Shareholders for the Walt Disney Co. voted overwhelmingly on March 20 to stick with participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. Only 1% of shareholders voted in favor of stepping back from HRC’s index, which measures LGBTQ+ friendliness in corporate spaces. HRC has given Disney a high score since the 2007.
The index has long been a target of conservative activists. A company’s vow to no longer participate is often among the trophies when conservatives announce anti-DEI victories.
The proposal was brought from National Center for Public Policy Research; at the shareholder’s meeting, a representative for the conservative thinktank mentioned Robby Starbuck’s attention to HRC as a motivating factor for bringing the proposal.
In response to Disney’s vote, HRC’s VP of Corporate Citizenship Eric Bloem said in a statement that Disney shareholders know, “despite all the noise, commitments to inclusion pay figurative dividends and help their literal bottom line.”
Prior to the 2020s, when corporate social responsibility became a large part of the public discourse, Disney had long billed itself as a LGBTQ+ friendly company. Gay Days at Disney World have existed in some form since 1991, flourishing through the 2010s.
Disney’s internal and external branding started to slip when Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced the Parental Rights in Education or “Don’t Say Gay” Act. When the company did not immediately come out against the bill in 2022, Disney employees took to social media to condemn their employer.
It was at a shareholders’ meeting in 2022 that CEO Bob Chapek acknowledged employees’ hurt and explained that Disney had reached out to DeSantis to express concern.
Several major employers signed the Human Rights Campaign’s “Business Statement Opposing Anti-LGBTQ+ State Legislation,” including 3M, Accenture, Amazon, Apple, CVS, Dow, Lyft, Nike, Patagonia, Target and Uber, among more than 300 others.
In the world of work specifically, Glassdoor, Intuit, LinkedIn, PwC, Salesforce, UKG, Upwork, Workday and Zoom also signed the HRC pledge.
Disney’s condemnation of the Don’t Say Gay bill led to a years-long battle in court over its role in Florida’s tourism industry.
Notably, right as Disney took heed from consumers and employees alike on its perceived failure to come out against the bill, HRC issued a statement chastising Disney.
The advocacy organization said in March 2022 that it would refuse to accept money from Disney “until we see them build on their public commitment and work with LGBTQ+ advocates to ensure that dangerous proposals, like Florida’s Don’t Say Gay or Trans bill, don’t become dangerous laws, and if they do, to work to get them off the books.”
Additionally, it said, “HRC encourages Disney, and all employers, to continue to fight for their employees – many of whom bravely spoke out to say their CEO’s silence was unacceptable.”
Disney shareholders voting to keep participating in HRC’s equality index three years later — despite anti-DEI talent strategy being the trend du jour — may mark a full-circle moment.
