Disney CEO Takes Official Stance Against DeSantis's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill
Disney CEO, Bob Chapek made an official effort to convey his “disappointment and concern” to Gov. Ron DeSantis over his newly passed “Don’t Say Gay Bill” in Florida.
Chapek was originally criticized on Monday for not taking action to stop the bill. The bill was passed on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Chapek made a direct call to DeSantis to explain that the bill "could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families," he explained to shareholders in an annual meeting.
Following the call, DeSantis and Chapek agreed to have a meeting to discuss the concerns.
"The governor heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss ways to address them," Chapek said.
Chapek explained that Disney has been working behind the scenes to stop the bill and that the outcome of the bill is not what he or many of his LGBTQ employees were hoping for.
“While we’ve been strong supporters of the community for decades, I know that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill,” Chapek said during the meeting.
"We were opposed to the bill from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind the scenes engaging directly with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle,” he added.
There was hope that Disney’s "longstanding relationships with those lawmakers would enable us to achieve a better outcome,” Chapek said.
"Ultimately, we were unsuccessful," he added.
Although unsuccessful overall, Chapek ensured Disney’s support of the LGBTQ community by mentioning that Disney would pledge $5 million to organizations working to protect LGTBQ+ rights.
Disney will also sign the Human Rights Campaign's statement opposing similar bills in other states.
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