Story at a glance
- Pixar employees have accused Disney executives of cutting same-sex affection from the animation studio’s films, adding that a recent message from Disney CEO Bob Chapek has rung “hollow.”
- The employees in the statement allege that they are barred from creating the “inspiring” and “inclusive” content touted by Chapek in his message to employees to address the company’s then-silence on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
- Chapek has since come out against the legislation, but only after it had been passed by the state legislature.
Pixar employees have alleged that Disney executives have requested “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” be cut from the animation studio’s films, regardless of whether there is protest or pushback on the matter from Pixar.
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In an undated statement signed by “the LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar and their allies,” employees say a recent company-wide email sent by Disney chief executive Bob Chapek addressing concerns raised by LGBTQ+ staff over the company’s then-silence on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill “rang hollow.”
“We are writing because we are disappointed, hurt, afraid, and angry,” employees wrote in the statement, which was obtained by Variety. “In regards to Disney’s financial involvement with legislators behind the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, we hoped that our company would show up for us. But it didn’t.”
Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, which has become known to its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, would bar primary school educators from engaging in classroom instruction related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Public school teachers of all grade levels would be prohibited from addressing those topics in a manner that is not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate” for students.
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Chapek in his email wrote that a prior meeting with a small number of LGBTQ+ leaders at Disney had been “meaningful, illuminating, and at times deeply moving,” but added that he was reticent to come out publicly against the Florida bill because corporate statements “do very little to change outcomes or minds” and are “often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame.”
Pixar employees in their statement said Chapek’s claim was categorically false, citing multiple instances where Disney statements had made a difference, including in the state of Georgia in 2016, when the company vowed to take its business “elsewhere” if the controversial Religious Liberty bill was signed into law.
Chapek has since said he opposes the bill, though his statement came just after the legislation had been passed by the state legislature. It now heads to the desk of Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign the bill into law.
Pixar employees in their statement also accused Chapek of being hypocritical in suggesting in his email that “lasting change” may be brought about by the company through “the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create, and the diverse community organizations we support.” According to the employees’ statement, LGBTQ+ stories often scatter the cutting-room floor.
“We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were. Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar,” they wrote.
“Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it,” the employees added. “Beyond the ‘inspiring content’ that we aren’t even allowed to create, we require action.”
Chapek in coming out against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill also vowed to donate $5 million to LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, which on Wednesday said it would not accept any money from Disney until “meaningful action” is taken.
The Disney CEO said he also met with DeSantis to express the company’s “disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, nonbinary and transgender kids and families.”
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