Well, it looks like Disney CEO Bob Chapek wants to have his cake and eat it too in regards to Disney‘s stance on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. If his employees have anything to say about it, this stance is clearly backfiring on him.
No One Likes a Double-Dealer
Did you know Disney has been keeping silent on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida? Did you know everyone, including their employees, is slamming them for it? Rightfully so, in my opinion. It now appears that Bob Chapek sent a memo to Disney staffers on Monday, March 7, 2022, attempting to defuse the situation. Except, this memo addressed absolutely nothing. According to Variety, Chapek only ever addressed the company’s silence and the bill itself once during the whole page-long memo. The exact part is as follows:
“I do not want anyone to mistake a lack of a statement for a lack of support. We all share the same goal of a more tolerant, respectful world. Where we may differ is in the tactics to get there. And because this struggle is much bigger than any one bill in any one state, I believe the best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create, and the diverse community organizations we support.”
Yes, in the entire 13-paragraph long memo, Bob Chapek only makes a brief mention of the cause of the backlash once. Furthermore, he insists that Disney’s silence on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill is somehow supporting the LGBT community. I say somehow because he doesn’t actually explain his logic behind this silent stance. Despite all the evidence otherwise, Chapek insists that the bill is too minor an issue for Disney to comment on. So now it seems he’s reaping what he sowed.
Disney Employees Against Silence
Unsurprisingly, Disney employees aren’t happy with either the silence or with Chapek’s non-response memo. Also, according to Variety, several prominent Disney employees like Benjamin Siemon (animation writer), Cameron Black (character technical designer), Lilan Bowden (Rebecca “Bex” Mack in Andi Mack), Brock Powell (voice actor for Mickey Mouse Funhouse, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Across the Universe, Baymax Dreams), Drew Z. Greenberg (writer for Agents of SHIELD), Dana Terrace (creator of The Owl House, storyboarder for Gravity Falls, director for the DuckTales 2017 reboot), and Sam King (director for The Ghost and Molly McGee) all took to social media to express their discontent.
My Opinion About Bob Chapek
At this point, this is just pure speculation. But, for now, I have 2 theories about Bob Chapek. First, he’s continuing to try and make money off of both the LGBT community and those who are anti-LGBT. Second, he himself is anti-LGBT trying to convince everyone that he’s not in order to continue to make money off of the LGBT community. Either way, he’s doing a pretty poor job of that due to his insistence to stay silent on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Chapek simultaneously looks untruthful to the LGBT community, while looking wishy-washy to the those he’s pandering to.
In any case, it looks like Bob Chapek will have to change his mind soon, or hope the “Don’t Say Gay” bill fails of its own accord. Otherwise, Disney might have its first LGBT-based strike on its hands. At the very least, he might singlehandedly persuade the entire LGBT community to boycott Disney if he insists on silence. There’s a part of me that suspects that Bob Chapek’s anti-LGBT attitude may have something to do with the impending cancellation of The Owl House at a very short season 3. I do remind you all that this just speculation for now. Take it with as many grains of salt as you like.
