Why is disney gay
How Disney found its pride – and riled the American right
‘Christ. they’re going after Mickey Mouse,” said president Joe Biden in April, bemoaning the Republican party’s targeting of yet another American institution. A several days earlier, at a desk surrounded by small children, Florida governor Ron DeSantis had stripped Disney World of its self-governing status. Since its inception in 1967, Disney’s central Florida estate – officially the Reedy Creek Improvement District – has effectively operated under its own jurisdiction. The agreement has worked for both sides. Disney funds and manages universal services in the district in repay for autonomy over governance and maturation. Disney World has become the cornerstone of Florida’s tourist economy, employing 75,000 people locally. This is supposed to be Disney World’s 50th year, but the company finds itself in hazard of being cast out of its own magic kingdom.
DeSantis’s move was explicitly in retaliation to Disney’s opposition to HB 1557, improved known as the “Don’t say gay” law. This vaguely worded bill prohibits discussion of, or instruction on, issues of sexual orientation or gender culture in Florida schools. After the successf
Literally slaySleeping Beauty
Yeah yeah yeah, we all want Simba to emerge victorious at the end of The Lion King; and Snow White to wake up; and Ariel to amble on land; and the prince to marry Aurora, whoever the hell that is. Disney heroes are all very serviceable, but it’s the villains I’d rather spend time with.
Ursula has the best songs. The Evil Queen has the best cape. Maleficent has the best smile. Scar has the top quips. Prince John has the cutest underwear. Why waste time with the tedious heroes when you could be partying with these icons?
Disney villains are also — and there’s just no way around this — extremely lesbian. I’ve interviewed hundreds of queer people over the years about their pop culture influences, and I’ve lost count of how many cite the poor guys as inspirations. Even though there’s never been an openly queer Disney villain — still! — there still seems to be a sort of gay aura around them, and I’ve found that gay men are often particularly worshipful.
So … what’s the deal with that?
I think this phenomenon can be attributed to four qualities that seem to be common across a wide range of villains. First — the Disney villain was invented a
Disney faces backlash over LGBTQ controversy: ‘It’s just pure nonsense’
Brandon Wolf has fond memories of his five years working as a dancer at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom adjacent Orlando, Florida.
“It was one of the best times of my life because I moved to Orlando to find a place to belong, to detect a community, to find a world where I could be an out queer person of colour and be proud of that,” the 33-year-old says. “I certainly found that in the central Florida community that I contain grown to love. I found that in my fellow cast members and I’m very grateful for my time being capable to work with them at Disney.”
The Walt Disney Company, one of the world’s biggest media and entertainment empires, prides itself on a lesbian, same-sex attracted, bisexual, transgender and lgbtq+ (LGBTQ) friendly culture. But today its reputation for inclusivity and tolerance is under scrutiny – as are its deep ties to the political establishment and the lack of LGBTQ representation in its films.
Disney’s workers have been staging walkouts in demonstration at chief executive Bob Chapek’s lacklustre response to Florida legislation dubbed “don’t say gay”. The controversial bill bars instruction on “sexual orien
Disney just cant utter gay
In Pride 2022, the Florida Senate passed the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill for the state, or as activists own called it, the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.
The law bears major similarities with Margaret Thatcher’s infamous Section 28 in the UK (introduced in 1988) and forbids schools from discussing sexual orientation and gender persona. Whilst Section 28 was thankfully repealed in 2003, this new legislation is a cause of concern for LGBTQIA+ communities due to the impact it would have on queer youth.
President Joe Biden condemned the law, and Colorless House Press Secretary Jen Psaki described it as a manage target on vulnerable children. However, The Walt Disney Organization, which is very prominent in Florida, refused to condemn the law. Monitoring the ‘Don’t Tell Gay’ announcement, CEO Bob Chapek sent an email to employees acknowledging the ‘inspiring’ content that Disney had produced, and promising to continue creating diverse content. Yet, it subsequently came to light that Disney had partially funded Republican express lawmakers through political donations to the party, including GOP Governor Ron DeSantis who had proposed t
Disney's LGBTQ history is complicated
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- Disney has a long and complicated history with the LGBTQ community.
- The company's call out of Florida's "Don't Tell Gay" bill sparked a feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
- Photos show the evolution of Disney's LGBTQ stances, events, and representation.
Disney's prior years were defined by American idealism and conservative values.
In 1923, brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney founded The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, a show house creating animated shorts of soon-to-be iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse. Those early works often followed the plight and success of the "common man," appealing to Superb Depression-era audiences, Smithsonian Magazine reported.
By World War II, Disney became a pillar of America's war propaganda efforts, according to The National WWII Museum of New Orleans. Characters became familiar names and representatio