Recent years have seen Disney increase LGBTQIA+ representation in its movies and TV shows, though many believe they could do more. CEO Bob Chapek, in particular, has come under fire for a lack of action over Florida's recent education bill, with internal memos failing to satisfy employees. Mass walkouts began yesterday with Disney's support of state legislators sponsoring the bill proving to be the biggest issue.
For those unfamiliar, Florida recently passed the "Parental Rights in Eductation" bill that bans lessons and curriculum related to sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. The bill has been dubbed by many in the press and the LGBTQIA+ community as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, despite the fact that the phrase "don't say gay", nor the word "gay", appear in the bill. The pertinent portion of the bill reads:
Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.
Marvel Studios has made its stance on the issue clear with a statement shared to Twitter:
Marvel Studios, no stranger to controversy, has come under fire most recently for continuing to film in Atlanta, Georgia after the state made changes to voting requirements. The new voting requirements made significant alterations to how the state will run electiongs moving forward, including such things as expanding early voting access for some voters, ID requirements for in-person and absentee voting, strict rules regarding the use of voting drop boxes, and faster reporting of results.