On Tuesday, a number of Disney employees initiated protests in the form of walkouts and social media campaigns.
The reason is the company's response to a new bill that has been hammered through in the state Senate in Florida.
The so-called "Do not say gay law" means a ban on discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms with children under 9 years.
By and large, the internal criticism is that Disney has not distanced itself from the bill and that the company should stop donating money to the politicians who supported it.
- What Disney does can give rings on the water for the entire entertainment industry, so it is important that we say our thing, says an employee at the company.
Disney responds to the criticism
In several places in the country, people went together yesterday and left their workplaces to demonstrate with signs that read "Disney say gay.
We wont go away ”and“ Protect LGBTQ kids ”.
Now the entertainment group is responding to the employees' criticism.
- We know how important the issue is here for our LGBTQ + employees and their families and we respect their right to express their opinions, says a spokesperson for the company and adds that Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that they have made a mistake in being silent on the issue.
Various messages within the company
Before Tuesday's demonstrations, a unit within the company announced that it was standing with the protesting colleagues.
The streaming service Disney + wrote on twitter that:
- We strongly dissociate ourselves from all bills that restrict basic human rights for the LGBTQ community.
In the clip above, you can hear more and see the protests.