Disney was revealed to have deleted the gay animation element "Don't say gay bill" and did not express employee protests

Written by: Wen Lisa

Text editor: Cindy, EQ

Website Editor: EQ

As the world's most influential film and television entertainment giant, Disney has always been committed to establishing a corporate image of "diversity and integration". In recent years, in addition to adding gay characters to new films such as "Beauty and the Beast" and launching rainbow products, it has also reformed company policies, such as relaxing the rules of dress and grooming for employees in the park, and providing employees with same-sex partner benefits . However, Disney not only refused to make a public statement on the controversial "Don't Talk About Gay Act" in Florida, USA, but was also revealed to have donated money to conservative politicians who supported the bill in the past. In protest, employees of Disney's Pixar issued an open letter "revelation" that the parent company deleted homosexual and multi-gender content from animations, profiting from the "rainbow economy" but when the rights of gender/other minorities are threatened concession. In the face of turbulent public sentiment and strike protests, Disney had to make up for it in a hurry. The CEO recently apologized for his silence and inaction, saying that all political donations have been stopped, and the upcoming Pisi animation "Light Years" will also retain the scene of the woman kissing that was cut away.

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New bill bans sex/gender education in lower grades, Disney revealed to be donating to conservative politicians

The controversy stems from the Parental Rights in Education bill passed by the Florida House of Representatives in recent months. The bill aims to give parents greater control and right to be informed about their children's education, but one of the clauses "prohibits the teaching of gender identity, sexual orientation and other issues to children from kindergarten to third grade (about eight to nine years old)". There was a great response from the society, and it was criticized as the 'Don't say gay' Bill. According to the bill, in addition to prohibiting sex/gender education for young children, schools also prohibit the teaching of relevant knowledge in situations that are "inappropriate for the age or incompatible with the developmental needs of school children." Parents can sue for damages if the school violates the rules. Many opponents are concerned that the vague provision could potentially extend to higher grade students, preventing schools from offering them gender/gender courses.

Disney, a leader in the U.S. cultural industry, operates four theme parks and a sprawling hotel business in Florida, and the public expects the company to make a statement, but Chief Executive Bob Chapek has refused to publicly condemn the bill . Explaining his silence to employees, he said "the best way we can make a difference in our community is by creating inspiring content," and reiterated that Disney has always supported the LGBTQ community.

Disney removes gay content, consumes rainbow economy

Shortly after Disney's negative response, the media broke out an open letter signed "Pixar's Gender/Gender Minority Employees and Their Allies," accusing the Pixar team of producing multiple projects that included diversity / The touching stories of other characters, but after being sent to Disney for censorship, "almost all scenes showing obvious homosexual feelings have been deleted" and "in spite of the protests of the Pitts creative team and management". The employees criticized Disney for claiming to use respect for diversity/other work to counter discrimination, but they were "banned from creating this content."

In the open letter, Pittsburgh employees also accused Disney of claiming that it has supported the gender/gender minority for many years, but has repeatedly banned fans from holding gay events at Disneyland in the past. It was not until 2019 that they held the only gay parade at Disneyland Paris. Disney has been profiting from the "rainbow economy" since 2018, such as launching the Rainbow Mickey series, using gay pride as a selling point, but deliberately not mentioning the word LGBTQIA+, and will not start selling rainbow flag pins until 2021. Employees have criticized Disney for making money on gay pride merchandise, but "compromising" when the gender/gender minority community needs support most and their rights are threatened. In addition to being leaked and publicly criticized by its own employees, Disney has also been exposed to conservative lawmakers who have donated money to support the passage of the "Don't Talk About Gay Act" in the past.

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High-level apology for stopping political donations, the female-girl kiss scene "seeing the sun again" was deleted

In the face of employee defections and pressure from public opinion, Bob Chapek reportedly told shareholders that Disney's position was outright against the "Don't Talk About Homosexuality Act," and he also called the governor to express his concerns. Bob Chapek later issued an internal notice to apologize to employees, acknowledging that the company was wrong to remain silent: "You need me as a stronger ally to fight for equal rights, but I have disappointed you. I am sorry." On the same day, he announced that Disney would stop donating to all politicians in the state so that the company could review its policy advocacy practices, and pledged to donate $5 million (approximately HK$39 million) to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a sex/gender minority group. But HRC said it would not accept the donation unless Disney took "more meaningful action" to stop the bill from passing.

In addition, in order to quell public anger and defuse the accusations of cutting gay scenes, the Pisi animation "Lightyear", which is tentatively scheduled to be released in the United States in June this year, will also retain the scene of the two female leads kissing that was once cut. "Light Years" will be the first Pith movie to feature gay intimacy. In order to protest Disney's negative attitude in the dispute over the bill, Disney employees launched a strike protest on the 22nd of this month. Foreign media reported that employees from various places responded to the call to protest, but the scale was not large ; while Walt Disney World responded to the strike on social media , stating that " Oppose any bill that violates basic human rights, stand with the LGBTQ community, and support the team of employees who speak out today."

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