On March 8, both the Florida Senate and the House passed what is being called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. This bill is meant to restrict the teachings of gender identity and sexual orientation in the elementary school setting. According to ABC News, these teachings “may not occur in kindergarten through grade three,” or at any school-age level deemed as developmentally inappropriate in relation to Florida’s state standards.
After recent complaints and outrage were made towards Disney’s CEO, Bob Chapek, for not making what Disney employees thought to be a sufficient stance against the bill, Chapek recognized the shortcomings of the company’s recent efforts. Disney was opposed to the bill from the “outset, but…chose not to take a public position on it” because they thought they could make the most impact “behind-the-scenes, engaging directly with lawmakers.” To make amends with their supporters and staff, Disney promised a donation of $5 million to be made to organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, that support those in the LGBTQ+ community.
In response to this statement, the Human Rights Campaign claimed that they will not accept any donations from Disney until they “see them build on their public commitment and work with LGBTQ+ advocates to ensure that dangerous proposals, like Florida’s, Don’t Say Gay or Trans bill, don’t become dangerous laws.” In a similar way, Disney employees continue to show their disappointment in the efforts of Disney and CEO Bob Chapek by taking to social media. Disney’s animation writer and LGBTQ+ community member, Benjamin Siemon, warns Disney supporters to not be fooled by the company’s “half-hearted” efforts. Prior to the promise of a $5 million donation, it is on record that Disney has donated “$299,126 to members of the Florida legislature” that have voted in favor of the “‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation.” Siemon warns us of his belief that Disney will continue in their intentions to donate to politicians who are in favor of passing bills such as this.
Disney animator and director, Dana Terrace, also took to Twitter in discussing the company-wide email they received from Bob Chapek, full of what they deemed as “flowery and compassionate words” used to quiet the opinions and complaints of Disney staff members. The email reads, “I believe the best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce and the diverse organizations we support.” Terrace goes on to refute this statement made by Chapek by drawing attention once again to the hundreds of thousands of dollars donated by Disney to politicians supporting bills such as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The staff of Disney continues to voice their opinions on the environment the company is creating for their LGBTQ+ community supporters through their actions rather than their words. According to USA Today, to truly start to gain the trust and respect of the community back, Disney needs to start “putting its queer characters front and center” rather than “sprinkling them in as side characters.” Even star Josh Gad, best known at Disney for his roles as Olaf in Frozen and as Lefou in the live-action rendition of Beauty and the Beast, shared his concerns for the praise his characters received after displaying subtle characteristics of being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
In an interview with The Independent, Gad claims “…frankly, I don’t think we did justice to what a real gay character in a Disney film should be. That was not Lefou. If we’re going to pat ourselves on the back, then damn it we should have gone further with that.” Through discussions like these, both the Disney staff and LGBTQ+ supporters are patiently awaiting the day where they can confidently say that they feel Disney is doing the best they can to make their fans feel seen and supported.
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