Disney Workers Protest CEO’s Slow ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Response In FL, CA

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL — To protest Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s slow response to Florida’s proposed “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the company’s workers have been staging walkouts during their breaks in California, Florida and elsewhere this week.

The protests started Tuesday, March 15, and will end with a general walkout by Disney’s LGBTQ workers and their allies in these locations on Tuesday, March 22, according to NBC News.

The controversial measure limits discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida's elementary schools, and also restricts how these topics can be discussed by older students.

The bill also opens the doors for parents to sue Florida schools if these discussions take place, and it requires schools to alert parents if there's any change to a student's mental, emotional or physical health.

The Florida state Senate passed the legislation on March 8, while the Florida House of Representatives approved it Feb. 24. It’s now sitting on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for him to decide whether to sign it into law or not.

For months, as the bill moved through the state legislature, Chapek remained silent about the bill — until the end of last week, when he said he would pause all of the company’s political donations because of the measure’s passage.

He later apologized to Disney workers for taking so long to respond to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in a letter. He wrote that the proposed law was “not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Chapek went on to write, “You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry. ... But I’m an ally you can count on, and I will be an outspoken champion for the protections, visibility and opportunity you deserve.”

DeSantis dismissed the criticism from the Disney CEO and slammed the company, according to Fox News.

"You have companies, like at Disney, that are going to say and criticize parents' rights, they’re going to criticize the fact that we don’t want transgenderism in kindergarten in first grade classrooms," DeSantis said.

The governor added, "In Florida, our policies have got to be based on the best interest of Florida citizens, not on the musing of woke corporations.”

In Florida, a local union told WESH that its members aren’t supposed to participate in demonstrations and those who do are risking their employment with Disney.

The Twitter account @DisneyWalkout and a corresponding website, WhereIsChapek.com, are organizing and encouraging Disney employees to protest.

Organizers have suggested employees stage a walkout during their 15-minute breaks, telling them, “You are protected to act while on break.”

They warned that the March 22 “full scale walkout…is not a legally protected action.”

In a statement, organizers said, “The Walt Disney Company’s (TWDC) LGBTQIA+ community and their allies are determined to take a stand against TWDC’s apathy in the face of the bigoted ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bill put forth by the FL state legislature. The recent statements and lack of action by TWDC leadership regarding the 'Don’t Say Gay or Trans' bill have utterly failed to match the magnitude of the threat to LGBTQIA+ safety represented by this legislation.”

Organizers added, “As a community, we have been forced into an impossible and unsustainable position. We must now take action to convince TWDC to protect employees and their families in the face of such open and unapologetic bigotry.”