With its rainbow plastered products and widely marketed background shots of homosexual characters, it's undeniable that the Walt Disney Company
However, following the introduction of Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" Bill, workers began to express concern over the company's history of making political donations to the creators of this blatantly anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, including Governor Ron DeSantis. Disney, which employs 80,000 FL residents, also initially declined to sign a Human Rights Campaign letter expressing opposition to the bill.
Now, walkouts are being staged across the company to call for greater action on LGBTQ+ issues from TWDC.
Following the initial outcry and a series of smaller walkouts held during employee breaks, Disney CEO Bob Chapek disavowed the bill and released an apology to the LGTQ+ community, stating that he needed "to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights".
"Starting immediately, we are increasing our support for advocacy groups to combat similar legislation in other states," Chapek wrote. "We are hard at work creating a new framework for our political giving... And today, we are pausing all political donations in the state of Florida pending this review."
However, soon after Chapek's apology was released, Disney employees sent an open letter to the company saying that TWDC hasn't done enough to combat the threat posed by the Parental Rights in Education or "Don't Say Gay" Bill.
"The recent statements by The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) leadership regarding the Florida legislature's recent 'Don't Say Gay' bill have utterly failed to match the magnitude of the threat to LGBTQIA+ safety represented by this legislation," the letter reads.
In addition to calling for a permanent end to donations to the legislators involved, employees are also asking Disney to stop relocating employees to FL, to give "an actionable plan that protects employees from hateful legislation", and to create a Disney brand dedicated to LGBTQ+ creators and content.
"The ongoing attempts to placate the LGBTQIA+ community with subpar representation in the content produced and donations to well-meaning organizations are simply not enough," the letter states. "You cannot fix this with educational seminars or token background characters."
On Tuesday, March 22, Disney employees held a coordinated walkout across the company and a protest at Disney's headquarters in Burbank, California.
Disney has been struggling to clean up the mess it's created by failing to speak out against the "Don't Say Gay" bill. It has joined the Human Rights Campaign's letter opposing the legislation, and it has announced that it will restore a same-sex kiss to the upcoming "Lightyear" Pixar film. Chapek also postponed an upcoming management retreat, saying that he and the other executives will instead spend the time on a listening tour through Disney's facilities.
Still, there are several demands from Disney employees that have not been met. Employees who didn't feel safe joining in the walkout also say they were told they couldn't wear Disney pride merchandise to show their support for the protest.
