By Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine
(Reuters) -Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Bob Chapek voiced disappointment on Wednesday with a Florida bill limiting LGBTQ discussion in schools, saying he called Governor Ron DeSantis to express concern about the legislation becoming law.
Disney has been under pressure to take a public stand against the legislation that critics say will harm the lesbian, gay, transgender and queer community. The company employs more than 65,000 people at the sprawling Walt Disney World resort in Orlando.
Chapek said Disney was “opposed to the bill from the onset,” but chose to work behind the scenes, relying on its longstanding relationships with lawmakers, to influence the outcome.
“I understand our original approach, no matter how well intended, didn’t quite get the job done,” Chapek said during Disney’s annual shareholder meeting.
A spokesperson for DeSantis, however, said a call from Chapek on Wednesday was “the first time we have heard from Disney” regarding the legislation.
“The governor did take the call from Mr. Chapek. The governor’s position has not changed,” the spokesperson said via a statement on Twitter.
The Florida legislation, referred to by its opponents as the “don’t say gay” bill, has stirred national controversy amid an increasingly partisan debate over what schools should teach children about race and gender. DeSantis, who is seeking re-election this year, has indicated his support for what is formally called the Parental Rights in Education bill.
“The same Florida parents who take their families to Disney also support parental rights in education, because they do not want their children exposed to inappropriate content about sex and gender theory at school,” the DeSantis spokesperson said.
One Disney shareholder from California read a statement from his daughter, who had been accepted into the Disney College Program in Florida, and was “heartbroken” that Disney failed to take a public position on Florida’s legislation.
“You can’t stand on the sidelines when it comes to human rights,” she wrote.
The Disney CEO said he had an “extraordinary conversation” with DeSantis, who assured Chapek that the law would not be “weaponized in any way” or used to harm or target gay, lesbian, non-binary or transgender kids or their families. Chapek said the governor agreed to meet with him and members of Disney’s LGBTQ+ Disney employees to discuss concerns.
Chapek said Disney has joined some 170 companies in signing a statement from the Human Rights Commission’s opposing anti-LGBTQ state legislation. The company also pledged $5 million toward organizations, including the HRC, that are working to protect LGBTQ rights.
(Reporting by Dawn ChmielewskiEditing by Nick Zieminski and Jonathan Oatis)
