Disney employees stage walkout over Florida’s new ‘don’t say gay’ bill

About 100 Walt Disney Co. employees in California walked out of work Tuesday to protest the company’s response to the so-called “don’t say gay” bill approved by the Florida Legislature two weeks ago.

Los Angeles Times reported the demonstrators gathered outside the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank to show support of LGBTQ+ coworkers and their families. Video taken by a CNBC producer showed dozens of people, identified as Disney employees, marching outside the property chanting, “say gay!”

But in Orlando, an apparent lone protester held a sign outside an entrance to Walt Disney World, wearing a rainbow mask and waving a sign that read, “Trans rights are human rights.”

Nicholas Maldonado, 27, a merchandise employee who works at Disney’s Character Warehouse off International Drive and occasionally at the Emporium shop in the Magic Kingdom, said he wanted to represent his fellow Disney employees who were unable to walk out.

“Hopefully, down the road I can say that I’m proud to be an out LGBTQ cast member for the Walt Disney Company, and I will continue to work and make the magic that I was hired to do,” said Maldonado, who is bisexual. “But at this point, the company needs to do better. They have a long ways to go towards gaining our trust back.”

At least one of the major unions representing Orlando’s Disney workers has publicly said it does not support the walkout and that it violates a no-strike provision of its contract with the company.

“There are other ways to move to company,” Eric Clinton, president of Unite Here Local 362, said last week. He added the union is not affiliated with the “Disney Do Better” group organizing the walkouts.

Other union leaders in Florida and California said they have not seen the walkout gain momentum among members. Employees in non-unionized positions, including in divisions like production, IT and marketing, are more likely to participate, organizers said.

Tuesday’s walkout, organized by a group claiming to represent concerned Disney employees, was scheduled for throughout the full workday. The group has encouraged small-scale walkouts across the company for the past week during employees’ 15-minute breaks.

The past walkouts were legally protected acts of protest, but Tuesday’s is not, the group notes on its website. Organizers encourage Disney employees to “take [their] own situation into account before choosing to participate.” Organizers could not be reached for comment.

Protesters are demanding Disney indefinitely halt donations to politicians involved in the creation or passage of the bill; create and implement a plan to protect employees from “hateful legislation,” including pausing the move of employee jobs to Orlando; make company-wide content more representative of the LGBTQ+ community; and publicly advocate for LGBTQ+ staff, including creating a brand focusing on queer and trans creators and donating to advocacy groups.

Disney has already paused its political contributions indefinitely in response to recent outcry. It pledged to make its content more representative of LGBTQ+ community in 2020, but Pixar employees say the company has censored gay characters from recent films.

In an unsigned statement, the company did not address questions about the walkout. Instead, the statement said Disney held a virtual, companywide discussion about the legislation Monday.

“We know how important this issue is for our LGBTQ+ employees, their families and allies, [and] we respect our colleagues’ right to express their views, and we pledge our ongoing support of the LGBTQ+ community in the fight for equal rights,” it read.

Ahead of the demonstration, Disney and its affiliated brands posted messages in support of the LGBTQ+ community across social media Tuesday morning.

“Disney Parks, Experiences and Products is committed to creating experiences that support family values for every family, and will not stand for discrimination in any form,” a post on Walt Disney World’s Facebook and Instagram accounts read. “We oppose any legislation that infringes on basic human rights, and stand in solidarity [with] and support our LGBTQIA+ Cast, Crew, and Imagineers and fans who make their voices heard today and every day.”

ESPN, the Disneyowned sports network where employees have openly protested the legislation on-air, posted similar messages of support to Twitter.

“We’ll continue to partner with organizations that support the LGBTQIA+ community, be accountable where we fall short of expectations, and never stop telling stories about LGBTQIA+ athletes,” it posted in a series of tweets promoting stories on transgender athletes.

Disney is one of Florida’s largest employers. As of October, it employed around 190,000 workers across the company, three-quarters of which were positioned in its Parks, Experiences and Products division.

Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed Disney earlier this month for pushing a “woke” agenda by speaking out against the legislation. CEO Bob Chapek called DeSantis after the bill passed the Legislature to express concerns it could target LGBTQ+ children and families.

DeSantis and other Republicans contend the bill protects parental rights in schools by prohibiting discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation from kindergarten through third grade.

Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups say its intentionally vague language could be used to silence teachers and students from talking about the LGBTQ+ community in schools entirely.

DeSantis said Tuesday he will sign the bill when he receives it from the Legislature.

“I don’t think it will be tomorrow, but it will be soon,” he said.

Maldonado said he might have risked his job of three years with Disney by participating in the walkout but felt it was more important to make a stand. He said he is also an organizer with Building Back Together, an organization started by President Joe Biden’s administration.

He said he was happy with the employee town hall Disney hosted Monday evening, but he wants the company to go further in supporting its LGBTQ+ communities.

Disney should speak out more quickly and firmly against harmful legislation, host more town halls to hear from workers, host official Pride events and add gender-neutral bathrooms for workers and park-goers, he said.

“We deserve better from the company,” he said.