The creator of Disney’s The Owl House is speaking out about the company's failure to take a stance against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The giant corporation has been under fire in recent days after it was revealed they have given repeated donations to Florida lawmakers who support the controversial bill and will continue to do so.
Things got worse when CEO Bob Chapek circulated an internal memo at the company claiming that they support their LGBTQ+ employees but also writing, “Because this struggle is much bigger than any one bill in any one state, I believe the best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create, and the diverse community organizations we support.”
People generally took his statement to mean that the company will continue to support politicians they feel will benefit their bottom line while touting their “inspiring content” — despite the fact that Disney has long faced backlash for their failure to include LGBTQ+ characters and storylines in theatrical releases and bounced queer-inclusive shows like Love, Simon and High Fidelity to Hulu rather than have them directly under the Disney brand.
They have, however, had a handful of shows for kids that feature LGBTQ+ characters, including The Owl House, which launched in 2020 and has already been up for a GLAAD award.
The show’s creator, Dana Terrace, spoke out against Disney’s decision to line Republican pockets as well as Chapek’s email in a video shared to social media Monday.
She called the bill itself something that “effectively tells…LGBTQ+ kids that ‘you don’t exist, you don’t deserve to exist, and you shouldn’t even be talked about.’”
“We got a company-wide email this morning basically telling us, in summary, Disney as a company is not going to change doing any of this. We’re not going to not give money to these people. But here are a bunch of flowery and compassionate words to shut you up,” Terrace said, before lambasting Chapek’s claim that Disney supports diverse organizations. “Yes! Such diverse organizations as…all the Republicans who want to out queer kids against their will and put them in danger.”
“I’m someone who had a hard time coming to terms with my queerness until my mid-20s because of stuff like this, because I thought I shouldn’t exist, because no one even told me I had the option of existing,” she continued. “I know I got bills to pay, but working for this company has made me so distraught and I hate having moral quandaries about how I feed myself and how I support my loved ones.”
Terrace is ultimately saying what many other employees at Disney-owned companies, parks, and stores across the country have also expressed amidst the backlash, which is that the CEO sending out an email claiming to support LGBTQ+ employees is completely hollow when the company acts in opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.
While any one creator doesn’t have enough influence to convince the Mouse to put its money where its mouth is, Terrace did announce an upcoming charity livestream in direct response to the Disney news, where proceeds will go towards “actual queer organizations to help actual queer kids.”
“And we’re not just going to say pretty words to shut you up,” she added.
