The Walt Disney Firm has been within the public eye in current weeks due to the dispute over the controversial Florida laws referred to as the "Do not Say Homosexual" legislation, however Comcast, the guardian firm of Common Studios, has managed to remain out of the highlight regardless of its silence on the measure.
The invoice, which was signed into legislation on Monday by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has been a scorching subject in current months, as critics of the legislation mentioned it was damaging to youngsters which are part of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood and have condemned firms or celebrities for supporting it.
Comcast, which owns and operates the Common Orlando Resort, has but to talk out on the matter of the "Do not Say Homosexual" legislation, and whereas the Walt Disney Firm has acquired some intense backlash over political donations to supporters of the laws within the final month, Common has not confronted the identical response.
Brandon Wolf, the press secretary for Equality Florida, a civil rights group that stands for the LGBTQ+ neighborhood, instructed Newsweek that one of many potential explanation why Common Studios has not been known as out in the identical means as Disney has is due to its staff.
"Disney is uniquely positioned in Florida, and all the time has been," Wolf mentioned.
"Disney is the biggest non-public employer within the state," he defined, and due to that, Disney has a big neighborhood of LGBTQ+ staff.
"It is vital to acknowledge that staff actually led the cost from the start," Wolf mentioned.
Another excuse for the distinction could possibly be due to Disney's brand, Wolf added. In graphics accompanying studies of firms which have donated to politicians who supported the legislation, Disney's brand is much extra recognizable than Comcast's, which is used as a substitute of the Common brand. "It is completely different when individuals see the emblem that hangs above the doorway to their favourite theme park," Wolf mentioned.
Like Disney, Comcast donated cash to a number of of the invoice's sponsors within the 2021-2022 fiscal yr, the Theme Park Tribune reported.
In accordance with Theme Park Insider, Florida State Senator Dennis Baxley, who launched the invoice, was allegedly given a $1,000 donation from Comcast. Newsweek tried to verify this determine with Baxley however didn't obtain a response previous to publication.
However regardless of staying silent on the "Do not Say Homosexual" legislation, the corporate has publicly promoted its help of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood up to now.
"Equality just isn't a hard and fast place on a map," MSNBC and NBC Information Senior Vice President Yvette Miley mentioned in a submit on Comcast's company web site entitled "Stonewall at 50: Celebrating a Vital Milestone in LGBTQ Historical past." "Some individuals might imagine the LGBTQ rights journey is finished and the wrestle is over, however it is not. Our job is to repeatedly educate."
"It is extraordinarily uncommon to see a company not solely put money into an LGBTQ group but in addition make investments to this extent in one thing that may have a nationwide influence," Jennifer Gregg, Govt Director of the ONE Archives Basis, added.
The textual content of the "Do not Say Homosexual" legislation, formally referred to as HB 1557, says the legislation "reinforces a guardian's basic proper to make selections concerning the care and upbringing of his or her youngster within the public faculty setting" by prohibiting the instructing and dialogue of sexual orientation or gender identification in lecture rooms for youngsters aged 5 to 9.
In early March, Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out in opposition to the invoice after calls to boycott the corporate surfaced on social media resulting from Disney's lack of touch upon the laws.
At an annual shareholders assembly on March 9, Chapek mentioned the corporate didn't make an preliminary response as a result of it thought it may work higher "behind the scenes." Chapek mentioned the corporate could be "reassessing our method to advocacy — together with political giving in Florida and past."
In an internet video shared on March 6, Benjamin Siemon, a author for Disney's animation division, mentioned that Disney is "beginning to embrace extra LGBT characters that permit children know that being homosexual is all proper. However once they have donated to the sponsors and co-sponsors of the 'Do not Say Homosexual' invoice they usually have made no place in opposition to this invoice, and they're going to proceed donating to those politicians, they're basically saying that this invoice is OK."
On March 28, Chapek issued an apology to LGBTQ+ staff, saying that they "nonetheless have extra work to do," however critics claimed the stance that Disney took concerning the difficulty was expressed "too late."
And regardless of Comcast's silence on the invoice, no requires boycotts or worker walkouts have appeared to come back in opposition to the Common Orlando Resort.
"I hope Common joins the opposite firms which have spoken out in opposition to this laws and different items," Wolf instructed Newsweek. "Each firm that's based mostly in or does enterprise in Florida has a duty to indicate up in solidarity."
In the meantime, Disney was as soon as once more slammed by DeSantis on Tuesday evening when he made an look on Fox Information's Tucker Carlson Tonight. The governor made feedback about Disney being hypocritical for saying it could work to help efforts to repeal the legislation whereas persevering with to run Disney's cruise line that makes stops in Dominica, a rustic that criminalizes homosexuality.
Newsweek reached out to Common Studios and Comcast for remark however didn't hear again in time for publication.
Replace 3/30/22 3:30 PM ET: This story has been up to date with further data.
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