As many of its LGBTQ+ employees get set for a full-day walkout tomorrow, Disney has decided to postpone a management retreat set for next week as it continues efforts to calm the internal waters.
02.03.2022 - 18:31 / thegavoice.com
A Florida Senate committee passed legislation Monday that would ban classroom discussions about LGBTQ people, referred to by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, after the state House of Representatives passed it last week.
The Florida Senate Appropriations Committee passed House Bill 1557 by a vote of 12-8, with one Republican state senator, Jeff Brandes (R-24), joining Democrats in voting against the bill. The legislation, titled “Parental Rights in Education,” will now head to the Senate floor, where it is expected to pass. If the Senate approves the bill, it will head to the desk of Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has signaled support for the legislation.
“I am not going to support the bill today in hopes that we can find a way to love our neighbors,” said Brandes.
The measure, which has garnered national media attention and condemnation from the White House, would ban classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity that are not “age-appropriate” in schools — though it is not clear what is considered “age-appropriate.”
Brandes, who voted with Democrats Monday, filed an amendment to the bill last Friday that would have replaced the words “sexual orientation or gender identity” with “human sexuality or sexual activity,” saying it “accomplishes the goal without targeting anyone.” But the amendment failed.
The committee’s passage of the bill came as Democrats, advocates and LGBTQ children in the state continued to warn lawmakers about the dangers of the measure.
“The world is watching. Do not erase our community. Do not erase our history,” Joe Saunders, senior political director for statewide LGBTQ organization Equality Florida, told the committee. “It is always age appropriate to talk
As many of its LGBTQ+ employees get set for a full-day walkout tomorrow, Disney has decided to postpone a management retreat set for next week as it continues efforts to calm the internal waters.
The Walt Disney Co. and CEO Bob Chapek are under fire for their perceived slow reaction to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that recently passed the Florida Senate. It now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is likely to sign it into law.
Pixar’s forthcoming Toy Story prequel Lightyear has put a same-sex kiss back following an internal backlash to Disney’s handling of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
The WGA West is calling on Hollywood to reconsider filming in Florida if Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill passed by the state’s legislature last week.
actively censor depictions of, or references to, same-sex affection in films despite touting itself as an LGBTQ-affirming place to work.CEO Bob Chapek initially defended the decision, claiming that the company “unequivocally” stands with its LGBTQ employees in the wake of the bill’s passage but saying he feared that taking a firmer position on the bill could backfire if any statements were “weaponized” by either proponents or opponents of the bill.But following backlash, both internally and externally, Chapek apologized for the company’s silence, saying in a statement sent to employees that he was sorry for the pain caused by Disney’s inaction.“Speaking to you, reading your messages, and meeting with you have helped me better understand how painful our silence was,” Chapek said in the statement. “It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights.
“When we donate money to different political candidates, we have no idea how they’re going to vote going forward into the future,” said Disney CEO Bob Chapek at a shareholders meeting this past week.
A bill has been introduced in the Georgia senate that resembles Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
Walt Disney Company Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek issued a memo to the company’s LGBTQ+ and ally employees apologizing over his handling of the controversy over the media conglomerate’s response to Florida HB 1557, colloquially known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek, amid criticism for declining to speak out against the Florida “Don’t Say Gay” bill, came out against the legislation on Wednesday, insisting the media conglomerate has been “opposed to the bill from the outset” and noted he would engage with Gov. Ron DeSantis on the legislation.
Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe Human Rights Campaign has rejected The Walt Disney Company’s donation to its efforts to protect LGBTQ+ rights, demanding that the company take “meaningful action” to combat Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.“The Human Rights Campaign will not accept this money from Disney until we see them build on their public commitment and work with LGBTQ+ advocates to ensure that dangerous proposals, like Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bill, don’t become dangerous laws,” Joni Madison, interim president of the HRC, said in a statement on Wednesday evening. “While Disney took a regrettable stance by choosing to stay silent amid political attacks against LGBTQ+ families in Florida — including hardworking families employed by Disney — today they took a step in the right direction.
awaits signature by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, prevents elementary school teachers from even acknowledging the existence of gay people, and is partly enforced by allowing parents to sue any school they believe has violated it.The Pixar employee letter, which is undated, was made public hours after Disney CEO Bob Chapek claimed during a shareholder meeting that the company had attempted behind the scenes to oppose the law — though of course it refused to take a public position on it even as the law appeared likely to pass.“We hoped that our company would show up for us.
Disney‘s Bob Chapek is breaking his silence amid backlash.
Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek finally came out swinging against Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, telling shareholders at the annual meeting today that the company had always opposed it but opted to work behind the scenes to try to influence lawmakers.
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.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek said on its shareholders meeting on Wednesday that he will be meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis along with other Disney LGBTQ+ leaders in order to discuss the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was passed in the state legislature this week.
The Florida Senate has passed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” on Tuesday, March 8.In a 22-17 vote, the Republican-controlled Senate approved the bill. It will now go on to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it. If a school district is suspected of violating this law, parents would be able to sue.During the debate, Democrat Shevrin Jones, Florida’s first openly gay senator, tearfully said to his colleagues, “To those who think you can legislate gay people away, I’m sorry.
At Disney’s last shareholder meeting the big issue was a sad girl scout who couldn’t see Raya And The Last Dragon with her troop because their local theater hadn’t accepted Disney’s stiff rental terms to show the film.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has issued a warning to Florida’s governor, lawmakers, and educators after the state Senate late Tuesday morning passed the dangerous “Don’t Say Gay” bill.“The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal funding must follow federal civil rights law, including Title IX’s protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Secretary Cardona said in a statement.
The “Don’t Say Gay” bill faces mounting criticism as it continues to advance in the Florida Legislature and appears headed to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, but one company with strong business ties to the state — despite professing to support the LGBTQ community — has declined to denounce the legislation to the growing disappointment of its many fans.
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis‘s press secretary, Christina Pushaw, entered the battle over the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, saying anyone who opposes the legislation is “probably” grooming children for sex. Many immediately took that to mean she is calling them, especially LGBTQ people, pedophiles.The far-right, often the religious right, for decades have falsely accused LGBTQ people of being pedophiles.