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The Walt Disney Company and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill

Kelly R. Hall (Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah, USA)
Ram Subramanian (Management Department, Stetson University School of Business Administration, DeLand, Florida, USA)

Publication date: 14 September 2023

Issue publication date: 1 April 2024

Abstract

Research methodology

This secondary source case is based mainly on legislative documents (that tracked the initiation and progress of the Parental Rights in Education bill that later became an Act), corporate documents (published by The Walt Disney Company) and news articles from publications such as The New York Times and Bloomberg. All sources are cited in the case narrative and as end notes.

Case overview/synopsis

In April 2022, The Walt Disney Company and its CEO, Robert Chapek, were at the center of a controversy over the company’s opposition to the State of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill. The bill, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by its critics, prohibited instruction on sexual identity and gender orientation in the state’s elementary schools. The controversy stemmed from Disney’s initial non-reaction to the bill and its later strident opposition and call for its repeal. Chapek was pressured by negative media publicity and employee disgruntlement on the one hand and adverse economic consequences for opposing the bill by the state’s Governor, Ron DeSantis. Chapek and the Board had to respond to the political threats to Disney’s economic well-being while appeasing its employees and other stakeholders who wanted the company to be a corporate champion in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Complexity academic level

The case is best suited for advanced undergraduate or graduate leadership, strategic management and marketing courses. From a leadership and strategic management perspective, the case is well-suited for demonstrating the evolving expectations of leaders and corporate social responsibility, as well as the concepts of issue framing and nonmarket management. Instructors may also leverage the case in marketing courses (e.g. brand management), as CEO activism (i.e. messaging and practice) is one characteristic of brand activism (Animation Guild, 2022).

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Disclaimer. This case is intended to be used as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. The case was compiled from published sources.

Citation

Hall, K.R. and Subramanian, R. (2024), "The Walt Disney Company and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill", , Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 698-719. https://doi.org/10.1108/TCJ-05-2023-0113

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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