Disney Workers Stage Walkouts Over Florida Bill

Groups of Disney employees in California and elsewhere staged walkouts Tuesday over what they say is an inadequate response by company leadership to a controversial Florida bill.

Some employees and LGBTQ+ activists have criticized the company's reaction to Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, which prohibits classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation for children in the third grade or younger. A "Disney Employee's Open Letter Against the Actions of The Walt Disney Company Leadership" accuses company leadership of failing "to match the magnitude of the threat to LGBTQIA+ safety represented by this legislation." After initially declining to take a stance, Disney CEO Bob Chapek pledged support for the LGBTQ+ community and announced two weeks ago that Disney donations to Florida politicians would pause. In Burbank, Calif., between 60 and 70 employees held a brief protest Tuesday; reports across the spectrum highlighted how the protesters were matched by the number of news media personnel in attendance. 

The bill has spurred a sharp divide in media coverage. Reports from left-rated sources and others across the spectrum described the bill as the "Don't Say Gay" bill and framed it as anti-LGBTQ+. Coverage from the left often highlighted employees' calls for Disney to cut off political donations. Coverage from right-rated outlets often framed the walkouts as small and the bill as protecting parental rights; some focused on groups who urged Disney to reverse its opposition to the bill, and highlighted data that suggests a majority of Americans support the bill.