Disney to host gay rights summ Orlando

Contents:

• DISNEY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ADMS TO ‘GAY AGENDA,’ ‘ADDG QUEERNS’ WHEREVER SHE COULD
• DISNEY WORLD DEFI RON DESANTIS BY HOSTG GAY RIGHTS SUMM FLORIDA
• DISNEY EMPLOYE STAGE WALKOUT TO MAND ACTN AGAST 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL
• DISNEY TO HOST GAY RIGHTS SUMM ORLANDO

DISNEY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ADMS TO ‘GAY AGENDA,’ ‘ADDG QUEERNS’ WHEREVER SHE COULD

Disney’s ntroversial rponse to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill unrsr the pany’s plited history wh the LGBTQ+ muny — a plex relatnship which Disney has played both champn and punchg bag.

DISNEY WORLD DEFI RON DESANTIS BY HOSTG GAY RIGHTS SUMM FLORIDA

Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out about — but did not nmn — Florida’s ntroversial Parental Rights Edutn bill, which crics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay. Griff, who is also a profsor of film and media arts at Southern Methodist Universy, add that Disney has recently received a lot of publicy about var Disney films wh openly gay characters. Even though Disney’s re product of fay-iendly entertament hasn’t been blatant s reprentatn of gay characters, ABC — which is owned by Disney — has done so wh TV shows like “Morn Fay” and “Ellen.

” In fact, “Ellen” had the first gay lead character on TV 1997. Disney has historilly had many gay employe, too. ”The Walt Disney Company, one of the world’s biggt media and entertament empir, pris self on a lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) iendly culture.

But today s reputatn for clivy and tolerance is unr scty – as are s ep ti to the polil tablishment and the lack of LGBTQ reprentatn s ’s workers have been stagg walkouts prott at chief executive Bob Chapek’s lackltre rponse to Florida legislatn dubbed “don’t say gay”. But their prejudic were laid bare by a tweet om Christa Phaw, prs secretary for Florida’s ernor, Ron DeSantis, that said: “The bill that liberals accurately ll ‘don’t say gay’ would be more accurately scribed as an anti-groomg bill. It has been nmned as “hateful” by Joe Bin and other Democrats who argue that monis LGBTQ, prs secretary of the LGBTQ rights anisatn Equaly Florida and a survivor of the Pulse nightclub shootg 2016, says: “The ‘don’t say gay bill’ was dubbed that by the muny bee is a bigoted, very specifilly anti-LGBTQ piece of legislatn signed to censor classroom speech about our muny.

DISNEY EMPLOYE STAGE WALKOUT TO MAND ACTN AGAST 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

Photograph: Chris Pizzello/Invisn/APYet the “don’t say gay” bill wrong-footed Chapek, who succeed Bob Iger as chief executive Febary 2020. They give to a lot of Democrats, bee they want those Democrats to be on their si too, but they have given a disproportnate amount to Republin legislators, many of whom supported and voted for the ‘don’t say gay’ bill.

The Human Rights Campaign has said will stop acceptg money om Disney “until we see them build on their public mment and work wh LGBTQ+ advot to ensure that dangero proposals, like Florida’s ‘don’t say gay or trans’ bill, don’t bee dangero laws” Whehall and Ey Blunt Jungle Cise. Eric Marc, creator and host of the Makg Gay History podst, says: “Disney has cultivated an LGBTQ-iendly image, both through their cln of LGBTQ characters recent years and wh their employe, so ’s shockg but not shockg that the CEO would have been so flat-footed.

Photograph: APFor s the stud’s output was steadfastly heterosexual even though s creative talents clud gay people such as Howard Ashman, an Osr wner who wrote the lyrics for The Ltle Mermaid and Bety and the Beast before his ath om Aids has been some progrs sce then wh a growg LGBTQ portrayals films and TV shows and the sellg of LGBTQ pri-themed merchandise at Disney stor.

DISNEY TO HOST GAY RIGHTS SUMM ORLANDO

Last year’s film Jungle Cise featured a proment gay character: McGregor Houghton, played by Jack Whehall.

“Nearly every moment of overtly gay affectn is cut at Disney’s beht, regardls of when there is prott om both the creative teams and executive learship at Pixar. Disney employe staged a walkout Tuday prott of the pany’s rponse to Florida’s ntroversial Parental Rights Edutn law, which crics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. DeSantis’s move was explicly retaliatn to Disney’s opposn to HB 1557, better known as the “Don’t say gay” law.

In terms of the LGBTQ+ muny, though, Disney’s relatnship go far eper, and has veloped ways the pany self n never have Disney was never a rd-rryg homophobe but he was a steadfast nservative, and long after his ath 1966, Disney’s output ntued to promote “tradnal” and “fay” valu. That didn’t disunt “dg” Disney characters (ually villas) as queer, that they exhibed stereotypilly gay attribut such as effemate behavur or distert the oppose sex: Jafar Aladd, for example, or Sr The Ln Kg, or even Shere Khan the tiger The Jungle Book. He moved to Florida and worked for Disney for 15 employe prott agast Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill.

One of the unsung LGBTQ+ hero of Disney lore, for example, is Howard Ashman, the openly gay lyricist and producer, who died of an Aids-related illns 1991. “You didn’t always feel safe as a gay kid, now you’re walkg down Ma Street, USA, and everythg is manicured, everythg is clean.

This was the park’s first Gay Day, and has ntued ever sce. Compose: Guardian DignIn the early years, Disney would warn “straight” visors when was Gay Day and hand out whe T-shirts to non-participants who had advertently turned up wearg red.

While Disney do not officially regnise Gay Day, soon me to appreciate the mercial clout of the LGBTQ+ muny. There is no end of rabow-loured Disney merchandise on sale, and Disney acmodat and facilat the Gay Day schle of events, cludg a week-long ftival takg place across the cy, wh club nights, drag shows, pool parti, and special hotel his first Florida Gay Day 1998, Shapiro found a sister Gay Day Anaheim at the Los Angel Disneyland.

While Orlando Gay Days are more party-centric, the lower-key Anaheim event tak place mostly si the park.

Disney now hosts a table at s wele centre promotg fairytale gay weddgs at Disneyland and hosts premier at Gay Day.

“Gay Day was never formed wh a polil agenda, ” says Shapiro.