In reaction to Disney's position on the "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida, LGBTQ employees and supporters staged a walkout at their Burbank, California, headquarters on Tuesday (22).
More than 70 employees reportedly gathered in the morning at the Bette Davis Picnic Area. It was a response to a number of Disney-related social media posts from the likes of Hulu and Disney+, as well as National Geographic and FX.
We stand with our LGBTQIA+ colleagues, storytellers, relatives, and friends, "read a Hulu post that said," We stand with laws that marginalize and demean their identities and lives." As always, we're dedicated to bringing you stories that show how our community's rich diversity unites and strengthens us.
There have been a number of Disney staff virtual walkouts recently, and protesters have called on the theme park's tens of thousands of employees in Florida to take decisive action to stop the "Don't Say Gay" legislation, which effectively bans discussion of homosexuality or transgender identity in Florida public schools' lower grades.
Uncertainty over what would happen in reaction to the legislation has been leveled at Disney CEO Bob Chapek (above). On March 10, Disney apologised for its position and stated it would stop making political donations in the state.
A meeting with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was also sought by the CEO after the bill passed both chambers of the state legislature and just needed his signature to become law. Other states are considering similar legislation.
On the "Where Is Chapek?" website, anonymous Disney employees commented that the gravity of the threat to LGBTQIA+ safety posed by this law had not been adequately addressed by Chapek's words.
In the letter, DeSantis and others named in the letter were urged to break all ties with Disney. In light of Disney's need for certain employees to migrate to Florida for employment, the letter urged a concrete strategy to safeguard employees against "hateful laws."
These include freezing building and investment in Florida, halting efforts to relocate workers from California to Florida, and releasing a promise that no employee would be fired for refusing to move to Florida; providing assistance for employees and their families who have already migrated.
Employees and sympathizers of the LGBTQIA+ community at Pixar recently submitted a statement claiming that Disney has ordered the removal of sequences depicting same-sex intimacy from Pixar films. In the forthcoming Toy Story spin-off, Lightyear, a same-sex kiss has been reintroduced.