After facing a PR nightmare thanks to its inability to take a more forceful, pro-active stance against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, including pushback from some of its biggest stars, The Walt Disney Company finally issued a strong statement on Monday condemning the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. There’s just one small problem. Disney waited until after Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law on the same day. However, the House of Mouse says it will put its full weight behind efforts to have the discriminatory law repealed.
“Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” a Disney spokesperson said. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.”
Disney’s more forceful condemnation arrives on the heels of an employee walkout and a strong internal backlash from its LGBTQ+ staff and their allies. While Marvel Studios took a decisive stance against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and CEO Bob Chapek apologized for failing to act more strongly, Monday’s statement is easily the strongest stance by The Walt Disney Company as a whole. Naturally, the entertainment giant is already facing criticisms of being “woke” by Republicans like DeSantis, but the bill is objectively evil and Disney is in the right to challenge it. Although, maybe stepping up harder before it became a law would’ve been great. Just throwing that out there.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)