Bob Chapek’s Big Misstep: How Disney CEO’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Response Sparked Staff Revolt

variety.com:

Disney CEO Bob Chapek is facing a major test of his leadership, after the company’s botched response to an anti-gay bill in Florida sparked a staff revolt among LGBTQ employees and their supporters.Chapek apologized to the staff on Friday, saying he should have been “a stronger ally.” But for some employees, who found the company’s silence on the bill profoundly alarming, the statement came too late.“This is a CYA [cover your ass] for Chapek — this is a weak statement,” one Disney staffer told Variety. “We should have gotten this apology on March 1, not weeks after — and after this bill was passed in Florida.”For Chapek, the apology capped a full week of attempted damage control.

On Monday, he explained in an internal memo that the company had not condemned the bill because it might be “counterproductive.” By Wednesday, Chapek was acknowledging missteps and publicly opposing the bill for the first time.

But the opposition came a day after the Florida state senate passed the bill, and weeks after the controversy first erupted.

Those comments also did nothing to quell internal outrage from employees who felt the company had failed to stand up for the LGBTQ community.