Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill has prompted a number of responses from Disney leadership, former Disney executives, Disney’s movie studios, Disney employees, and more.
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Disney has taken certain actions in response to the Bill. They have signed a Human Rights Campaign statement opposing similar legislative efforts around the U.S. and are set to meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis regarding the Bill at some point in the future. Now, another action appears to have been taken following Disney’s response to the Bill and criticisms of its response.
Pixar’s Response to “Don’t Say Gay” Bill
As we noted above, Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill has prompted a number of responses from Disney. The Bill’s formal name is the “Parental Rights in Education Bill.”
ABC News notes that the “bill would limit what classrooms can teach about sexual orientation and gender identity.” The Hill also shares that the Bill would “restrict mention of LGBTQ+ topics in classrooms that are not ‘age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.’”
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Thus far, we’ve seen Bob Chapek make a number of comments about the Bill, including some more formal statements during the Shareholder meeting and a later apology. There have also been responses to the Bill and Disney’s actions made by the Human Rights Campaign, Florida’s Governor, California’s Governor, and Disney Employees. Disney’s responses (and initial lack thereof) have been criticized by a number of sources and individuals.
A statement was released by some employees at Pixar regarding the Bill and Disney’s response. Deadline had shared that a letter signed by “The LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies” was circulated internally.
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The letter expressed that Chapek’s memo regarding the Florida Bill “rang hollow.” The letter also noted that the “Disney Parks did not officially host Pride until 2019, in Paris alone” and that “Disney has a history of shutting down fan-created Pride events in the parks, even removing same-sex couples for dancing together in the 1980’s.”
The letter from the Pixar employees also made comments about Chapek’s statement indicating that the “best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce.”
Pixar Ball
In the letter, the signatories note “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. Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it.”
Click here to see more about the Pixar letter
Changes to Pixar Movie
According to Variety, on March 9th, the joint statement from LGBTQ employees and allies at Pixar (referenced above) was sent to leadership within the Walt Disney Company. For one future movie, it looks like the statement might have had an impact.
Variety shares that a source close to the production of the upcoming Lightyear film from Pixar has indicated that the movie has a significant female character in it called Hawthorne, voiced by Uzo Aduba. In the movie, Hawthorne is in a “meaningful relationship with another woman.”
©Disney
Variety shares that the “fact of that relationship was never in question at the studio,” but a kiss between the characters had been cut from the movie. Now, however, things have changed. Following Disney’s response to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and the statement from the LGBTQ employees and allies at Pixar, the kiss has been reinstated into the film.
©Pixar | Obtained via Variety
Lightyear is essentially the movie that would have inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy within the Toy Story world. Director Angus MacLane shared, “my ‘Lightyear’ pitch was, ‘What was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear toy?’ I wanted to see that movie. And now I’m lucky enough to get to make it.”
©Disney
According to Variety, throughout Pixar’s 27-year history, there have been only a few “unambiguous LGBTQ characters of any kind.” In Onward, there is a one-eyed cop who mentions her girlfriend. In Toy Story 4, two moms are seen hugging their child when the child goes to school. In Finding Dory, Variety says that there is a “brief shot” that features “what appears to be a lesbian couple, though the movie’s filmmakers were coy about defining them that way at the time.”
Pixar also released a short film in 2020 called Out, which is about a “gay man struggling with coming out to his parents.” This was released on Disney+ as part of the Sparkshorts program.
©Pixar
According to Variety, however, “multiple former Pixar employees” have indicated that “creatives within the studio have tried for years to incorporate LGBTQ identity into its storytelling in ways big and small, only to have those efforts consistently thwarted.”
Variety also shares that multiple sources told them that “efforts to include signifiers of LGBTQ identity in the set design of films located in specific American cities known for sizable LGBTQ populations…were shot down. One source said that a rainbow sticker placed in the window of a shop was removed because it was deemed too ‘distracting.'”
©Pixar
Variety reports, however, that “none of the sources who spoke with Variety could cite first-hand knowledge of Disney executives directly cutting LGBTQ content from specific Pixar features.” Instead, it appears that things were cut by each movie’s own filmmaking team or Pixar studio leadership. The sources indicated to Variety that Pixar effectively “engaged in self-censorship…out of an abiding belief that LGBTQ content wouldn’t get past Disney review because Disney has needed the films to play in markets traditionally hostile to LGBTQ people: namely China, Russia, much of West Asia and in the American South.”
Just the inclusion of the lesbian cop in Onward got the film banned in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, and the terminology was changed to “partner” in Russia.
©Disney | Obtained via Deadline
Steven Hunter, the director of Pixar’s Out short film (who is no longer at Pixar) shared “We need Mr. Chapek to understand that we need to be speaking up. We can’t assume that these laws that they’re trying to put in place aren’t hurtful and bigoted and, frankly, evil. We are not going away. We’re not going back in the closet.”
Pixar’s Lightyear is set to be released on June 17th, 2022. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates on this situation.
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There is no law anywhere that says don’t say gay
Personally I just want Disney to stick to creating content for children and leave sexuality decisions to parents. The parks and Disney movies are not the proper platform for these topics. Why can’t we just allow children to be innocent from all of this and just enjoy innocent, age appropriate adventures and fun? Let’s not rush them into adulthood and controversy. They’ll be plenty of time for these when they’re adults. Until that time, they deserve the innocence and magic of childhood.
There is obviously a war going on for parental rights and what they want or don’t want for their little children. Shame on Disney for using children to push ANYBODY’s agenda. Disney content can no longer be trusted. This is so, so sad.
This whole thing is ridiculous. The bill is saying that we should not teach sexuality in schools k-3 period. Children are not developmentally ready to learn about sexuality. It’s not saying we have to burn those who identify as LGBTQ+ at the stake. Perspective people!
Let Disney pack their bags and leave Florida. Wouldn’t that be a sight?
People really need to read the entire bill. No where in the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill does it say the words “Don’t say gay”. It prohibits instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Lessons for students older than 3rd grade have to be “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” They don’t even teach sexual education until 8th grade so why would sexual orientation or gender identity be taught in K-3rd grades (5-8 years old)? Personally I feel that sexual orientation and gender identity should be something that the parents handle on a personal level, not taught in schools.
There is no law called Don’t Say Gay bill!
THANK you, Tina!!!
It’s actually to keep children from being groomed sexually. No one should be talking about sexual matters to children except parents. The ONLY concern a teacher should have is IF it appears the child has been sexually abused, then they should report it. I worked for years in the Florida school system AND in mental health, mostly with girls who had been molested.
I agree with Tina. I didn’t even know anything about the LGBTQs till I was in college and that was fine by me. My children grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and the topic was shoved in their faces at an early age. Needless to say that I was not happy about it. Children lose their innocence so early these days. There is plenty of time to grow up and learn it without having an educator forcing it on them.
In addition to not ever having the desire to go to a Disney Park again, I’m ready to let go of the Disney Plus channel. Really fed up with Disney putting in sexual behavior in what used to be family friendly movies and programs. We can go to most any other channel and get that!
I agree with Tina wholeheartedly. Why does someones sexual preference have to be the focus of an animated movie, a theme park, or merchandise? These are personal decisions that people make in their life and they should remain private and not promoted.
Ditto Tina, not the platform!!!! At All.
Let kids be kids. No reason to have those topics in a animated movie for children.
Let parents decide when it’s time not anyone else.
Thank you for your comment, Tina. Parents’ jobs are hard enough these days.
Amen Tina! I agree! Couldn’t have said it better.
It’s time for Disney to stop allowing themselves to be bullied by a vocal but very small minority. Sexualizing small children is wrong, period.
This is all absolutely stupid! Go be a politician if you don’t like it!
FYI – Everyone knows the bill is not officially named the “Don’t Say Gay bill”.
I’m a parent. My youngest male child has long hair and likes to wear dresses and describes themself as “a boy and a girl” and is quite definite on that. Both my kids have two mothers. Now in kindergarten, what would a teacher in Florida do in response to my child being bullied (which happened)? What would happen when my children described their family – when hearing “I have two moms and an older brother and 2 cats”, what does the kindergarten teacher do.
You don’t want my sexuality or my child’s gender “shoved in your faces” but I’m seeking the right for my children to exist as they are, and to not be told to feel shame. If other kids can talk about their parents, why can’t mine?
And I don’t think that diversity and acceptance is a value of only a vocal minority.
Disney just needs to stay out of it. There is no obligation for Chapek to be bullied onto any public position by any group. This is extortion and Disney just needs to remove itself from such controversies.
You go to a magical place called Disney to escape from the real world. That’s exactly what Walt wanted. Disney just needs to say they do not take sides in any political or social issue.
Naïve, yeah. But so is the belief of a magical happy place run by a mouse.
People are commenting that they don’t want sexuality pushed in their childrens’ faces, yet they watch all the princess movies where princes are kissing princesses. What difference is it if two people of the same gender kiss? Apparently, THAT is unacceptable, the the necrophiliac Prince Charming kissing Snow White, who he believes is DEAD is OK.
Get over yourselves. Go ahead and stop going to the parks. Dump Disney +. Stop buying Disney merchandise. No one cares. They don’t need your money or your miserable attitudes.