According to The Los Angeles Times, the Raven’s Home cast and crew were among The Walt Disney Company employees who participated in the company walkout on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. The Disney walkout protested Disney’s donations to candidates who backed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, known as the Parental Rights in Education legislation, in Florida, and the company’s initially tepid response to the bill restricting classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation from Kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Along with many LGBTQIA+ cast members and employees, Raven-Symone shared a video of the Raven’s Home cast participating in Tuesday’s walkout due to Disney’s response to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Expressing their support for the Disney staffers who organized the demonstrations opposing Florida’s legislation, the cast and executive producers stated the bill was “stupid” and harmful. The clip also encourages viewers to “support, support, support” the movement to block the anti-gay and anti-trans legislation.
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The That’s So Raven star also posted a message that read:
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Disney Workers Walk Out Over Company’s Response to “Don’t Say Gay” Bill
The “Don’t Say Gay” bill has come under fire from human rights activists who say that it would be harmful to LGBTQIA+ youth. Many activists hoped Disney would speak out against the anti-gay bill in Georgia as they did in 2016 under the leadership of then-CEO Bob Iger when the company threatened to pull its business from the state, which has become a favorite production hub for its movie and television studios (now funded by Dan T. Cathy). The bill was then vetoed by the Georgia governor. However, in 2022, under the leadership CEO Bob Chapek, the company has taken a different direction in how it handles human rights abuses.
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As a result of the company’s initial lack of response to the anti-gay legislation, hundreds of Disney employees and allies were seen marching at the company’s Burbank headquarters on Tuesday morning. The full-scale walkout came later in the day when employees planned a series of smaller walkouts to demonstrate that they wanted Chapek and Disney to take a stronger stance on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and future anti-gay legislation.
Employees who are participating in the walk out are demanding for Disney to stop making political donations to certain Florida politicians, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. They are also demanding that the company considers the protection of queer cast members and to commit to a plan to protect LGBTQIA+ cast members from potential harm caused by human rights abuses and discriminatory legislation.
