Disney CEO Bob Chapek tried to backpedal a bit in this morning’s shareholders meeting, stating that he has spoken with Florida governor Ron DeSantis to denounce the bill and will donate $5 million to the human rights campaign in opposition of it. 

I am not satisfied by this. When I ask for a public statement, I mean that Disney officially makes a public statement (on their website and social media account, as they did to GMA last week) strongly denouncing the bill and vowing not to fund the sponsors again. It is really very simple. Saying you’re doing things “behind the scenes” does not cut it. Public pressure is so much more effective than whispers behind closed doors! For all we know Chapek called DeSantis and told him he was just going to pretend to scold him about the bill! We need actual traceable statements.

So please, don’t stop sharing this petition. I’m sure there are a lot of allies who are not personally affected by this bill who just want to go back to feeling ok about engaging with Disney content again who are satisfied with this weak statement from Chapek. But I’m telling you, as someone who is truly affected by this, these words are not enough. 

We need:

1. A strong statement of opposition to the bill. An official public statement in writing, not an answer to a question so you don’t look bad. 

2. A promise not to give any more money to the funders (or a promise not to make any political donations in the future period). 

These are not difficult asks! It’s really the bare minimum. So please, continue to sign and share. Thank you all for your support!