Disney CEO Breaks Silence on 'Don't Say Gay' Florida Bill

Disney‘s Bob Chapek is breaking his silence amid backlash.

The 61-year-old CEO spoke out about Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill following pressure from employees and LGBTQ+ organizations to take a stand against the bill.

The bill, which just passed through the Senate and House and is on the way to being approved by Governor Ron DeSantis, would ban teachers from discussing LGBTQ topics like gender identity with students until after third grade.

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He publicly opposed the bill, formally called Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill on Wednesday (March 9) at a shareholders meeting, via Click Orlando.

“While we’ve been strong supporters of the (LGBTQ) community for decades, I know that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill. Now, we were opposed to the bill from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind the scenes, engaging directly with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle,” he said at the meeting.

He added that he expressed “disappointment and concern” with the legislation to the Governor himself, and spent “weeks of effort” engaging with Democrat and Republican lawmakers.

“The governor heard our concerns in agreeing to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss ways to address them. Certainly the outcome in Florida was not what many of us were hoping for, especially our LGBTQ+ employees,” he continued.

The Governor’s press secretary then issued a statement: “Governor DeSantis has always been open to hearing from Floridians and having conversations about legislation — as long as those discussions are grounded in facts, not false media narratives. Anyone who has questions or concerns about the Parental Rights in Education bill is encouraged to read the bill, rather than the distorted coverage in mainstream media, which regurgitates false partisan talking points,” the statement reads.

“Disney contacted our office today to speak with the governor. This is the first time we have heard from Disney regarding HB 1557. The governor did take the call from Mr. Chapek. The governor’s position has not changed. Disney is a family-friendly company that creates wholesome entertainment for kids. The same Florida parents who take their families to Disney also support parental rights in education, because they do not want their young children exposed to inappropriate content about sex and gender theory at school. This should not be controversial.”

The Florida Governor also just went viral for chastising kids for wearing masks.