The Scarlet Watch from Elkie Atherton
DISNEY AND QUEER REPRESENTATION.. Disney has been at the forefront of our media for decades even more today with its ownership of Marvel, the Star Wars franchise and Hulu. However, its relationship with queer representation has been complicated. Over the years queer people have carved out a safe space in the Disney fandom. Disney was even awarded a perfect score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index created by the Human Rights Campaign reaching this for 13 consecutive years and becoming renowned for being a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people to work. However, Disney has recently been under fire and an increased focus has been put on Disney’s relationship with queer representation and the youth that discover themselves in these stories.
The Don’t Say Gay Bill is a recently approved legislation that bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade in the state of Florida. It has been opposed by many people across all states even being condemned by President Biden himself. Disney came under fire when it was shared that the company had donated nearly $300,000 to the people who backed the bill. They didn’t donate to the actual campaign, but many people believe they didn’t do enough to highlight how harmful this bill could be. It also struck a chord as Disney has shown increasing reluctance to have openly queer and trans characters in their children’s films. Disney employees walked out, and protests took place about Disney’s relationship to the bill in Burbank, California. In Florida, there wasn’t as much of an employee response speculated to be because they are union workers and have been advised it could breach their contract. Disney companies such as Hulu, ESPN and Disney+ have all publicly expressed their support of the LGBTQIA+ community in this time but only after the public outcry.
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