Disney Employees Plan Walkouts Amid ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Backlash

In the wake of Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s latest apology for not doing sufficient to counter Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, staff who determine as members of the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood and allies have introduced actions to carry the corporate accountable.

From their open letter:

The latest statements by The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) management relating to the Florida legislature’s latest “Don’t Say Gay” invoice have completely didn’t match the magnitude of the risk to LGBTQIA+ security represented by this laws. Primarily, these statements have indicated that management nonetheless doesn’t really perceive the impression this laws is having not solely on Cast Members within the state of Florida, however on all members of the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood within the firm and past.

Starting right now, the organizers are planning a sequence of walkouts throughout designated breaks; the protest motion will culminate in a full-day occasion on March 22. Previous to Chapek’s apology, Disney got here beneath fireplace for not solely contributing to the funding of lawmakers behind the Florida invoice, but in addition for lengthy censoring its personal queer content material. It additionally not too long ago required that many staff transfer to a brand new firm campus in Florida with out the choice to work remotely. The open letter addresses this, particularly citing considerations over the protection of staff and their households: “Over 2,000 employees are being asked to either relocate to Florida or lose their jobs, with no options for remote work in states with friendlier climates to the LGBT community. For a company that advertises itself as a safe space for the LGBT community, it is inappropriate for them to force those employees to move to Florida with this legislation now passed, and more human rights-violating laws likely on the way.”

Along with the open letter, organizers have included a listing of calls for to publicly decide to actions that transcend the “pauses” made as an effort to look into remedying the state of affairs.

Disney has not given an official response—io9 has reached out and can replace this publish if we hear again—however the firm’s personal inner Pride Advisory Group shared the next, according to Deadline: “We have not organized this walkout nor the accompanying list of demands and we neither endorse nor condemn these actions.”

Letting down its LGBTQIA+ staff and their historic contributions to the corporate has forged the present Disney management in a adverse mild. Its slow-to-respond reactions converse to an organization tradition that’s elicited an outcry not simply inside its ranks however from ally customers as properly.

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