In this case the culture wars have taken the form of Florida’s blandly named Parental Rights in Education Bill, which passed the state legislature on March 8 and awaits the governor’s signature. The bill prohibits instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for children in kindergarten through third grade, or for older students if not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate,” and makes it easier for parents to sue if they judge that the regulations are not being followed. Conservatives regard the bill as a righteous attempt to reclaim parental rights from activist teachers while the left dubs it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Chapek’s silence over the bill led to complaints, protests and walk-outs across the Magic Kingdom. Staff at Disney-owned Pixar Animation Studios said that they were “disappointed, hurt, afraid and angry.” Fund manager Ross Gerber tweeted that Chapek is the “worst” leader of Disney he can remember and called for a “CEO with a moral compass.” A chastened Chapek is now trying to save his leadership with a combination of groveling apologies (“you needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry.”) and escalating promises to do better in future (“I and the leadership team are determined to use this moment as a catalyst for more meaningful and lasting change”). So far Chapek’s pledges include: fiercely opposing Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s move to ensure that parents who provide gender-transitioning medical care for their young children are investigated for child abuse; putting together a taskforce to ensure that Disney makes more LGBTQ awareness content for children; and reinstating a same-sex kissing scene in the upcoming film “Lightyear.”
But the more Chapek apologizes and pledges, the more he infuriates conservatives. Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, lustily lays into the hapless CEO. “The chance that I am…