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.
Contents:
- DISNEY’S “DON’T SAY GAY” STANCE WASN’T THE FIRST TIME BETRAYED S LGBTQ FANS
- OPN: 3 THGS DISNEY SHOULD DO AFTER S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BLUNR
- 'I LET YOU DOWN': DISNEY CEO APOLOGIZ FOR 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL RPONSE
- AFTER PROTTS, DISNEY CEO SPEAKS OUT AGAST FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL
- LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN
- I'M NOT GAY
DISNEY’S “DON’T SAY GAY” STANCE WASN’T THE FIRST TIME BETRAYED S LGBTQ FANS
The pany’s tone af mishandlg of Florida’s ‘don’t say gay’ bill has revealed a long-gtatg nflict * i'm not gay disney *
”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”.
OPN: 3 THGS DISNEY SHOULD DO AFTER S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BLUNR
* i'm not gay disney *
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. 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.
'I LET YOU DOWN': DISNEY CEO APOLOGIZ FOR 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL RPONSE
LGBTQ people are flockg to Florida this weekend to take part Gay Days, Disney's Pri celebratn. * i'm not gay disney *
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. 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.
AFTER PROTTS, DISNEY CEO SPEAKS OUT AGAST FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL
I'm Not Gay: Directed by Stt L. Semer. Wh Brad Bradley, Gee Dvorsky, Sydney Jam Harurt, Alan Mgo Jr.." data-id="ma * i'm not gay disney *
Over the last few s, no pany has done a better job at pturg fans across seemgly every kd of mographic — all rac, all religns, young and old, straight and gay — all while slyly beg the most powerful entertament enty on the pla.
Over the past week, the entertament juggernt flipped and flopped an attempt to reassure s employe and s massive fanbase about s posn on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. After an open letter om LGBTQ Pixar staff and their alli alleged that Disney had actively scbbed “overtly gay affectn” and queer reprentatn om their movi, Chapek emailed employe that the pany would halt all polil donatns Florida on Friday, and donate to groups fightg siar legislatn other stat.
How Disney Gays feel about the pany and s “Don’t Say Gay” stance. He was also gay and died of AIDS 1991.
LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN
Berg self-intifi as a “Disney Gay, ” havg worked at the Disney Store the Mall of Ameri. Dpe the existence of sgg flatware and an unrsea kgdom where the buff mermaid sea kg’s favore thg is mils featurg his many dghters, there are no actual gay characters Bety and the Beast or The Ltle Mermaid. “Ltle Mermaid had songs wrten by a gay person the late ’80s.
I'M NOT GAY
Sce the ceptn of “Gay Days” (a day where LGBTQ people go en masse to a Disney theme park) the 1990s, Disney has passively supported the unofficially anized celebratns.
Berg explaed that the small actns have allowed queer fans to fet about how Disneyland once had a policy that prohibed same-sex dancg, ultimately stck down by the Orange County Superr Court 1984, or that a gay executive filed a sexual orientatn discrimatn su agast the pany 2021.
Disney’s stance on “Don’t Say Gay” and s alignment wh Florida’s anti-gay lawmakers was a remr that the pany isn’t as progrsive as says is. “Listen, if you were emotnally moved any way by WandaVisn, you’re the same pot wh the rt of Disney Gays, ” Sass said, summarizg how hard is for anyone upset about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill to avoid Disney’s properti.