Disney CEO Received Letter From LGBTQ Staff Pleading for Support Before ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Passed Florida Senate (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comJennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek and other company leaders received a letter from Disney’s LGBTQIA+ Business Employee Resource Groups on Feb.
28, requesting the company “issue a public statement condemning anti-LGBTQIA+ policies in the U.S.” just after Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill had passed the state’s House of Representatives, but before it cleared the Senate, Variety has learned exclusively.“While there are over 200 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills being introduced across the nation (and more globally), we urge you to begin with speaking against these acts: The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill in Florida (set to go into effect July 1st) and the Texas Governor’s directive for state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care as ‘child abuse,'” reads the letter, which was obtained by Variety Thursday, following Chapek’s first public opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill at the Disney shareholders meeting Wednesday.
The letter continues: “As one of the largest employers in Florida, one currently relocating even more employees to the state, it is the Company’s utmost responsibility to protect these individuals.
The enacted bill is designed so Florida schools “may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” The bill does not define “age-appropriate” and has the power to enact further limitations, giving parents the ability to sue schools if they believed the schools violated any provisions of the law.“Legislation of this manner specifically targets the most vulnerable members of our community, and data proves that a lack of support leads to an increase of.
