Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek says that he will meet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss the state’s controversial so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and acknowledged that while the company was “opposed to the bill from the outset,” its original approach to fighting it “didn’t get the job done.”
Speaking at the company’s annual shareholder meeting, he also said that Disney would donate $5 million to organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, working to protect LGTBQ+ rights.
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With regard to the bill, Chapek said that “while we have been strong supporters of the community for decades, I understand that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill. 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 working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.”
“We were hopeful that our longstanding relationships with those lawmakers could lead to a better outcome. Ultimately, we were unsuccessful,” he added. “I called Gov. DeSantis this morning to express our disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be unfairly used to target gay, lesbian, nonbinary and transgender kids and families. 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.”
Later on, he added that DeSantis “committed to me that he wanted to make sure that this law could not be weaponized by any individuals to target kids and families,” and asked that the company “come up with ideas and concerns of specific aspects of that legislation which could lead to the weaponization of it.”
Florida passed its so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill earlier this week, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade in public schools, and allows parents to sue districts over alleged violations. Disney has been facing public pressure from employees and other groups over its financial support for some of the bill’s backers in the state legislature.
Chapek noted at the meeting that a number of other states are considering similar bills to the one passed in Florida, “which means this fight will go on.”
On Monday, Chapek released a memo to Disney employees that he and the company “stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities,” but he added that the company did not plan to release any public statement on the law.
“As we have seen time and again, corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds,” Chapek said. “Instead, they are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame. Simply put, they can be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change.”
The memo received a tepid response internally, with some groups that represent Disney employees like the Animation Guild releasing statements about the company’s decision.
