The Disney group announced Friday to suspend all donations to political organizations in Florida following a controversy sparked by the silence of the world’s number one entertainment company following the passage in this American state of a controversial law which prohibits teachings on sexual orientation. in public schools.
Adopted this week by the Florida Senate, the law nicknamed by its opponents “Don’t say gay” (“do not talk regarding gays”) prevents, until third grade, teachers from discussing gender identity and the sexual orientation “in a way that is inappropriate for the age or development of the students”.
Its critics believe that the law might harm young people and parents of the LGBT + community and that it is part of the conservative offensive led for months by the Republican Party, which controls this state in the south-east of the United States. United.
“Disappointed, hurt, scared and angry”
Disney has enormous economic weight in Florida, especially in the Orlando area where the Disney World amusement parks are located, among the most visited in the world.
The group has come under considerable criticism in recent weeks, both public and from its own employees, for its lack of reaction to this law adopted in Florida. Employees of the animation studios Pixar, a subsidiary of Disney, for example, publicly declared this week to feel “disappointed, hurt, frightened and angry” by Disney’s silence on the subject.
On Friday, Disney boss Bob Chapek addressed them to apologize for not supporting them. “It is clear that this is not just a Florida law issue, but rather a new challenge to basic human rights,” he wrote in an internal email published by Variety, media specializing in entertainment.
“You needed me to be a stronger ally in this fight for equal rights and I failed you. I’m sorry, ”continues Bob Chapek. Consequently, the boss of Disney indicated that his group would step up its efforts to prevent similar legislation from taking shape in other states. “And today, we are suspending all our political donations in the State of Florida” until further notice, he underlined. “I sincerely believe that we are an infinitely better and stronger company because of our LGBTQ+ community,” he says.
