Many Marvel editors took to Twitter to voice their support for LGBTQIA+ voices and for Disney to do better. Using the hashtag #DisneyWalkout, Marvel editors such as Alanna Smith and Sarah Brunstad participated in the walkout to show solidarity and support in response to the recent revelation that Disney has supported the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Other prominent Marvel employees like Marvel Host and Director of Creative Content Lorraine Cink also participated in the walkout.
As Brunstead so aptly said via Twitter, “As so many have said, this isn’t about JUST asking for representation and respect–it’s about lives on the line in FL and across the US. It’s about our collective responsibility to build a better world.”
The “Don’t Say Gay” bill was passed by the Florida state Senate earlier this month and is expected to be signed into law by Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis. The bill seeks to prohibit teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with young students. It has been reported Disney has donated $299,126 to supporters of the bill.
There has also been reports of Disney walkouts at their Burbank offices.
Hundreds of Disney employees walking out at company HQ in Burbank #DisneyWalkout pic.twitter.com/n9QpNmAHIf
— Steve Desaulniers (@steve_desaul) March 22, 2022
Brunstad ended a Twitter thread with a hopeful message about how good work is being done, but there is more that needs to be done: “I DO believe that world is coming. Marvel has given me space to do amazing things w/ amazing creators, and I’m so grateful for that. In my tenure I have seen minds changed–watched in real time as straight men in power began to SEE queer existence. It’s been a labor of love.”
After a period of silence and amid building pressure, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek has reportedly told staff that the company “unequivocally” stands with its LGBTQ+ employees, but with many social issues, more needs to be done.
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