ORLANDO, Fla. — Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek is pausing all of the company’s political donations in Florida after the passage of the “don’t say gay” bill and apologized to his employees for his silence during the monthslong debate on the measure.
In a letter sent to Disney workers, Chapek said the bill was “not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights.”
“You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down,” he wrote. “I am sorry. ... But I’m an ally you can count on, and I will be an outspoken champion for the protections, visibility and opportunity you deserve.”
The decision by the largest employer in Central Florida could have a major impact on election fundraising for both parties, and it escalates in his war of words with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who accused the company of being “woke” a day earlier for opposing the bill.
Disney has given about $55 million to Republicans, Democrats and political committees in the state over the past 28 years, including about $5 million in 2020 and more than $2 million so far in 2022, state records show.
The company has also given more than $100,000 to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC since 2019.
Chapek’s statement comes after a week of criticism from fans and employees about his delayed reaction to the bill, which he opposed only after it passed both houses of the Legislature and sent to DeSantis for his signature.
Disney had already been under fire from the bill’s critics over its contributions to the bill’s GOP sponsors, including $11,000 over the last 12 years to GOP state Sen. Dennis Baxley of Ocala.
Earlier in the week, Chapek said DeSantis had agreed to meet with him to ensure the bill wouldn’t be “weaponized” against the LGBTQ community. Instead, DeSantis blasted the company as “woke” and in bed with Chinese communists at an exclusive event publicized on Fox News.
If signed by DeSantis, the bill would prohibit discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools up to the third grade and limits it to “age-appropriate” students in higher grades. Parents would be able to sue school districts over the issue.
Republicans argued the bill protects parental rights, while Democrats and LGBTQ groups contend it was intentionally vague and could have a chilling effect on teachers and students.
“To my fellow colleagues, but especially our LGBTQ+ community, thank you to all who have reached out to me sharing your pain, frustration and sadness over the company’s response to the Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill,” Chapek said in his letter.
“Speaking to you, reading your messages, and meeting with you have helped me better understand how painful our silence was,” Chapek wrote.
Chapek walked back his previous statement to employees that the company could fight against bigotry through its creative content, saying Disney needed to be “standing up for the rights of all.”
“Starting immediately, we are increasing our support for advocacy groups to combat similar legislation in other states,” Chapek wrote, possibly referring to a similar measure proposed in Georgia and bills targeting transgender children in Texas and Idaho.
“We are hard at work creating a new framework for our political giving that will ensure our advocacy better reflects our values. And today we are opposing all political donations in the state of Florida pending this review.”
Chapek added, “there is so much more work to be done” and said he would continue to engage with the LGBTQ community in the coming weeks.
“I truly believe we are an infinitely better and stronger company because of our LGBTQ+ community,” he wrote.
While Chapek said he spoke with DeSantis by phone and would meet with him, DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said Thursday no in-person meeting had been scheduled. Pushaw did not immediately return a request for comment Friday.
Critics have cited specific concerns over sections of the bill, including the vague wording about banning classroom instruction on “sexual orientation or gender identity” that isn’t “age appropriate” that goes beyond the language about kindergarten through third grade.
An amendment from GOP state Sen. Jeff Brandes that would have widened the classroom instruction ban to “human sexuality,” and not specifically orientation and identity, failed to pass.
The bill’s Republican sponsors have also been more openly vocal about LGBTQ students, with Baxley complaining about “everybody now all about coming out when you’re in school.”
Still, DeSantis has continued to claim that Chapek’s opposition is only because he hadn’t “bothered to read the bill,” according to a DeSantis campaign email sent Thursday. The email said a member of his staff would “hand-deliver a copy” of the bill to Disney’s Orlando headquarters and asked for gas money to get him there.
Asked if the Florida GOP wanted to comment about Disney’s decision to pull contributions, Helen Aguirre Ferre, executive director of the party, wrote in an email: “There is no world in which Gov. DeSantis backs down from his commitment to doing what’s best for Florida’s children and parents. ... Disney’s decision to fold under the pressure of the lying-Left is disappointing.”
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