Last week, Disney and its CEO Bob Chapek bungled their response to Florida’s controversial bill dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” Now, some of the company’s employees are staging a walkout.A Twitter account, “@DisneyWalkout,” and an associated website, “WhereIsChapek.com,” have organized a series of 15-minute daily walkouts, encouraging employees to protest during their breaks. The action will culminate with a full-day walkout on March 22. The Florida bill, which has been passed by the state’s legislators but not yet signed into law, bans educators from discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity with children from kindergarten to third grade.
It’s unknown how many employees are taking part, but Disney’s LGBTQ+ employee resource groups are not involved, according to a source familiar with the matter. Disney (DIS) declined comment about the demonstrations.
Organizers of the walkout wrote in an open letter posted on its website that statements by Disney’s leadership regarding the bill “have utterly failed to match the magnitude of the threat to LGBTQIA+ safety represented by this legislation.”
“Primarily, those statements have indicated that leadership still does not truly understand the impact this legislation is having not only on Cast Members in the state of Florida, but on all members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the company and beyond,” the organizers added.
