Disney says it is committed to repealing the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill, after the controversial legislation was written into law by US politicians in Florida.
The company said the Bill “should never have passed” and said it was working with both national and state organisations to have it repealed.
On Monday the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, signed the Bill into law, despite growing criticism that it marginalises LGBTQ people.
The Bill forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from pre-school to third grade.
In a statement, the Walt Disney Company said: “Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.
Statement from The Walt Disney Company on signing of Florida legislation: pic.twitter.com/UVI7Ko3aKS
— Walt Disney Company (@WaltDisneyCo) March 28, 2022
“Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organisations working to achieve that.
“We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.”
The company and its CEO, Bob Chapek, were previously criticised for their slow response and not using its sizeable influence in the state to quash the Bill.
Earlier this month Disney suspended its political donations in the state, and its theme park workers staged walkouts over the lack of action.
Governor DeSantis later said he wore the celebrity opposition to the Bill as “a badge of honour”.
“There’s even people in Hollywood that are opposed to providing protections for parents and enforcing parents’ rights,” he told a press conference.
“If the people who held up degenerates like Harvey Weinstein as exemplars and as heroes… if those are the types of people and all that that are opposing us on parents’ rights, I wear that like a badge of honour.”