FLORIDA, USA — A prominent organization that works to protect LGBTQ+ rights said it would not be accepting any donations from Disney due to the response of CEO Bob Chapek to a controversial Florida bill that limits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity at younger grade levels.
The Human Rights Campaign said it would refuse the company's money until Disney builds "on their public commitment and work with LGBTQ+ advocates to ensure that dangerous proposals...don't become dangerous laws."
Chapek had received backlash earlier in the week due to his silence on the legislation dubbed by critics as “Don’t Say Gay" given it bars educators from teaching sexual orientation-related topics within a curriculum to students in kindergarten through third grade.
"I know that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill,” CNBC reports Chapek said in a shareholders meeting Wednesday.
“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.”
Chapek also told shareholders he called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to express "disappointment" with the bill, per CNN.
“The governor heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss ways to address them,” the national outlet reports Chapek said.
The Governor's Office confirmed to 10 Tampa Bay that DeSantis did take a call from Chapek Wednesday but that his "position has not changed." An in-person meeting has yet to be scheduled between the two.
Part of the remedy to Chapek's backlash was to also have the Walt Disney Co. reportedly pledge $5 million to organizations working to protect LGBTQ+ rights, which included the Human Rights Campaign.
The organization said it recognized Chapek's response on Wednesday was a step in the right direction "but it was merely the first step."
Ire over the situation came from Disney lovers and employees alike with posts reading #DisneyDoBetter and #DisneySayGay flooding social media.
Among those upset was Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of The Walt Disney Co. co-founder Roy O. Disney. She shared her displeasure with the company's stance.
"The times for neutrality are long since over. That train has left the goddam station. What is Disney for? Is it for pretending what America is about, or it is for defining a vision for a world in which fantasy, love, kindness, decency and loyalty are bedrock values," she tweeted as part of a lengthy thread.
Abigail Disney also called out Chapek for being "more worried about right-wing backlash" than employees and Disney lovers. She also called him the "wrong leadership for the wrong time."
Concerns over Disney's political contributions have also bubbled to the surface with reports that the company had previously backed politicians who have supported the controversial bill.
Chapek also addressed the rumblings in the Monday memo saying: "While we have not given money to any politician based on this issue, we have contributed to both Republican and Democrat legislators who have subsequently taken positions on both sides of the legislation."
Geoff Morrell, Disney's new chief corporate affairs officer, is reported to also be tasked with reassessing the company's global "advocacy strategies," including political contributions.
10 Tampa Bay's Jillian Olsen contributed to this report.