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Related: About this forumDisney C.E.O. Says Company Is 'Opposed' to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill
Earlier DU thread: Florida lawmakers pass 'Don't Say Gay' bill, send to Gov. DeSantis for signature
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Source: New York Times
Disney C.E.O. Says Company Is Opposed to Floridas Dont Say Gay Bill
Bob Chapeks remarks followed criticism that the company, a major employer in the state because of Disney World, had not spoken out against the legislation.
By Brooks Barnes
March 9, 2022
Updated 7:53 p.m. ET
It was a bruised Bob Chapek who arrived at Disneys annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday and all because of a crisis of his own making.
Earlier in the week, Mr. Chapek, the companys chief executive, botched an internal email to Disney employees. He was seeking to explain Disneys public silence on anti-L.G.B.T.Q. legislation in Florida that activists have labeled the Dont Say Gay bill. There had been growing internal pressure on Mr. Chapek to condemn the bill, especially since his predecessor, Robert A. Iger, had already done so on Twitter and Disney employs 80,000 people in Florida. Instead, Mr. Chapeks nearly 1,000-word memo poured gasoline on the fire, and the hashtag #boycottDisney was soon trending on social media.
I am deeply angered by Disney thinking it can look the other way, Abigail Disney, a granddaughter of one of Disneys founders, wrote on Twitter. Employees in some parts of the company Lucasfilm in San Francisco, Walt Disney World in Florida complained bitterly to managers. On Tuesday, the Animation Guild, which represents Hollywood animation artists, writers and technicians, called Mr. Chapeks decision to stay quiet a momentous misstep that defies logic and company ethics. The Los Angeles Times skewered him in an opinion column headlined in part, Disney sets a new standard for corporate cowardice.
Mr. Chapek addressed the criticism on Wednesday.
While weve been strong supporters of the community for decades, I know that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill, said Mr. Chapek, who made his remarks off camera during the virtual meeting. We were opposed to the bill from the outset, and we chose not to take a public position because we felt we could be more effective working behind the scenes directly with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/business/disney-ceo-florida-lgbtq-bill.html
50 Shades Of Blue
(10,887 posts)IngridsLittleAngel
(1,962 posts)Fuck you, Mouse. There are not "both sides." This is "You're either a bigot and a fascist," or "You stand for human rights."
Stand for nothing, or fall for anything.
Maybe it's time for you to fall, Disney.
Irish_Dem
(55,975 posts)The excuse he gave was BS.