Disney CEO Backs LGBTQ Communy After 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Backlash - Variety

Contents:

• AFTER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKLASH, DISNEY CEO EXPRS ‘UNWAVERG SUPPORT’ FOR LGBTQ COMMUNY
• DISNEY TO STILL FUND ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKERS, WILL SUPPORT GAY RIGHTS WH ‘INSPIRG CONTENT’
• DISNEY WORKERS WALK OUT OVER THE PANY'S RPONSE TO SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL
• AFTER PROTTS, DISNEY CEO SPEAKS OUT AGAST FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL
• DISNEY CEO SAYS PANY OPPOS 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL FLORIDA, SEEKS MEETG WH DESANTIS
• DISNEY SAYS SUPPORTS GAY RIGHTS WH ‘SPIRG NTENT’ SPE DONATG TO ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKERS

AFTER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKLASH, DISNEY CEO EXPRS ‘UNWAVERG SUPPORT’ FOR LGBTQ COMMUNY

”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 TO STILL FUND ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKERS, WILL SUPPORT GAY RIGHTS WH ‘INSPIRG CONTENT’

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.

DISNEY WORKERS WALK OUT OVER THE PANY'S RPONSE TO SO-LLED '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.

AFTER PROTTS, DISNEY CEO SPEAKS OUT AGAST FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

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. Has urted LGBTQ+ visors to s theme parks, sellg rabow-lored souvenirs and hostg groups that anize annual “Gay Days” Disney this week started marketg and promotg merchandise unr the name Pri Collectn for the first time, a big brandg move for a pany that has bee a nservative target for s support of LGBTQ+ rights.

”Disney began to feel the wrath of nservative lawmakers several months ago when Chief Executive Bob Chapek voiced opposn to Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn law, legislatn more monly known by crics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Universal Studs Hollywood is the annual se of a gay pri celebratn known as “Pri Is Universal. Proceeds om ticket sal helped support hog programs for people wh AIDS and scholarships for stunts studyg LGBTQ+ years, Disneyland and Walt Disney World Florida have been the se of “Gay Days” celebratns that have drawn thoands of members of the LGBTQ+ events take place the parks but are anized by outsi groups.

DISNEY CEO SAYS PANY OPPOS 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL FLORIDA, SEEKS MEETG WH DESANTIS

“Gay Days” events attract about 30, 000 visors each year to Anaheim’s Disneyland Rort, acrdg to anizers. 16-18 at Shapiro, who lnched “Gay Days Anaheim” wh his iend Jefey Epste, lled the Pri Collectn a “step the right directn” and said he expects to see Disney ntue to support the LGBTQ+ muny and stop ntributg to the mpaign ffers of nservativ who monize the acceptance of gay and lbian upl. “The world has evolved and so too has the Walt Disney Co., ” Shapiro Colijn, who ns a gay travel blog wh his partner, Karl Krse, appld Disney’s move, llg the pany an LGBTQ+ ally.

In the past, they have turned down ias of gay characters, like Elsa, and even moved shows wh gay characters, like Love, Victor, to Hulu and other streamg works bee wouldn't promote 'fay-iendly' ntent. 8 Gay Days At Disneyland.

Gays Days tak place on the first Sunday October, Disneyland. A "Mi Gay Day" is held March. It is about a gay man's g out story.

DISNEY SAYS SUPPORTS GAY RIGHTS WH ‘SPIRG NTENT’ SPE DONATG TO ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL BACKERS

The short gave Pixar s first-ever gay lead. The short is ne mut long and giv gay fans the spotlight and hope for more LGBTQ+ characters the future. The origal Disney+ seri, 'HSMTMTS, ' featur two characters, Carlos and Seb, who are gay.

4 Puttg Gay Actors In Films. However, there was some ntroversy when Disney st a straight actor, Jack Whehall, a gay role, for the upg film, Jungle Cise. 3 Openly Gay Print.

In Febary 2013, Disney World hired s first openly gay print, Gee Kalogridis.

Along wh havg a gay actor, Disney also briefly, very briefly, let fans know that LeFou (Josh Gad), the 2017 live adaptatn of Bety and the Beast was gay. The nod to his sexualy was a tribute to the 19991 movie's late lyricist, Howard Ashman, who was gay. The director of the live-actn film, Bill Condon, is also gay, so this was a historic moment for the movie.

NEXT: 10 Actors Everyone Thks Is Gay But Aren't (5 That Actually Are). California's Disneyland and Florida's Walt Disney World are expected to see workers walk off their jobs prott of the pany's nflictg statements regardg s stance on Florida's ntroversial so-lled Don't Say Gay bill, which was passed by the state's legislature and is expected to be signed to law by Governor Ron DeSantis, prohibs curriculum regardg LGBTQ+ rights early tn om krgarten through third gra. "The recent statements and lack of actn by TWDC learship regardg the "Don't Say Gay or Trans" bill have utterly failed to match the magnu of the threat to LGBTQIA+ safety reprented by this legislatn, " the Disney Do Better Walkout webse said.

The nonprof has been discsns wh Disney CEO Bob Chapek about the pany's role fightg back agast the Don't Say Gay bill. "The employe know that rporatns like Disney have a real role to play batg discrimatory legislatn—not only the 'Don't Say Gay or Trans' bill Florida, but also the attacks on transgenr youth we're seeg stat like Texas and Alabama. In the wake of ntroversy over Disney’s quiet rponse to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislatn, as well as a report that the pany has given money to all of the bill’s sponsors, CEO Bob Chapek exprsed Disney’s “unwaverg mment to the LGBTQ+ muny” a pany-wi email obtaed by Variety.

The memo jt days after Disney drew cricism for s soft stance on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would lim discsns of sexual orientatn and genr inty schools. 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. 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.