Disney CEO breaks silence on Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill

Contents:

• DISNEY CEO BOB IGER ADDRS 'DON'T SAY GAY' FALLOUT, IMPORTANCE OF LGBTQ CLN STORI
• DISNEY CEO APOLOGIZ FOR ‘SILENCE’ ON ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL
• DISNEY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ADMS TO ‘GAY AGENDA,’ ‘ADDG QUEERNS’ WHEREVER SHE COULD
• DISNEY C.E.O. SAYS COMPANY IS ‘OPPOSED’ TO FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL
• DISNEY’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ MISSTEP THREATENS TO OVERSHADOW CHAPEK’S REIGN AS CEODISNEY’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ MISSTEP THREATENS TO OVERSHADOW CHAPEK’S REIGN AS CEO
• DISNEY CEO APOLOGIZ TO EMPLOYE FOR RPONSE TO FLORIDA 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL
• DISNEY EXECUTIVE GEOFF MORRELL, WHO HELPED CRAFT RPONSE TO 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW, LEAV PANY AFTER THREE MONTHS
• DISNEY CEO BOB CHAPEK BREAKS SILENCE ON FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL
• GEE KALOGRIDIS BE WALT DISNEY WORLD'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINT

DISNEY CEO BOB IGER ADDRS 'DON'T SAY GAY' FALLOUT, IMPORTANCE OF LGBTQ CLN STORI

Valerie Man | AFP | Getty ImagFollowg cricism of s past handlg of LGBTQ issu, Disney CEO Bob Iger on Monday told employe that cln and acceptance are among the "re valu" of the pany's remarks e after Disney had faced cricism unr prev CEO Bob Chapek for s handlg of Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, which banned stctn on sexual orientatn and genr inty krgarten through third gra. Disney's recent cln of unambiguoly gay characters animated films has also drawn cricism om anti-LGBTQ activists. Its newt animated release, "Strange World, " also clus a ma character who is gay and has a csh on a boy the was praised for s cln of such characters, but many felt the pany did not do enough to support the cisns when they received backlash om some nservative Monday, Iger poted to films like "Black Panther" and "Co" as exampl of Disney projects that "changed the world for good.

'I am eply gay': Kate McKnon mocks Florida's ntroversial bill. (DIS) CEO Bob Chapek apologized for his “silence” on Florida’s ntroversial bill dubbed “Don’t Say Gay, ” days after clg to nmn .

“Thank you to all who have reached out to me sharg your pa, tratn and sadns over the pany’s rponse to the Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, ” Chapek wrote a letter to employe Friday that was obtaed by CNN. Durg a staff meetg on Florida’s recent enactment of the Parental Rights Edutn bill, an executive producer at Disney said she was advancg a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” to sert queerns to children’s Ravene, executive producer for Disney Televisn Animatn, talked about how the stud’s treatment of her progrsive ias fied her negative expectatns of the pany, a vio obtaed by journalist Christopher Rufo. To my not-at-all-secret gay agenda, ” she said.

DISNEY CEO APOLOGIZ FOR ‘SILENCE’ ON ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

Ravene’s leaked ments me out Tuday, the day after Florida ernor Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights Edutn bill, dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill by crics, which prohibs the teachg of genr inty and sexual orientatn to children krgarten through third ’s learship nmned the legislatn and attempted to lobby DeSantis to kill , but he refed to budge. A group of California Disney employe staged a walkout last week to prott the measure, wearg rabow lors, holdg signs wh pro-LGBTQ slogans, and shoutg, “Say Gay, ” as they marched down the ernor slammed the pany for s hypocrisy phg domtic social-jtice while nductg bs Cha wh the blsg of the Che Communist Party, a regime notor for human-rights ab relatg to the Uyghur Mlims, Hong Kong, Tibet, etc.

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

Says Company Is ‘Opposed’ to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ BillBob Chapek’s remarks followed cricism that the pany, a major employer the state bee of Disney World, had not spoken out agast the Kpa/Associated PrsMarch 9, 2022It was a bised Bob Chapek who arrived at Disney’s annual shareholr meetg on Wednday — and all bee of a crisis of his own makg. Legislatn Florida that activists have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Ron DeSantis on Wednday “to exprs our disappotment and ncern that if legislatn be law, uld be ed to unfairly target gay lbian, nonbary and transgenr kids and fai.

Chapek, sg and wearg a light gray su wh no tie, spent more than 30 mut praisg recent acplishments, cludg the openg of a new “Star Wars” attractn at Disney World, and teasg upg offergs, like the summertime rollout of a new Disney cise then went off mera and did his bt to execute a graceful ex om the “Don’t Say Gay” suatn. More about Brooks BarnA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn B, Page 6 of the New York edn wh the headle: Disney Chief Addrs Anti-Gay Bill.

Weeks ago, facg prsure ternally to speak out agast Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Disney CEO Bob Chapek took a surprisg approach: he did nothg. It’s also ma Disney the target of right-wg protters who have lled for a Disney employe who spoke wh The Verge say there’s ltle chance the chaos surroundg the pany’s “Don’t Say Gay” rponse, particular, would have happened on the watch of ’s reimaged DisneyChapek’s promotn to chief of Disney cid wh a pivotal time for the pany.

DISNEY C.E.O. SAYS COMPANY IS ‘OPPOSED’ TO FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

And while ’s too soon to say whether his strategy is gog to work, Chapek seems ls ncerned wh alienatg employe or alli if means he pulls ’s “Don’t Say Gay” misstepBut Chapek’s handlg of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill Florida — and his refal to speak out about — has arguably been the sgle greatt public embarrassment for the pany to date. ”“We are dog our bt to be patient and wa to see what learship will do next”At the same time, the anizers of the Disney Walkout movement — who spoke wh The Verge over email as a group — noted that while even lger has spoken out publicly agast discrimatory legislatn while leadg the pany, “the polil donatns to the Florida policians behd the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill have been occurrg sce even Iger’s tenure as CEO.

” Ceasg donatns to polil figur and groups that actively work to advance legislatn like the “Don’t Say Gay” bill is one of the re mands of LGBTQ-pl employe behd the Where Is Chapek iative. On top of that, a patently homophobic rally was held at Disney Studs Burbank last week, and right-wg media has seized on the chance to blast the Disney has publicly said would like to see the “Don’t Say Gay” bill repealed, the walkout anizers say that as of last week, there had been no other munitn by Disney’s learship to employe about how ’s actively workg toward that goal. Disney will pse all polil donatns Florida after tense cricism over how the media giant rpond to state legislatn that would lim discsn of LGBTQ issu schools, CEO Bob Chapek said a letter to employe also apologized to his lleagu for not takg a more forceful stand agast what activists ll the "Don't Say Gay" legislatn Florida.

"Disney has faced tense public scty and ternal cricism over how rpond to the "Don't Say Gay" legislatn, wh some fltg Chapek for sayg a memo that the pany n make the "biggt impact" by "creatg a more clive world through the spirg ntent we produce.

DISNEY’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ MISSTEP THREATENS TO OVERSHADOW CHAPEK’S REIGN AS CEODISNEY’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ MISSTEP THREATENS TO OVERSHADOW CHAPEK’S REIGN AS CEO

's rponse to ntroversial legislatn passed Florida known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Octav Jon | Getty Imag News | Getty ImagGeoff Morrell, the chief rporate affairs officer who helped archect Disney's public rponse to Florida's so-lled "Don't Say Gay" legislatn, has cid to leave the pany. 24, Morrell guid Disney and Chapek to publicly expla why hadn't taken a public stand on Florida's ntroversial "Don't Say Gay" legislatn, which barred some elementary school stctn of sexual orientatn and genr inty.

He feared if Disney took a public stand agast "Don't Say Gay, " the pany may also have to publicly fight future human rights issu, cludg potential offens om Cha, an important market for Disney ntent. Both Tmp and DeSantis have e after Disney's public challenge of "Don't Say Gay.

But by explag Disney's cisn not to take a stand on "Don't Say Gay, " rather than simply not takg a public posn, Morrell's strategy opened up the pany to months of prott that uld have been avoid. Disney CEO Bob Chapek is breakg his silence about Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill amid prsure om some employe and LGBTQ rights groups. Disney CEO Bob Chapek broke his silence about Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

DISNEY CEO APOLOGIZ TO EMPLOYE FOR RPONSE TO FLORIDA 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

Disney said will addrs the “Don’t Say Gay” bill at a summ next month where employe n share their ncerns. The drawn-out nflict began after Florida passed a bill — emed by crics as “Don’t Say Gay” — March 2022 that rtricted discsn of LGBTQ topics public schools.

DISNEY EXECUTIVE GEOFF MORRELL, WHO HELPED CRAFT RPONSE TO 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW, LEAV PANY AFTER THREE MONTHS

Walt Disney World has, of urse, long urted a gay followg. But now, the Orlando-based rort is takg the next step by welg s first openly gay print. As South Florida Gay News reports, the 59-year-old Kalogridis has been wh the Walt Disney Company sce 1971, when he land a job bsg tabl at Disney's Contemporary Rort on the Orlando property.

DISNEY CEO BOB CHAPEK BREAKS SILENCE ON FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

GEE KALOGRIDIS BE WALT DISNEY WORLD'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINT