Disney LGBTQ employees slam company for cutting same-sex affection on screen

After pressing its three appointees to the city's redistricting task force about how they have approached their job of redrawing the city's 11 supervisorial districts, the San Francisco Elections Commission Friday rejected calls that they remove the trio. It came less than 24 hours of when the new political map is to be posted ahead of a final vote next week."I think it is quite important to respect the independence of the task force," said Lucy Bernholz, a lesbian who is president of the elections commission.Fellow commissioner Cynthia Dai, a lesbian who served on California's statewide redistricting panel in 2011, said she didn't want to "blow up" the redistricting process by removing the appointees.

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Ezra Miller’s arrest last week for allegedly attacking a karaoke-singers in Hawaii has caused Warner Brothers to “pause” all of the non-binary actor’s future film projects.Though Miller has become well-known for appearing in the Fantastic Beasts and DC’s superhero film series, their career has been punctuated with several notable highlights and lowlights. Here are five of the actor’s most noteworthy moments throughout their unapologetically queer career:Miller initially came out in a 2012 interview, after wowing audiences by playing a gay teen in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and a disturbed teenager in We Need to Talk About Kevin.“I’m queer,” they said in the interview.

LGBTQ leadership has returned to the Castro Merchants Association, whose members April 7 elected two gay men to serve as co-presidents.After serving as board president for the past three years, Masood Samereie, a straight ally and owner of Aria Properties, stepped down and was replaced with two new successors, co-presidents Terrance Alan, owner of Flore Dispensary, and David Karraker, owner of MX3 Fitness. Samereie is staying on as a member of the merchants board, while Brian Springfield, executive director of Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza and owner of Brian Springfield Design, was voted in as vice president.

Tasty Notes is a roundup of food and restaurant news including specials, local food news, dining events and more around the area.

Drag Race series.But RuPaul’s actually not the reigning queen of Instagram. In fact, the top two most-followed queens aren’t even from the United States.Here’s a run-down of the top five most-followed queens— as of April 8, 2022 — and why they became so famous.  A post shared by Pabllo Vittar (@pabllovittar)While Brazilian drag performer Pabllo Vittar started gaining notoriety after appearing on the adult primetime talk show Amor & Sexo (Love and Sex), her music has helped her achieve national fame.Her 2015 song “Open Bar” became a hit by adding original Portuguese lyrics to Major Lazer’s song “Lean On.” Her 2017 debut album Vai Passar Mal (“It’s Going to Be Bad”) and her 2019 song “Amor de Que” (“Love of What”) were both featured prominently during Brazil’s carnival season.

Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama signed legislation on Friday that prevents medical professionals from providing care that aids transgender young people in transitioning, adopting some of the country’s most restrictive measures and threatening doctors and nurses with up to 10 years in prison. Ms.

other bill signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, forces students to go to the restroom that matches their gender assigned at birth and is on their birth certificates.

An early morning fire in San Francisco's Duboce Triangle neighborhood April 8 displaced five people out of their homes and required 100 firefighters to bring it under control. There were no injuries despite the tremendous damage to two buildings at the corner of Noe and Henry streets.Firefighters were called to 141 Noe Street at 5:40 a.m. but within 15 minutes, a second alarm was sounded bringing more aid to the site to battle the blaze, which had spread next door to 147 Noe Street.

EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch, one of the premiere pro wrestling events showcasing LGBTQ talent, returned for its fourth installment during WrestleMania Week 2022 in Dallas last week.The Big Gay Brunch was part of Game Changer Wrestling’s The Collective, an independent pro wrestling festival that happens each year alongside WWE’s WrestleMania.Afterwards, Game Changer Wrestling took to Twitter to thank everyone who attended the event and to announce it was making a donation to Transgender Education Network of Texas, a non-profit organization working toward furthering gender diverse equality across the state.“Thank you to everyone who came out to support Effy’s Big Gay Brunch 4 in Dallas TEXAS! In honor of this groundbreaking event, GCW has made a donation to @TransTexas, an organization dedicated to furthering gender diverse equality in Texas.”Thank you to everyone who came out to support Effy's Big Gay Brunch 4 in Dallas TEXAS!In honor of this groundbreaking event, GCW has made a donation to @TransTexas, an organization dedicated to furthering gender diverse equality in Texas.To donate:https://t.co/gsZ5DpRf4H?? pic.twitter.com/uuNOSbNFoG— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) April 8, 2022Scroll down for pics…

The actress Laverne Cox, who is known for her roles on “Orange Is the New Black” and “Inventing Anna,” has become a familiar face on Hollywood red carpets. But this season, she found herself on the other side of the mic, ushering television audiences onto the red carpet as the host of preshow specials for the Oscars and Grammys on E! Her presence on the carpet and interactions with guests, where she mixes her natural charisma with a personal warmth, have made her stand out, despite having limited experience as the interviewer, not the interviewee. Ms.

Los Angeles Times reports. He resigned in 1973 after facing bribery charges from when he was Maryland’s governor.In February, Maddow told her audience, “as you can tell I’m nervous about all this, it’s a change in my life, but it’s all for the good.”Ever since she took the hiatus, MSNBC’s ratings have taken a dip, according to the Times.

worked in Donald Trump’s administration, is objecting to President Joe Biden’s choice of Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court because, Grenell tweeted, “Hispanics, Asians, Whites, gays and men were not even considered.”Jackson, confirmed Thursday by the Senate, will be the first Black woman on the court. Biden fulfilled a campaign promise to name a Black woman. She will be only the fifth woman and third Black person to be a Supreme Court justice.There are plenty of things wrong with Grenell’s argument.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) delivered an unhinged, massively anti-LGBTQ attack on Friday, in an attempt to rev up her base with the latest far-right-wing outrage du jour.  Like many Republicans, Greene has dug up old anti-gay tropes, fear-mongering lies about transgender people, and wrapped it all up in “concern” for the nation and its children.

Jennifer Engler as Fiona in Echo Theatre’s ‘in a word.’ (Courtesy Echo)

Dolly Parton, rather than the Disney parks.Writing in The Federalist, Joy Pullman ridiculed The Walt Disney Company, claiming its leadership worked to "undermine sexual wholeness."Instead of Disneyland or Walt Disney World, Pullman recommended people vacation at the "more wholesome" Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The article led several social media users to remind Pullman, who is also the executive editor of The Federalist, that Parton has long been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and welcomes people from all backgrounds into her park.The Walt Disney Company has come under fire lately from conservatives for its criticism of Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' Parental Rights in Education Bill, aka the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

Michael Henry has returned with his latest video: an indictment of size fetishism in the queer community.The sketch pits Henry against his frienemies Bruce (Gabriel Notarangelo) and Jax (Lyle Colby Mackston) in a debate over… well, let’s call it “length privilege.” Michael slams Jax for complaining about the woes of life as a tall bottom, alleging he’s “heightmnotized;” in other words, entitled because he’s tall.Michael also alleges that Jax exaggerates his size to appeal to other men, and in more ways than just his elevation.“Everyone is heightmnotized,” Jax charges. “Gays, and especially the straights.

criminalizes gender-affirming care for minors.“I don’t know how this became a platform issue for y’all,” said Rafferty, a gay man and a Democrat. “I don’t know where it became a central core issue to pick on these kids, to pick on these families.

eight games for using antigay language.Holmstrom, 34, made the comments at the end of the first period of a home game on March 30 against the Utica Comets, according to The Associated Press.“The American Hockey League is committed to building a culture that is safe, inclusive, and free from abuse, harassment, and all forms of unethical behavior or misconduct,” the league said in a statement, reported by The Hockey News.The hockey player previously played for the Philadelphia Flyers and played hockey in college while at UMass Lowell. He’s already served two games of the suspension.

The Broadway-bound revival of the musical 1776, which begins a pre-New York engagement at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts next month, has announced a cast comprised fully of performers who identify as female, non-binary, and trans.

Mitch McConnell got testy with Axios reporter Jonathan Swan during a live sit-down interview yesterday that got real awkward real fast.Things started out friendly-ish with Swan asking McConnell, who has served in the Senate since 1985, about his “ruthless style of politics.”“I didn’t realize I was known for playing ruthless,” he joked. “My wife thinks I’m a really nice guy.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg brushed off attacks from Republicans who make light of his sexuality or he and his husband Chasten being fathers, during a Friday April 8 appearance on The View. Buttigieg, 40, explained that attacks on him personally or dangerous pieces of legislation like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill are often politically motivated to hide the fact that they don’t have further plans to deal with issues that affect Americans.

Age & Opportunity has announced the programme for this year’s Bealtaine Festival – Ireland’s national celebration of the arts and creativity as we age – and there’s an awesome lineup of events celebrating Flikkers nightclub and queer social spaces of the 80s and 90s. This special programme titled Flikkers: Come as You Were will cast […]

Dear Abby for some social advice. The middle-aged man wants to know why he doesn’t have more straight friends.“I am a 47-year-old gay man.” the reader, identified only as “Curious in Oklahoma,” writes. “I’m well-educated, but there’s something I can’t figure out.

The American Hockey League (AHL) has suspended Rochester Americans forward Ben Holmstrom for eight games for using homophobic language.During the first period of Rochester’s game against the Utica Comets on March 30th, Holmstrom engaged in an altercation with Comets forward Chase De Leo and used a homophobic slur. Holmstrom was given a game misconduct by officials, and upon further review he was issued the suspension.“As part of the suspension, Holmstrom will be participating in diversity and inclusion education,” said the AHL in a statement on Wednesday.“The American Hockey League is committed to building a culture that is safe, inclusive, and free from abuse, harassment, and all forms of unethical behavior or misconduct.”Some commended the move, like this Twitter user who wrote: “Glad to see the AHL taking this seriously.

Florida high school student Will Larkins has gone viral for educating their classmates and their teacher on the Stonewall riots.  They were inspired to do so after they asked their history teacher if the Stonewall riots would be included in the U.S History curriculum. Their teacher was entirely unfamiliar with the events that spearheaded the […]

Lightyear, a release from Disney’s Pixar subsidiary.The animated film, billed as an origin story for the Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear, features a female colleague of Lightyear’s, Hawthorne (pictured), who is in a romantic relationship with a woman. A source told Variety that a kiss between the couple had been cut from the film but was put back in last week following the uproar over the company’s record.“According to multiple former Pixar employees who spoke with Variety on the condition of anonymity, creatives within the studio have tried for years to incorporate LGBTQ identity into its storytelling in ways big and small, only to have those efforts consistently thwarted,” the publication reports.After the initial criticism of Disney leaders for not speaking out against the “don’t say gay” bill in Florida, where the company is a major employer, CEO Bob Chapek sent a memo to staff saying, “The biggest impact we can have in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create here, and the diverse community organizations we support, including those representing the LGBTQ+ community.”Pixar workers then said the content isn’t so inclusive.

Disney over Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill.The controversial bill would limit classroom discussions about gender or sexual orientation for certain age groups. While proponents of the bill, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, argue that these types of lessons don't belong in schools, critics say that the law would marginalize the LGBTQ community.A number of companies within Florida have decried the bill and DeSantis' backing of the legislation.

Angelique Jackson A group of Disney employees have planned a week of in-person and virtual walkouts in response to the company and CEO Bob Chapek’s handling of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill.On Monday afternoon, the Twitter account called Disney Walkout posted a message explaining that, “The LGBTQIA+ workers and allies at The Walt Disney Company are standing in solidarity together over the coming weeks.”The post then linked to an open letter written in partnership with members of the LGBTQ community across the Walt Disney Company (including Disney Corporate, Disney Television Animation, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, Disney Streaming, Enterprise Finance, Enterprise Technology/Global Information Security and Bento Box). “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,” organizers wrote.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek finally apologised to the LGBTQ+ employees after the recent ‘Don’t Say Gill’ bill backlash.

Disney pulling political donations due to Florida's new "Don't Say Gay" legislation, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Núñez on Friday claimed that companies "have no right to criticize" the state's action.Making an appearance on Fox News' The Ingraham Angle, Núñez derided Disney's decision as "woke" and likened it to bullying while also claiming that such companies do not have the right to critique the actions of "duly elected legislators" despite explicit First Amendment protections."They will try to bully us like the NCAA did, like Disney [is] doing," she said. "How dare they.

Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek announced Disney will be pausing all political donations in the state of Florida following a week of significant criticism of the company's initial silence on the Florida Legislature's "Don't Say Gay" bill.The company's lack of response to the bill, which would ban discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in some public school classrooms, sparked an intense backlash against Disney, internally and externally, prompting Chapek to shift to a public stance, calling for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to oppose the bill.DeSantis then called out the entertainment titan for its ties to China, accusing the company for criticizing "parents' rights" but continuing to work in China despite knowledge of the human rights issues in Xinjiang regarding Uyghur Muslims.After statements of apology to Disney's LGBTQ employees, Chapek released an internal memo on Friday further stating that the company would be pausing all political donations in Florida, affecting many of the politicians who had previously received money from the company.Several Disney donations were made to key co-sponsors of the bill, and in total, the company gave $253,850 to senators who voted to pass the "Don't Say Gay" bill.Donations made only for the 2022 general election go back to January 1, 2021, and records reviewed by Newsweek showed that Disney donated at least $33,000 for state Senate races and more than $98,000 in state House contests.Other primary GOP figures who have received donations from Disney included DeSantis, who received $50,000 from Disney Worldwide Services Inc., according to the Florida Division of Elections.Ashley Moody, Florida's attorney general, was given $25,000 from Disney during the 2022 general

Disney executives have censored gay affection in its films.In an open letter attributed to LGBTQIA+ animators and allies at the studio (obtained by Variety), it reads: “We have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were.“Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.”The letter is in response to Disney’s messaging around the recently passed legislation in Florida known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which blocks the discussion of LGBT+ identities in schools.Disney’s soft reaction to the legislation attracted widespread criticism.

The Human Rights Campaign is not taking money from Disney anymore.

As controversy continued to swirl around Disney’s stance on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the Hulk himself today tweeted praise for Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s statement in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Human Rights Campaign and employees at Pixar, GLAAD announced on Thursday that it will begin grading Hollywood studios on their record of LGBTQ advocacy and not just on their content. Disney CEO Bob Chapek initially proposed that Disney did not need to enter the political arena to fight anti-gay legislation, but would be changing the world for the better with its “inspiring content.”The media monitoring organization already produces a Studio Responsibility Index, which analyzes queer representation in releases by eight major film studio distributors: Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, STX Films, United Artists Releasing, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros.

Florida passed its discriminatory “don’t say gay” bill, critics say Disney was too silent as the bill made it through the state's legislature. The company's silence over the bill seems to have resulted in pressure mounting from inside the company to publicly condemn the law.Disney's first response was to send an internal memo to staff, in which CEO Bob Chapek not only didn’t outright condemn the law, but instead told employees: “The biggest impact we can have in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create here, and the diverse community organizations we support, including those representing the LGBTQ+ community.”The statement fell short for many, and, as it turns out, might not even be true.

On Wednesday, March 9, a group of Pixar employees published a letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek, criticising his response to pressing LGBTQ+ issues. The document which was signed by “The LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies,” accused the organisation of censoring queer storylines, along with refusing to take appropriate action against harmful legislation. […]

Pixar have spoken out about Disney allegedly censoring same sex stories in an ongoing row over the company's response to the recently passed legislation in Florida known as the 'Don't Say Gay' bill.Employees at the animation giant released a statement, per Variety, claiming that corporate executives in their parent company have demanded cuts and edits from "nearly every moment of overtly gay affection...

Disney has been accused of censoring same-sex love in Pixar movies in a leaked letter from employees of the animation studio.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer civil rights organization, said today it will not accept any funding from the Walt Disney Co. without a greater commitment to the LGBTQ+ agenda.

“don’t say gay” bill and continuing to donate money to the bill’s sponsors, Disney CEO Bob Chapek, in his first public statement on the subject, shared that the company would be donating $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign and other organizations protecting LGBTQ rights.Chapek also intends to meet with Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis — who is set to sign the bill into law — to discuss the company’s concerns about the legislation. The two already spoke over the phone, according to Chapek.“The governor heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss the ways to address them,” Chapek said during Disney’s board meeting today, in which he officially confirmed the company’s opposition to the bill.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDisney CEO Bob Chapek said Wednesday the company is pledging $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign and other organizations protecting LGBTQ rights following backlash to the company’s initial quiet response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, as well as a report that the company has given money to all of the bill’s sponsors. Chapek, who is taking his first public stance against the bill, says he will also be meeting with Republican Gov.

is partly enforced by allowing parents to sue any school they believe violated it.“The Animation Guild and the QueerTAG Committee want to express our immense disappointment with how The Walt Disney Company has responded to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. It is disheartening that Disney, one of the world’s most successful brands with massive resources and a global platform, failed to take any action to help prevent the passage of this bill,” the guild said in a statement posted to its various social media accounts.“It is one thing to say that you ‘unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities.’ It’s quite another for you to stand silent while this scurrilous piece of homophobic legislation passes,” the group continued.

state Senate on Thursday passed a “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would ban “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in primary schools, LGBTQ groups expressed outrage that Disney, one of the state’s biggest employers, has not voiced its opposition to the legislation. In fact, Disney CEO Bob Chapek defended the company’s silence in an internal memo to staff on Monday and argued that corporate statements on political issues like the “Don’t Say Gay” bill can be “weaponized” and are often “counterproductive.”Jean-Marie Navetta, director of Learning and Inclusion for PFLAG National, told TheWrap that Chapek’s memo represented a “complete turnaround from the way Disney has behaved in the past” on such issues.

Senate and is widely expected to be signed into law by GOP Governor Ron DeSantis—sparked national condemnation from LGBTQ advocates who say the bill will further harm young members of the community and punish students who mention anything related to sexual orientation or gender identity.Disney, which operates its theme park Walt Disney World near Orlando, has come under scrutiny for making political donations to key co-sponsors of the bill.Disney donated at least $253,850 to the senators who voted to pass the bill. The donations were made through the company's various subsidiaries including Disney Destinations LLC and Disney Photo Imaging LLC.The donations included $5,500 to Senator Dennis Baxley, who introduced the bill, according to data from the nonprofit OpenSecrets, which tracks political donations.Senate President Wilton Simpson, who voted for the bill, received $21,500 in donations from Disney.

Disney’s CEO said the company has an “unwavering commitment” to LGBTQ+ people after its controversial response to the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.