In an updated statement via Bloomberg, Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, said that it was “not looking likely” that a previously announced meeting with Disney CEO Bob Chapek would proceed.
Let’s recap how we got here. On March 7th, Chapek sent a company-wide email saying that Disney would not denounce the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, but rather rely on its content to further causes of inclusion and diversity. The uproar on social media from Disney fans and Cast Members alike was immediate. Then, on March 9th, before a question and answer session was set to begin as part of a Disney shareholder webinar, Chapek made another statement on the controversial bill, this time saying that he would meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to discuss the bill.
In the same breath, Chapek said that the company would be donating $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a pledge that the HRC would refuse, essentially asking Disney to do more than just throw money at the Chapek-created problem. Disney was “surprised and disappointed” by the rejection of the donation.
Chapek decided to send another company-wide email on March 11th, just four days after he said that Disney would not denounce the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, this time apologizing for the lack of action and advocacy from Disney for the LGBTQIA+ community. By then, the gears were already in motion behind the scenes for a grassroots effort within The Walt Disney Company to plan a walkout over what organizers called “apathy” by Disney on the controversial bill. A day before the walkout was scheduled to take place, Chapek called a virtual town hall and postponed a planned executive retreat in favor of “listening tours”. On the same day as the walkout, a report was published that said that executives in Burbank did not listen to early pleas from the Disney Parks division to speak out against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Fast-forward to March 28th. DeSantis signed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and Disney responded with the following statement:
Now, DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw says “never say never”, but that “it’s not looking likely [that a meeting will happen] based on Disney’s statement yesterday”.
In the background of all of this is that the Disney Parks division is in the process of being relocated from California to Florida. Disney hopes to cash in on a more than a half-billion-dollar tax break for the move to Lake Nona.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
Mike, you do realize that a majority of readers of your site do not agree with the liberal political views of Disney and the far left? I also hope you realize that a majority of your readers only want to read about the latest rides, upgrades, price increases, etc. that affect our trips to the “happiest place on earth.” Please don’t give in to the political propaganda game – it will only drive people from your site. Thanks.