After being confronted with public and internal unrest earlier this year in response to her response to Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” legislation — also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law — The Walt Disney Company is among a handful of Hollywood studios signing open letter in support of codifying some LGBTQ+ marriage rights in federal law.
Headed by the Human rights campaign – who mobilized the effort in just six days – the open letter 173 signatories, representing more than 5.3 million workers, urge the Senate to pass the Respect for Marriage Act. Formally known as HR 8404 in the House and S. 4556 in the Senate, the bill would completely repeal the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996. DOMA banned the federal government from recognizing same-sex couples under state law in more than 1,000 contexts and did not require states to legally respect same-sex marriages entered into in other states, according to the Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause .
The US Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Windsor removed the federal recognition element of DOMA in 2013, meaning same-sex couples were no longer barred from federal recognition when it came to Social Security survivor benefits, equitable tax treatment, a spouse’s sponsorship for citizenship, and more. But statements made in the unanimous opinion of Judge Clarence Thomas in… Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationwho fell Roe v. Wadesuggested that the court could try to make rulings such as: Windsor.
“Americans from all walks of life, from all demographics, geographies and party lines agree that loving, committed couples have the right to be respected and protected under the law,” the letter reads. “As many of us emphasized in our support for marriage equality in 2015, a patchwork of inconsistent and discriminatory state marriage laws goes against our corporate values and makes it harder for us to do business and recruit and retain top talent.”
While the bill seeks to protect some state and federal marriage rights established by: Windsor for pre-existing marriages — in addition to protecting federal recognition and enforcement that states recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states — the Respect for Marriage Act would not cover all of the rights established under the court’s position in Obergefell v. Hodges. Historically decided in 2015 and noted in the open letter, that ruling stated that the fundamental right to marry also includes same-sex partnerships, and if overturned, it could again allow states to refuse to issue new marriage licenses. give to same-sex couples, according to the ACLU.
In the letter, which states that support for both “same-sex and interracial couples is at an all-time high,” Disney and fellow entertainment industry studios and companies such as Sony, Comcast NBCUniversal and Apple are publicly joining the pro. -LGBTQ+ rights law that has already made history as “the most pro-LGBTQ vote” in Congress, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, after passing the House with bipartisan support of 267-157.
“Codification of a consistent and inclusive federal standard issued by the Lovingly, Windsorand Obergefelll statements will help ensure equality in marriage, remove confusion for employers and enable us to retain and attract talent,” the letter continues. “No one, including same-sex and interracial couples protected by this bill, should fear that their marriage will not be recognized by the federal government or that their working conditions will be threatened.”
Disney’s presence among the letter’s signatories is noteworthy after weeks of internal and external responses to the company over its response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which has since become law.
Described as a government censorship law by the ACLU, it prohibits classroom discussions in public schools by school officials and third parties regarding sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade, as well as any other grade where it is delivered in a manner that is considered not “age appropriate”. It also gives parents broad powers to sue a district for alleged violations for damages and attorney fees.
The law became a sore point for Disney in the early months of 2022, when the company began to fight for donations to representatives who supported and approved HB 1557/SB 1834 by both chambers of the Florida Congress, as well as the silence in terms of all public statements surrounding the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
In early March, Chapek finally responded, employees tell in an internal memo that the company had not publicly opposed the bill because “corporate statements do very little to change results or minds” and instead are “often armed by one side or the other to sow and foment even more divisiveness.” Simply put, they can be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to effect change.”
In answer, the animation guild and collaborators across Disney, from Pixar to his distribution staff, released public statements condemning the company’s political donations and its decision to remain silent in response to the bill. Shortly after, Chapek promised that the company would donate $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign and other LGBTQ+ rights organizations, in addition to meeting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
HRC ultimately rejected the donation echoing the company’s “deplorable stance in choosing to remain silent amid political attacks on Florida LGBTQ+ families,” and would waive adoption until Disney “builds on their public commitment and partners with LGBTQ+ advocates to making sure that dangerous proposals, such as Florida’s Don’t Say Gay or Trans bill, don’t become dangerous laws.”
After tense internal conversations with employees, social media statements from the different divisions and news about a virtual and in-person strike – that finally took place in Burbank — Chapek, in a employee memoannounced that Disney was pausing political donations in Florida pending a review, with the company developing a new political donation framework and expanding its support for advocacy groups to fight similar legislation in other states.
Disney’s place on the list of signatories to support the Respect for Marriage Act is one of the first known public stances the company has taken in support of LGBTQ+ rights since the controversy in March.
“I thank the 173 companies that have taken a stand and joined the fight for LGBTQ+ equality on behalf of their employees and customers, for whom this is completely personal,” Joni Madison, interim president of the human rights campaign, said in a statement. . “When workplaces see and celebrate all families, including their LGBTQ+ talent, they ensure that everyone is fully committed to the job and given the opportunity to thrive.”