporters of the community for decades, I understand that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill,” Chapek told the audience. “We 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.”

He claimed that Disney hoped that “our longstanding relationships with those lawmakers would enable us to achieve a better outcome. Ultimately, we were unsuccessful.”

Disney is now pledging $5 million to organizations working to protect LGTBQ+ rights. Chapek says that he will sign the Human Rights Campaign’s statement opposing similar legislation efforts across the country.

“Disney contacted our office today to speak with the governor. This is the first time we have heard from Disney regarding HB 1557,” Christina Pushaw, who is a spokeswoman for Governor DeSantis told CNN in an interview. “The governor did take the call from Mr. Chapek. The governor’s position has not changed. No in-person meeting has been scheduled yet.”

“The governor’s position has not changed,” a statement read. “Disney is known as a family-friendly company that creates wholesome entertainment for kids. The same Florida parents who take their families to Disney also support parental rights in education, because they do not want their young children exposed to inappropriate content about sex and gender theory at school.”

Chapek made it clear that Disney will “unequivocally stand” with LGBTQ+ employees and is dedicated to inclusivity. He said that films such as “Encanto” and TV shows like “Modern Family” can make lasting societal change.

“These and all of our diverse stories are our corporate statements — and they are more powerful than any tweet or lobbying effort,” he asserted.

Chapek said that Disney is “reassessing our approach to advocacy — including political giving in Florida and beyond,” according to NPR.

Disney employees vented their outrage on social media when the company did not denounce the proposed legislation immediately.

Actor and writer Ben Siemon whose credits include Disney’s DuckTales, tweeted, “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.”

Animator and director Dana Terrace, who created Disney’s animated series The Owl House also protested Disney’s slow response to the bill.

People are not surprised by Disney’s move on gender and sexually-explicit issues when it comes to children:

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