Captain America and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first openly gay character, Joe Russo. Screenshot: Marvel Studios.
Disney’s failure to quickly address the company’s involvement in funding lawmakers associated with Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say You’re Gay” bill caused a lot of internal and external dissatisfaction with the House of Mouse. But now things are slowly starting to change — if not enough.
Last night, following news that Disney’s queer employees across the company were planning strikes to protest Bob Chapek’s response to the aforementioned Florida legislation seeking to limit recognition of the very existence of queer people in educational settings, Marvel Studios became the latest division. Disney to issue a public statement condemning anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the studio pledged to promote the values of equality, specifically stating, “We strongly condemn any and ALL legislation that violates the fundamental human rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.” The studio continued, “Marvel Studios symbolizes hope, inclusion, and strength; and we are proud to support the community.”
Much of the reaction to Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s turn over the company’s response to Florida’s bill – after it was revealed that Disney had donated money to several lawmakers behind its creation – has been internal to the company. Reports last week uncovered a letter from Pixar employees sent by Disney criticizing the company’s response and alleging a history of extreme censorship of queer content in the studio’s output, and this week there was an unprecedented announcement of strikes organized by LGBTQIA+ Disney staff and allied support to protest the company’s inaction after Chapek apologized for Disney’s silence on the bill in a message to employees and formally suspended all political spending in Florida.
Marvel’s statement is one of the first major public comments released by part of Disney. Lucasfilm, another major division of the studio, also released a statement on Instagram, attached to an image of the Star Wars Rebel Alliance emblem emblazoned with the colors of the Pride flag. The caption reads that the studio will “strongly and unequivocally condemn the laws of Florida, Texas, Idaho and other countries against [LGBTQIA+] communities and violate their human rights”. As of this writing, this statement has not yet appeared on any of Lucasfilm’s other social media accounts, including the Star Wars Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels.
However, after weeks of silence, this is quite a small step and comes at a time when the company should be particularly supportive of its employees and LGBTQIA+ fans, in particular the rights of transgender people, as they have been under attack lately. Disney’s efforts to maintain its far from inspiring content are no longer enough, and the eyes of employees and consumers alike are watching to see when and if they will do more.
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