Rainbow logos and statements of support from entertainment companies have become a routine part of Pride celebrations each June. But their habitual reluctance to speak out against those harming the LGBTQ+ community when it matters most has shown time and again that we can’t count on them as allies.
Last week, Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Chapek fumbled the company’s response to Florida’s HB 1557 — better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — by refusing to take a public stance on the legislation despite Disney’s large footprint in the state. But there is no such thing as neutrality when it comes to the rights of marginalized communities, and Chapek was pushed to reevaluate his approach more than once.
Introduced in Florida’s statehouse earlier this year, House Bill 1557 would prohibit teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity through the third grade and would limit conversations about these topics in higher grades to those deemed “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” And although the law lacks any guidance on what would be considered “appropriate,” it would allow parents to sue the district for violations. Critics of the bill have pointed out that it could keep educators from acknowledging the existence of queer, trans and nonbinary people at all.
