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Disney employees stage daily walkouts over Chapek’s ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ response

Disney employees stage daily walkouts over Chapek’s ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ response

A group of Disney employees have planned a week of walkouts over CEO Bob Chapek’s response to the passing of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida.

The virtual and in-person walkouts started on 15 March and will take place for 15 minutes each day until 22 March, when organisers have planned a “full-scale walkout”.

The “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, officially titled the Parental Rights in Education Bill, is a Florida State measure that will bar teachers in Florida primary schools from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom.

The bill was passed by the Republican-led Florida House of Representatives on 25 February, the Senate on 8 March, and Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign it into law.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek has been been criticised for the company’s initial silence to the bill as Disney World in Orlando is a major tourist attraction for the state of Florida and is home to over 77,000 Disney employees and their families.

The number of employees currently participating in the walkout has not been confirmed.

Chapek responded to criticism by issuing an apology last Friday in an internal memo circulated to employees that was later shared publicly.

“You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry,” he wrote.

The delayed apology did little to quell the internal outrage among staff members, especially as Disney has come under additional fire for making donations to elected officials who supported the bill.

In further contrast to Chapek, former CEO Bob Iger has been more forthcoming in his criticism of the bill, stating that it will “put vulnerable, young LGBTQ people in jeopardy.”

Organisers posted an open statement on Twitter, where they have also shared individual statements from employees explaining personal motivations for joining the walkout.

“The recent statements by The Walt Disney Company leadership regarding the Florida legislature’s recent ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill have utterly failed to match the magnitude of the threat to LGBTAQIA+ safety represented by this legislation. […] While we certainly appreciate Bob Chapek’s apology note, there is still more work to be done,” the statement read.

A website, whereischapek.com, has also been created to host additional information about the walkout.

The petitioners are making several demands including the immediate cessation of all donations to politicians who supported the bill, a public commitment to an actionable plan that protects employees from this legislation and others like it, full transparency about Disney’s political and organisational contributions to ensure the company’s commitments to advocating for LGBTQ+ communities are upheld, donations to human rights advocacy groups such as The Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline, an expansion of LGBTQ+ representation in Disney’s content catalogue, and a pledge to create a LGBTQ+ brand.

 

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