Walt Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek postponed a management retreat and will meet with employees on a global listening tour, an effort to calm an internal uproar over the company’s response to a Florida bill barring schools from discussing sexual orientation with their youngest pupils.
Disney executives announced the plan Monday at a town hall for employees that was held in part to address the controversy, according to people listening in. Earlier this month, Chapek said the company wouldn’t take a public position on the Florida legislation, prompting protests from employees. He later reversed that decision and apologized.
The controversy has put Chapek and the company on the defensive. At the town hall, Disney announced it signed a petition opposing an executive order in Texas that would require the state to investigate gender reassignment care for children as abuse. It also formed a task force to engage with employees, community groups and content creators on
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Chapek, who has been CEO for just over two years, said he has read many emails sent by employees, spoken with workers and met with advocacy groups.
He said Disney is determined to use the moment as a catalyst for change, according to one of the people listening in. He acknowledged that employees felt let down by the company’s initial silence.
Equality Florida
Paul Richardson, Disney’s human resources chief, also addressed the group. The company’s chief diversity officer, Latondra Newton, moderated a discussion with Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, which bills itself as the state’s largest organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Smith explained why she felt the legislation is a threat and why it was important to speak up, citing Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel: “What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor but the silence of the bystander.” The event’s hosts didn’t take questions from employees.
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The task force will focus film and TV content “to be a force for good” for LGBTQ communities. Paul Roeder, head of communications for Disney’s film studio, and Lisa Becket, a vice president of marketing for the theme parks, will lead the group.
“Executives and management teams will make mistakes,” Rich Greenfield, an analyst with Lightshed Partners, said on Bloomberg TV. “The real hallmark of success is whether they recognize those and pivot quickly. I think that’s what you’re seeing here at Disney.”
Larger Effort
Disney’s initial decision to stay quiet on the bill led some staffers to stage a week of internal protests, with plans for a full-day
The town hall was part of a larger Disney effort called Reimagine Tomorrow, which is designed to promote diversity and inclusion at the world’s largest entertainment company. Previous gatherings have covered Black representation, violence against the Asian-American community and antisemitism.
The Florida legislation is contentious. Supporters say it gives parents control over how their kids are introduced to subjects such as gender identity, while critics say it’s a threat to children and basic human rights. Opponents call it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
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The bill, which is expected to be signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, may impact the families of Disney employees. The company is one of the largest employers in the state due to its theme parks there, and it plans to move about 2,000 workers to a new Florida campus from California.
Over the weekend, a number of women’s basketball commentators spoke out about the legislation and participated in a moment of silence on Disney’s ESPN network.
“Our colleagues have both our respect and our support,” the network said in a statement.
Deleted Kiss
Disney also said last week that it restored a kiss between two female characters that had been cut from the upcoming Pixar film “Lightyear.” The move came after a group of gay employees at the animation studio complained that LGBTQ content wasn’t making it into their movies.
Chapek initially decided that Disney wouldn’t take a public position on the Florida bill -- saying that public stands on controversial issues often get “weaponized.” He changed course amid widespread employee discontent with that decision and apologized to workers for not taking a stand earlier.
—With assistance from Emily Chang
