This Tuesday, March 22, at around 8:30 a.m., Disney employees walked off the job to protest the company’s response to Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Spanning major properties from Marvel, ESPN and HULU, to parks and cruise ships including Disney World, Disney is facing a fierce internal debate. Amid reports that employees were planning to walk out of their jobs over Disney’s response to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, Walt Disney World issued a statement on social media.
“Welcome to ALL who come to this happy place. Disney Parks, Experiences & Products is committed to creating experiences that support family values for every family, and will not tolerate discrimination in any form. We oppose any legislation that violates basic human rights, and stand in solidarity with and support our LGBTQIA+ cast, crew and imaginers and fans who make their voices heard today and every day“, the post reads.
Disney, I love you and I love going to Disney World, but if you really believe every single word in your statement, you need to prove it and fire Bob Chapek. pic.twitter.com/p1fstCaa6n
— Cristina Alexander (@SonicPrincess15) March 22, 2022
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If signed into law, the bill would ban classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. Critics say such a law would reverse decades of progress on LGBTQ rights.
— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) March 22, 2022
The president of the company officially apologized on Friday, March 11th, through an email to employees where he said:
“You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let them down. Sorry“.
”We are increasing our support for advocacy groups to fight similar laws in other states. We are working hard to create a new framework for our political donations that will ensure our advocacy better reflects our values. And today, we are pausing all political donations in the state of Florida pending this review“.
