Bob Chapek's response to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill

[lazyboy97o]

No one becomes gay, they either are or aren't.

I’m aware, but as shown in quotes and videos, the author of this legislation thinks they do and that this legislation will somehow stop that from happening. There’s a repeated claim by supporters that gay people were only brought into the discussion by partisans wishing to concoct an issue that does not actually exist. This is not true as the author specifically said this is about people becoming gay. Which leaves with only two possibilities 1) the legislation is about gay people or 2) the author is really bad at his job and wrote legislation that somehow does nothing to address his intent.

 

[Disney Analyst]

So they might repeal the Reedy Creek rules, forcing tax payers to foot the bill for Disney property infrastructure?

 

[TP2000]

The thing is...it's not an alternate point of view. It's flat-out propaganda that's been made up to keep people angry and afraid because Carlson needs the ratings and DeSantis wants the presidency. (Yes, I watched it. Tucker's facial expressions couldn't look more rehearsed if his life depended on it.)

LAW EXPERTS have called out the bill for the same reasons people in this thread oppose it.

ETA: Further...the news outlets you listed are among the worst. All three have "mixed" factuality ratings, with FOX being the only one with the honor of being labeled "questionable" because it pushes conspiracy theories.

I fully understand that many folks find various news/opinion TV stations unenjoyable to watch.

But my point for placing that video here, which I thought was valid, was that it's the highest rated and most watched cable news program in the country. And it's the only such cable news program who invited Florida's governor on the air to interview him directly about it. Thus, millions of Americans just watched that segment last night, and it should be helpful here to understand what the messaging is on this topic regarding Disney and Bob Chapek's response.

The additional information in the segment from Disney corporate president Karey Burke was also quite interesting. Again, America's parents are watching all this. Most participants in this thread will find that interesting.

 

[lazyboy97o]

So they might repeal the Reedy Creek rules, forcing tax payers to foot the bill for Disney property infrastructure?

Disney would pay taxes to the counties but at the rates changed by the counties. The question is whether or not Disney would pay more or less if they switched to what the counties levy.

 

[TP2000]

I was rather surprised to hear Governor DeSantis mention on TV last night that Disney Cruise Line, for years, has included ports of call in Dominica.

Dominica, with other Caribbean and African nations, has some very strict anti-gay laws on the books. Homosexuals are still criminals under the Sexual Offenses Act of 1998 in Dominica. Homosexuals caught being... gay, are subject to up to 10 years in prison in Dominica. Nobody thought to check that out before Disney Cruise Line kept stopping there for years and years, including this week?

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ports/roseau-dominica/

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/roseau-dominica-cooking-with-daria/

Dominica | Human Dignity Trust

Dominica criminalises same-sex sexual activity between men and between women. Sentences include a maximum penalty of twelve years’ imprisonment and compulsory psychiatric treatment.

www.humandignitytrust.org

 

[Disney Analyst]

Bob Chapek’s Missteps Fuel Confidence Crisis at Disney

Amid a staff revolt over his handling of Florida’s "Don’t Say Gay" bill, insiders speculate how long he might last on the job: “There’s a lack of awareness.”

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[WDWJoeG]

I was rather surprised to hear Governor DeSantis mention on TV last night that Disney Cruise Line, for years, has included ports of call in Dominica.

Dominica, with other Caribbean and African nations, has some very strict anti-gay laws on the books. Homosexuals are still criminals under the Sexual Offenses Act of 1998 in Dominica. Homosexuals caught being... gay, are subject to up to 10 years in prison in Dominica. Nobody thought to check that out before Disney Cruise Line kept stopping there for years and years, including this week?

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ports/roseau-dominica/

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/roseau-dominica-cooking-with-daria/

Dominica | Human Dignity Trust

Dominica criminalises same-sex sexual activity between men and between women. Sentences include a maximum penalty of twelve years’ imprisonment and compulsory psychiatric treatment.

www.humandignitytrust.org

Oh, don't stop there. Guess where Disney films all of their Marvel movies down in Georgia? Yup! They have a long-term deal at Trilith Studios, built and owned by Dan Cathy (Chick Fil A) who was one of the main fundraisers for Prop 8 against gay marriage.

We care about gay rights! Or something!!! (But, geez, have you seen those Georgia tax incentives and that studio is really nice!!!)

They couldn't care less about these issues, it is just pandering to those groups only when convenient.

And don't even mention their massive investments and business footprint in China...because genocide and human rights aren't trending on Twitter right now so it's totally OK!

 

[ImperfectPixie]

I fully understand that many folks find various news/opinion TV stations unenjoyable to watch.

But my point for placing that video here, which I thought was valid, was that it's the highest rated and most watched cable news program in the country. And it's the only such cable news program who invited Florida's governor on the air to interview him directly about it. Thus, millions of Americans just watched that segment last night, and it should be helpful here to understand what the messaging is on this topic regarding Disney and Bob Chapek's response.

The additional information in the segment from Disney corporate president Karey Burke was also quite interesting. Again, America's parents are watching all this. Most participants in this thread will find that interesting.

And the unfortunate reality is that the majority of Americans don't fact-check their news sources. Which is why I will continue to call out sources pushing falsehoods until the day I die.

If Carlson was truthful, I might watch him. It's not his personality that I take issue with - it's his spread of propaganda and falsehoods.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Now Florida Law. Chapter 2022-22, Laws of Florida.

http://laws.flrules.org/2022/22

About a week ago, we were having a conversation about the rejected Brandes amendment to the bill. You said you were happy to discuss it if someone linked to it directly, which Pixie did. So I was hoping to hear your thoughts about why the supporters of this bill rejected an amendment that would have banned all discussions of sex acts in K-3. Why would that have "gut" the bill?

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

The worst part is it’s not just the right that are vilifying Disney right now, many on the left still don’t think they’ve gone far enough and are still vilifying them.

Disneys management team couldn’t have handled this situation worse if they tried, Business 101… don’t talk about politics or religion, the only outcome is controversy.

I foresee a huge house cleaning coming, most the Disney executives who’ve waded into this will likely be gone within a year.

 

[lazyboy97o]

And the unfortunate reality is that the majority of Americans don't fact-check their news sources. Which is why I will continue to call out sources pushing falsehoods until the day I die.

If Carlson was truthful, I might watch him. It's not his personality that I take issue with - it's his spread of propaganda and falsehoods.

I bet they were watching Disney movies at the bio lab in Crimea!

 

[Casper Gutman]

Except they're not being inclusive here. Playing politics always means taking a side.

The response to a call to political action simply should've been to state that The Walt Disney Company provides family entertainment for everyone and all are welcome.

By being "inclusive" to the political left, they're alienating people on the political right (and based on polling, people in the center as well). No brand is big enough to avoid taking a hit from that, not even the mouse.

Many people who blindly trusted Disney with their children's entertainment based on past reputation and assumed shared values are now going to rethink that relationship and where their entertainment dollars go. It's not going to end up being a good business decision, I promise.

Of course, the inclusivity being discussed is not about embracing every political view as equally valid. The current debate is viewed by many as a struggle between those who want to include everybody equally in society and those who want to define certain people as abnormal, beyond the pale. With that understanding of the discussion, a company that claims to support inclusivity can only find itself on one side of the argument.

All entertainment is political, so the idea of one of the world's largest entertainment companies "staying out of politics" is an impossibility. And the folks arguing for supposedly apolitical entertainment are perfectly happy with media that mocks or derides positions they don't hold. Thanos, for instance, was a sort of caricature of Malthusianism, but only a very, very few radical voices objected to his depiction.

Disney's most valuable IP at the moment is Marvel, which makes these demands that Disney produce only apolitical entertainment even more absurd. Marvel has ALWAYS been explicitly, even ham-handedly, political. Disney is getting ready to introduce their version of the X-Men - are they supposed to make sure that those films have nothing to say about contemporary civil rights struggles?

 

[Artemicon]

Please provide a link to where this was happening or proposed in Florida. Please explain why the author thinks this will stop people from becoming gay.

"If you can't prove it is happening here, it's not valid"

Terrible argument, all it takes is one child to be abused by this legislation to be worthwhile. Also, the legislation doesn't stop people from being gay, so regardless of the author, or sponsors opinions, if the law is fair and just (which is it in terms of discrimination), your argument doesn't stand up. Complaining about people and not the law isn't a good way to get people to agree with you, and if that's not your goal, what is? Do you just want to complain for the sake of complaining?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Of course, the inclusivity being discussed is not about embracing every political view as equally valid. The current debate is viewed by many as a struggle between those who want to include everybody equally in society and those who want to define certain people as abnormal, beyond the pale. With that understanding of the discussion, a company that claims to support inclusivity can only find itself on one side of the argument.

Yes. And let’s be honest,not we had to label Disney content in regards to conservative or liberal, it’s obviously much more liberal.

This becomes even more obvious after reading some of the positive responses from the public; they usually praise Disney for tackling issues like racism and bigotry in general, as well as praise them for representation of various communities. Sounds pretty liberal to me.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

The current debate is viewed by many as a struggle between those who want to include everybody equally in society and those who want to define certain people as abnormal, beyond the pale. With that understanding of the discussion, a company that claims to support inclusivity can only find itself on one side of the argument.

The problem is (right or wrong) many others view this bill simply as preventing adult topics from being taught to 6-8 year olds, and as providing more parental rights, by taking a stand against it Disney is seen as taking the “teach 5-8 year olds about sexuality / anti-parent side”.

From a PR perspective what the bill actually does is irrelevant, what really matters is what people “think” the bill does.

The crafters of the bill, and the opposers of the bill, both created titles that make it a mine field. Opposing the “parental rights” bill makes you a villain, opposing the “don’t say gay” bill also makes you a villain. The only winning business decision is to avoid it altogether.

The Universal execs are probably having a good laugh at this, I bet their normally cheeky Twitter team is dying to reply but their executive team is smart enough to tell them to stay far away from anything dealing with this mine field.

 

[Casper Gutman]

"If you can't prove it is happening here, it's not valid"

Terrible argument, all it takes is one child to be abused by this legislation to be worthwhile. Also, the legislation doesn't stop people from being gay, so regardless of the author, or sponsors opinions, if the law is fair and just (which is it in terms of discrimination), your argument doesn't stand up. Complaining about people and not the law isn't a good way to get people to agree with you, and if that's not your goal, what is? Do you just want to complain for the sake of complaining?

What if the bill causes one child with same-sex parents to feel isolated, alienated, abnormal? What if it causes hundreds of children to feel that way?

If this bill was meant to be so even-handed, why did its sponsors reject an amendment that would have explicitly included "straight" as a sexual orientation that was not to be discussed in K-3?

Like many defenders of the bill here, you want to dismiss the opinions and intentions of the authors and point only to the deliberately vague language of the bill. But I am sure you are aware of the long history of laws in America that were written to seem fair and innocuous but were intended to and ultimately did horrifically limit the civil rights of huge groups of American citizens. Who could object to voters having to answer some basic questions before they cast their votes? After all, the law applies to ALL voters, regardless of race.

Please note, I am not accusing YOU of intentionally attempting to ostracize certain groups, but I am saying that that is the intention and potential impact of this bill.

 

[Disney4Lyfe]

What if the bill causes one child with same-sex parents to feel isolated, alienated, abnormal?

Oh, great perspective. And I think a fair talking point. Let's hash it out.

Can you give me an example of how this would happen with a 6 or 7 year old?

 

[Casper Gutman]

Oh, great perspective. And I think a fair talking point. Let's hash it out.

Can you give me an example of how this would happen with a 6 or 7 year old?

Kids talking about their families. "Why does Billy have two Daddies?" "Well, you'll have to ask your parents about that." If you don't think the kids will pick up on that and understand that Billy is "different," we disagree.

Or simply ensuring that children with same-sex parents never see media representations of their family.

There are tons of ways that this bill will ensure certain children feel alienated and ostracized.

Remember - this bill is INTENTIONALLY designed to give the most radical, illogical individual members of society a veto over how children are treated.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Kids talking about their families. "Why does Billy have two Daddies?" "Well, you'll have to ask your parents about that." If you don't think the kids will pick up on that and understand that Billy is "different," we disagree.

Or simply ensuring that children with same-sex parents never see media representations of their family.

There are tons of ways that this bill will ensure certain children feel alienated and ostracized.

Remember - this bill is INTENTIONALLY designed to give the most radical, illogical individual members of society a veto over how children are treated.

We’ve already hashed out examples like this in this thread, to little fruitful conversation.

I haven’t seen this shared here yet, but Bob Iger has weighed in:

A lot of these issues are not necessarily political,” Iger said in the interview, which will stream this week. “It’s about right and wrong. So I happened to feel, and I tweeted an opinion about the ‘don’t say gay’ bill in Florida. To me, it wasn’t about politics. It is about what is right and what is wrong, and that just seemed wrong. It seemed potentially harmful to kids.”

In the interview with Wallace, Iger talked of going public on issues like climate change and immigration. “I had to contend with this a lot, and the filter that I used to determine whether we should or should not weigh in considered a few factors. What would its impact have on our employees, on our shareholders and our customers? And if any one of those three constituencies had a deep interest in or would be affected by whatever was the matter at hand, then it was something I thought we should consider weighing in on.”

Wallace asked Iger whether there was consideration given to the fact that “whether it’s right or wrong,” he was “going to tick off people, whether it is on climate change or immigration or gender identity. There are going to be people who aren’t going to like what [you] are saying and maybe that means fewer people will come to the theme park.”

“We never really saw much evidence of that, even though there were threats about boycotts on certain things,” Iger replied. “Again, when you are dealing with right and wrong, and when you are dealing with something that does have a profound impact on your business, I just think you have to do what is right and not worry about the potential backlash to it.”

Bob Iger, In CNN+ Interview With Chris Wallace, Makes The Case For Why CEOs Should Weigh In On ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill And Other Issues: “It’s About Right And Wrong”

One of Chris Wallace‘s first guests on his new CNN+ series is former Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger, who makes the case for why corporate leaders should wade into major issues like climate change, immigration and, most recently, Florida‘s so-called ‘don’t say gay’ bill. “A lot of these issues are...

deadline.com

 

[ImperfectPixie]

We’ve already hashed out examples like this in this thread, to little fruitful conversation.

I haven’t seen this shared here yet, but Bob Iger has weighed in:

Bob Iger, In CNN+ Interview With Chris Wallace, Makes The Case For Why CEOs Should Weigh In On ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill And Other Issues: “It’s About Right And Wrong”

One of Chris Wallace‘s first guests on his new CNN+ series is former Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger, who makes the case for why corporate leaders should wade into major issues like climate change, immigration and, most recently, Florida‘s so-called ‘don’t say gay’ bill. “A lot of these issues are...

deadline.com

The concerns voiced through those examples have been continually ignored or brushed off.