The Walt Disney has really stepped in it now, at a time when they really do not need conflict. Already they have plenty of worries with the potential of decoupling from the Chinese economy should China invade Taiwan, which could damage Disney by more than 10% of their total annual revenue… in addition to billions of real estate investments.
Yet CEO Bob Chapek may have just made his first big mistake as the big cheese of the mouse’s empire.
The bill that has been dubbed the “Anti-Grooming Bill” by conservatives and the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” by liberals is almost certainly about to become law in Florida. It prevents kindergarten through third grade teachers and programs from having sex or gender theory curriculum in Florida public schools. In the shareholder meeting today, Chapek was repeatedly pressed on the issue, while at the same time receiving significant flak from inside his company. The Walt Disney Company is based in California, after all, and the politics of California are dramatically different than Florida.
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🌈 https://t.co/8IroJDi5bN— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) March 8, 2022
Yet the response from Bob Chapek is unlikely to make anyone happy — a sure sign that he has been caught off guard.
Disney has promised to donate a paltry five million to unnamed LGBTQ+ groups and Chapek stated that they had “privately” pushed for the Florida legislature to drop the bill. That’s the fig leaf being given to opponents of the bill. Do you think that is enough? I sincerely doubt it. This is no “boycott of Georgia” maneuver by Disney, and that’s probably because they know this is a no-win situation for them. But staying quiet they did not, and now the governor of Florida is calling their bluff:
Here’s the message from the office of Governor Ron DeSantis. Note the bold:
“Governor DeSantis has always been open to hearing from Floridians and having conversations about legislation — as long as those discussions are grounded in facts, not false media narratives. Anyone who has questions or concerns about the Parental Rights in Education Bill is encouraged to read the bill, rather than the distorted coverage in the mainstream media, which regurgitates false partisan talking points.
Disney contacted our office today to speak with the governor. This is the first time we have heard from Disney regarding HB 1557. The governor did take the call from Mr. Chapek. The governor’s position has not changed. No in-person meeting has been scheduled yet.
Disney is a family-friendly company that creates wholesom entertainment for kids. The same Florida parents who take their families to Disney also support parental rights in education, because they do not want their young children exposed to inappropriate content about sex and gender theory at school.”
For Disney, this is the worst of both worlds. They’ve not acted strongly enough to make their liberal studios and fans happy. Likewise, they’ve now come out against a bill in the conservative state of Florida at a time when conservatives are likely to take back the congress per polling. Even worse, the governor of Florida has pointed out they have never contacted his office before, AND Disney is being called out to name what it is exactly they do not like in the bill. Getting into specifics is territory that Disney would rather not enter at all costs. Once an entertainment company begins telling parents what their five-year-old should be taught about sex, good luck cleaning up that public relations nightmare.
Yes, the pressure inside the entertainment world pushed Bob Chapek into a place he didn’t want to go. Now that he’s there, he’s in a spot with no good escape hatch.
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