Disney CEO: leaders ‘stood our ground’ over ‘don’t say gay’ – Orlando Sentinel

Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek defended the response to the “don’t say gay” controversy, saying company leaders “stood our ground” during an “ultimate barrage of attacks from certain political constituencies” and earned the respect of employees.

He spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and the LA Times about the controversial Florida law during the D23 expo, an annual fan event this past weekend in California.

The same weekend, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who pushed to strip Disney World of its special taxing district earlier this year because of the company’s opposition to the law, kept the pressure on by dismissing “woke corporations” during an address at the National Conservatism Conference near Miami.

“Corporatism is not the same as free enterprise, and I think too many Republicans have viewed limited government to basically mean whatever is best for corporate America is how we want to do the economy,” Business Insider quoted DeSantis as saying.

As the Legislature met to consider the law early this year, Disney faced pressure to condemn what is officially known as the Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in early education and can restrict them in later grades. Critics declared it “don’t say gay.”

Initially, the company faced criticism from employees and some fans for failing to oppose it. Chapek later issued a public apology, calling the bill a “challenge to basic human rights.” He contacted DeSantis about it, and Disney suspended its political donations in Florida in protest.

Disney continued to face criticism, with some conservatives vowing to boycott the company. DeSantis and the Legislature then passed a law to dissolve Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District next year.

In the interviews, Chapek was asked if he thought he had regained the trust of Disney’s employees. Some workers staged companywide walkouts in March.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Chapek called Disney staff a “very cohesive, big, happy family” that saw how he “stood firm during the ultimate barrage of attacks from certain political constituencies.”

“They saw resiliency and consistency no matter how strong the attacks,” he said, mentioning the political onslaught was stronger and lasted longer than he had anticipated.

He said Disney does not “want to get caught up in any political subterfuge” but wants to be a company that strives for inclusivity.

“What we try to do is be everything to everybody,” he said.

When asked about employee trust by the Los Angeles Times, Chapek said the issue gave him the chance to hear from Disney’s 200,000 employees and bring their feedback into the company’s culture and values.

“In hindsight, it actually acted as a big opportunity to welcome them in the fold, take their input and program our business around the needs of all our constituents,” he told the Times. “… [F]or the first time, we got to hear their opinions on these things that might have been festering quietly before people felt more comfortable expressing their points of view.”

Even so, some employees say they still feel the sting of Disney’s early inaction.

Nicholas Maldonado, 28, protested outside Walt Disney World during a companywide walkout on March 22 that drew a much bigger group in California. Maldonado, who is bisexual, works in merchandise at Disney’s Character Warehouse and various locations at Disney World.

Maldonado said he appreciates how Chapek and Disney have supported LGBTQ+ employees in recent months despite conservative pushback, but he would like them to do more.

“[Chapek] has taken a lot of heat for standing on the right side,” he said. “When we called him out, he stood up, and I applaud him for that.”

Maldonado would like to see the CEO hold another employee town hall to hear how workers are affected by the law. Disney hosted a similar virtual town hall for all employees March 23.

“Our rights are not a political issue,” he said.

krice@orlandosentinel.com and @katievrice on Twitter

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