Employees at Disney are outraged by the company’s decision not to condemn Florida’s so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which would restrict discussion of sexuality and gender in Florida schools.
The bill was passed by the Florida Senate on Tuesday and now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. It’s the latest attempt by Republican legislators to ban the teaching of LGBTQ issues in schools.
According to the text of Florida’s Senate bill, “a school district may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels.”
Ben Siemon, an actor and writer whose credits include Disney’s DuckTales, made an impassioned video plea to Disney to declare the bill unconstitutional.
https://twitter.com/BenjaminJS/status/1500559810709712896?
Ben Siemon, an actor and writer whose credits include Disney’s DuckTales, made an impassioned video plea to Disney to declare the bill unconstitutional.
Siemon credits one of his middle school teachers with teaching him that it was okay to be gay. Siemon claims that if a bill similar to the one being considered in Florida had been introduced, “That never would have happened to me. I would have been alone and terrified if I had been left alone. This bill will also leave LGBT children alone, scared, and hurt.”
Dana Terrace, the animator and director behind Disney’s animated series The Owl House, joined the protest. Terrace has called for action, calling for a charity livestream on March 13 to benefit organisations that support LGBT youth.
I'm fucking tired of making Disney look good so WHO'S READY FOR ANOTHER ✨CHARITY LIVESTREAM✨ MARCH 13th!!!
More details to come. 🏳️🌈 #dontsaygay #disneydobetter pic.twitter.com/1MtumvjfB0
— Dana Terrace (@DanaTerrace) March 7, 2022
“Working for this company has…made me so distraught,” Terrace says in the video. “I hate, I hate having moral quandaries about how I feed myself and how I support my loved ones.”
On Monday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek wrote in a memo to employees, “I believe the best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce and the diverse organizations we support.”
“I can also share that Geoff Morrell, our new Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, will be reassessing our advocacy strategies around the world—including political giving,” Chapek wrote in the memo, which Disney provided to NPR.
