Disney Holds Emergency Town Hall to Appease LGBTQ Employees, Vows to Fight Texas Transgender Measure

Disney CEO Bob Chapek during an address at the Boston College Chief Executives Club, Monda
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

The Walt Disney Co. has held an emergency town hall meeting in an effort to appease LGBTQ employees who are engaging in company-wide walkouts in protest of executive leadership, according to multiple reports.

During the meeting Monday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek reiterated his groveling apology over his initial silence on Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill and promised the company will engage in more overt LGBTQ activism, including opposing Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott’s (R) recent initiative concerning transgender procedures for children.

“I and the leadership team are determined to use this moment as a catalyst for more meaningful and lasting change,” Chapek said at the opening of the meeting, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Disney also said it would create an internal LGBTQ task force that will engage with LGBTQ employees, community partners, and content creators.

During the meeting, Chapek told employees he made a mistake by not initially opposing the Florida bill, which would prevent the teaching of sexuality and transgender ideology to kids in kindergarten through third grade. He said he understood the pain the company’s initial silence on the bill caused employees.

Democrats have smeared the legislation as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill even thought the text doesn’t mention “gay.” Despite an avalanche of negative media coverage, the Florida senate recently passed the bill, paving the way for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to sign it into law.

Transgender boy Damian of New York takes part in the NYC Pride March as part of World Pride commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising on June 30, 2019 in New York City. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

DeSantis has slammed Disney for backtracking on its initial refusal to take sides on the Florida bill.

“When you have companies that have made a fortune off being family-friendly and catering to families and young kids, they should understand that parents of young kids do not want this injected into their kid’s kindergarten classroom,” he said.

During Monday’s town hall, Chapek agreed that the company should stand up more for the LGBTQ community beyond Florida, according to a report from Deadline.

In Texas, Gov. Abbott has asked state agencies to investigate parents of children undergoing transgender procedures, including irreversible hormone treatment. A state appeals court has put in place a temporary injunction blocking the governor’s measure.

Disney will now aggressively oppose Abbott’s initiative as part of its commitment to LGBTQ activism.

The town hall meeting on Monday was held in lieu of a planned executive retreat.   As Breitbart reported, Disney employees are organizing a series of walkouts to pressure executives into backing their radical LGBT agenda.

The walkouts are happening despite Chapek’s earlier apology for not opposing the Florida bill.

“You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry,” he wrote in a company memo earlier this month.

Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com

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