Disney CEO defends refusal to denounce “Don’t Say Gay” bill
metroweekly.comdemonstrate outside Disney theme parks in Florida and California urging the company to denounce the proposed bill, which President Joe Biden has slammed as “hateful.” Further exacerbating the public backlash against Disney was an Orlando Sentinel report that Disney, despite casting itself as an LGBTQ-affirming place, gave money to every single sponsor and co-sponsor of the bill, including the bill’s Senate sponsor, Sen.
Dennis Baxley (R-Belleview), who has proposed multiple pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation during his time as a politician in Tallahassee.In response to stories about Disney’s political donations, Abigail Disney, the 62-year-old granddaughter of the company’s co-founder Roy O.
Disney and great-niece of Walt Disney, tweeted that she “could not be more unhappy with [the company’s] political activities,” according to The Associated Press.In a memo to company employees, Chapek sought to dispel some of the furor that Disney’s tepid response provoked from within the company while defending the decision not to issue a statement.“I want to be crystal clear: I and the entire leadership team unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities.
And, we are committed to creating a more inclusive company — and world,” Chapek wrote in his memo. “We all share the same goal of a more tolerant, respectful world.
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