A Disney show creator condemned Disney over its response to the controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Florida bill

• “The Owl House” creator Dana Terrace spoke out against Disney over how it addressed Florida’s LGBTQ+ bill.
• Disney has been shifting its response to the proposed legislation amid mounting criticism both externally and internally.
• Last week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced the company would pause all political giving in Florida.

A Disney show creator condemned the company’s response to the controversial LGBTQ+ Florida legislation that critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Florida lawmakers passed the proposed legislation on March 8, 2022, which would, in general, ban discussions of sexuality and gender identity in classrooms from kindergarten to third grade and would allow parents to sue schools if staff members facilitate those conversations.

“A school district may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students,” the bill says but fails to define what topics are “age-appropriate” or “developmentally appropriate.”

Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Chapek sent an internal memo to employees, addressing the controversy and acknowledging the “disappointment” in the company for not clearly responding to the Florida bill and why it made the decision to do so.

“As we have seen time and again, corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds,” Chapek said in the memo. “Instead, they are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame. Simply put, they can be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change.”

Florida has one of the largest economic powerhouses in the United States, largely thanks to revenue brought in by Disney World in Orlando. The theme park employs more people at a single location than any other company in the US, and 2019 study found that Orlando tourism generated $75.2 billion in annual economic impact for Central Florida, according to global research firm Oxford Economics.

Over the last two years, Disney gave nearly $200,000 to Florida lawmakers who supported the proposed LGBTQ+ legislation, including the bill’s Republican sponsors, state Rep. Joe Harding and state Sen. Dennis Baxley, according to Popular Information.

Dana Terrace, the creator of Disney’s “The Owl House,” denounced Chapek’s response, saying the memo “contained nothing of worth, just a pile of hollow assurances and defensive finger pointing to their ‘inspiring content.'”

“We were being told that discrimination in the world would be destroyed by the kids who’ll be inspired by Disney’s shows and movies but, that’ll be awful difficult when those same kids are brought up in discriminatory environments emboldened by Disney’s financial support to homophobic lawmakers,” she told Insider in an email.

Terrace added: “Simply, I thought the memo was a pathetic attempt to appease our outcries.”

In the memo sent last week, Chapek said the company would “bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create, and the diverse community organizations we support,” which Terrace said is insufficient to make long-term change.

“Disney shouldn’t rely on its content to inspire a generation of better people, that’s not how things work,” Terrace told Insider. “If they want to support diverse groups and underrepresented communities then they ALSO need to denounce those that want to do those people harm.”

Amid ongoing criticism of the company’s response, Chapek later announced the company would sign a Human Rights Campaign petition against similar US bills to Florida’s bill and donate $5 million to the HRC, which said last Wednesday it would not accept the cash.

“The Human Rights Campaign will not accept this money from Disney until we see them build on their public commitment and work with LGBTQ+ advocates to ensure that dangerous proposals, like Florida’s Don’t Say Gay or Trans bill, don’t become dangerous laws, and if they do, to work to get them off the books,” the HRC’s statement read. 

The company also said it would reassess its “political giving” strategies following criticism for past donations to lawmakers who supported the bill, including its Republican sponsors state Rep. Joe Harding and state Sen. Dennis Baxley.

Following weeks of “internal strife and outrage,” as Insider’s Claire Atkinson reported, the Disney CEO also issued an an apology to staff for the company’s delayed response to the bill.

“You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry,” he wrote, adding that the company would pause all political donations in the state.

A representative for Disney did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment on the internal criticism against the company’s response.

Terrace said she thought Chapek’s apology was “fine but was also much too little, much too late.” 

“The bare minimum would be to see actual follow through on these commitments,” she said.

She added: “I hope this is the beginning of a positive change, I really do, but let’s see if Bob can put his money where his mouth is.”