TheQuartering [4/8/2022]
Disney will pause all political donations in Florida after intense criticism over how the media giant responded to state legislation that would limit discussion of LGBTQ issues in schools, CEO Bob Chapek said in a letter to employees Friday.
Chapek also apologized to his colleagues for not taking a more forceful stand against what activists call the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida. Disney employs tens of thousands of people at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
“It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights. You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry,” Chapek said in the letter, which was published on Disney’s website.
Florida’s bill bars “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in the state’s primary schools.
The measure has passed both houses of the state’s legislature and now heads to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has previously expressed support for it.
Chapek said the company would “immediately” increase support for advocacy groups fighting against similar legislation in other states.
“We are hard at work creating a new framework for our political giving that will ensure our advocacy better reflects our values,” the executive said.