More on Disney and their sick / evil agenda. Don't miss the end of this:

Longtime Disney Cast Member Speaks Out: =91We Are Ashamed to Work for This Company'

'They are creating a problem that never existed before.'

By Patricia Tolson

April 8, 2022 Updated: April 9, 2022

As the battle between Florida and The Walt Disney Co. executives continues to rage on, a longtime employee of Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando is speaking out, sharing how he and the majority of his fellow cast members are "ashamed to work for this company."

The employee, a custodial cast member of 35 years for Disney's Magic Kingdom Park, spoke to The Epoch Times under the condition of anonymity for the fear of being fired.

He said Disney's stance against the Parental Rights in Education is just another part of the ongoing effort of the company's new progressive management to push their "California Disney liberal policies" onto the Disney experience of the Sunshine State.

"They're calling it the =91Don't Say Gay' ," the cast member told The Epoch Times. "It's not a =91Don't Say Gay' . It's a parental rights issue."

As The Epoch Times recently reported, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education into law on March 28, 2022. House 1557, inaccurately branded by liberal opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" , prohibits Florida educators from teaching anything about sexual orientation or gender identity to children in Kindergarten through third grade and enables parents to sue if they believe schools or instructors have violated the law.

A week prior, after facing pressure from LGBTQ communities and staff for his silence, Disney CEO Bob Chapek issued a statement apologizing for not being a "stronger ally" to them, calling the "yet another challenge to basic human rights." Chapek then announced Disney would immediately halt all political donations in Florida.

In a March 28 statement, Disney's corporate office vowed to have the law repealed and to support organizations that tried to do the same.

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Longtime Disney Cast Member Speaks Out: =91We Are Ashamed to Work for This Company'

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After the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus outbreak, also known as the novel coronavirus, the vaccine mandates were introduced, the Disney cast member said, and employees were told they would lose their jobs if they did not conform.

"Thank God DeSantis slapped that down," the Orlando cast member said. Then Disney CEO Bob Chapek and Disney President Josh D'Amaro decided it would be a good idea to protest the Parental Rights in Education law, which the Orlando Cast member said the majority of his fellow Disney employees support.

As The Epoch Times reported April 1, DeSantis floated the possibility at a March 31 press conference that lawmakers might repeal the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act in response to Disney's ongoing opposition.

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Reedy Creek provides Disney with numerous advantages not enjoyed by Orlando's other theme parks. The nearly 40 square miles of land that Disney controls, located within the Reedy Creek Improvement District, is exempt from all county — and nearly all state — regulations. This means that, among other things, Disney is exempt from impact fees, building codes, surface water control, drainage, and all waste treatment regulations.

Another Disney employee, an openly gay cast member named Gary Lucia, shared the same sentiments in a lengthy essay he posted online, in which he condemned Disney's new political stance, particularly regarding the Parental Rights in Education legislation.

"The purposely misleading nickname =91Don't Say Gay' was a Trojan horse. It drew people in and got them all fired up because they thought the was attacking gay people," Lucia wrote.

The Orlando cast member also told The Epoch Times about Disney's new "diversity and inclusion" policies, described on their website as a "way of amplifying underrepresented voices and untold stories as well as championing the importance of accurate representation in media and entertainment."

"We've always included everybody at Disney," the cast member said. "They didn't need to come up with this stupid idea. We're always inclusive. Straight people have been working together with gay people at Disney for years and years and nobody I've seen has a problem with anybody. We all do our job, and we don't care what people do in their private lives. It's none of our business. We're there to do our job. It's a theme park. It's an entertainment company. There's no problem with straight and gay people at Disney and there never has been.

"What they're doing with this inclusion clause and the fight over the =91Don't Say Gay' is they are creating a problem that never existed before," he said. "They're wanting to =91solve' a problem that they are creating. Ask the average gay employee at Disney and they will tell you, they agree with DeSantis."

Over the past few days, numerous social media posts have suggest a "silent majority" of Disney's employees are unhappy with the company's protest of the legislation.

Writer and filmmaker Christopher Rufo released an internal Disney video on social media in which Disney Television Animation executive producer Latoya Raveneau boasted about how she is inserting the "not-at-all-secret gay agenda" into children's programming and "adding queerness" wherever she can — with Disney's blessing, and how the company is "going hard" to be supportive.

Another segment from the internal video featured Disney Parks' diversity and inclusion manager, Vivian Ware, announcing how the company has "removed all of the gendered greetings" like "ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls."

"That is totally ridiculous," the Orlando cast member said. "We hate that. We can't believe Chapek and D'Amaro would allow such a stupid idea. I don't know where these two executives get their ideas."

According to the veteran cast member, Disney should not be interjecting sexual issues into its park policies or shoving transgender characters into movies directed at children.

"Kindergarteners don't know anything about transgenders and sex, and they don't care," he added, saying "a very small percentage of people in California have created this problem. They're catering to a group of liberals in California. We're not like that in Orlando. This is a Republican red state. Thank God we have Ron DeSantis to slap their hand."

Another thing the Orlando cast member said he finds ridiculous is something Disney instituted about a year ago. For some of the employee restrooms — located in an area he refers to as "the tunnels," below the Magic Kingdom, where staff clock in and take lunch breaks — they took the urinals out of the men's restrooms and took down the signs with the male figures and replaced them with gender neutral signs.

"It is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen," he said. "On the one sign, you have a stick figure of a man, a stick figure of a woman, and a third stick figure that's half-male and half-female."

So far, he said they've only implemented the idea in the cast area. "They aren't doing this in the guest area — yet," he said. "I think guests would go ballistic."

According to the Orlando Disney cast member, the current managers need to go. "We don't like them. I'm embarrassed to work at Disney World," he said.

He spoke of how Disney conducted an employee survey recently in which he "gently admitted" he wasn't happy. "But I can't tell them what I really think," he said. "If they knew what I was telling you, I'd be fired."

"They're making cast members who haven't been vaccinated to wear masks, but a lot of us wear them even if they are vaccinated," the veteran Orlando cast member shared with some regret. "You know why? Because we're miserable. We wear the masks because we don't want the guests to see our faces. We're walking around pretending we're happy but under that mask, we're sad because we are ashamed to work for this company.

"I've been here for 35 years, and I only have a few years left before I can retire," he said. "I'm trying to keep my sanity, but it's very difficult."

The Epoch Times has reached out to Disney for comment.

Sent: Thursday, April 7, 2022 1:28 AM

Subject: Re:

more proof that liberals aren't really adults. they were spoiled by their "parents" (buddies) and weren't told "no".and figure that if they stomp their feet, they'll eventually get their way.

Them not being adults, they aren't mature enough for "adult things" like dealing with money

On Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 11:23:04 PM PDT:

I didn't know you have to give them your email to read the article so I hope I can paste it here:

Florida Lawmaker Says Disney =91Stepped in Quicksand and Made a Drastic Unforced Error'

'The only way they can get to D=E9tente on this is Bob Chapek is going to have to go.'

By Patricia Tolson

April 5, 2022 Updated: April 6, 2022

As the battle between Florida and Disney escalates following Gov. Ron DeSantis signing the "Parental Rights in Education" into law, one Sunshine State lawmaker says Disney "stepped in quicksand and made a drastic unforced error."

As The Epoch Times reported April 1, DeSantis floated the possibility at a March 31 press conference in Ponte Vedra Beach that lawmakers in the Sunshine State might repeal the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act in response to Disney's ongoing opposition to the recently signed "Parental Rights in Education" law, dubbed by liberal opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" . State Rep. Spencer Roach, a Republican, revealed through social media that lawmakers had already met twice to discuss the idea, saying "if Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County."

The announcement came as part of the ongoing feud between Disney and the state of Florida since the governor signed the into law. Previously silent about the until he faced backlash from a minority of Disney's LGBT employees, Disney CEO Bob Chapek issued a statement on March 11, apologizing to them for not being a "stronger ally." In a show of action, Chapek also announced Disney would put an immediate stop to all political donations in Florida. In a subsequent demonstration of solidarity, Disney Corporation issued a statement vowing that its new goal was to have "this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts" and to support organizations working to make that happen. DeSantis quickly reminded Disney that Florida "is governed by the interests of the people of the state of Florida — it is not based on the demands of California corporate executives."

Recent polling shows the overwhelming majority of Florida's primary voters, including a significant majority of Democrats, strongly support this legislation. Breitbart reported that "a flood of families are canceling Disney memberships" to their amusement parks and the Disney+ streaming service. The hashtag, "BoycottDisney" trended on social media and one of the largest mothers' advocacy organizations in the United States, Moms for Liberty, has warned Disney of the pushback it will face if it does not stop interfering with Florida's laws.

"CEO Bob Chapek needs to be removed," Roach asserted on social media April 3. "A man obsessed with sexualizing 4-year-olds should not run a company that built its brand on preserving the innocence & magic of childhood."

"I think Disney leadership is well aware they have stepped in quicksand and made a drastic unforced error," Roach told The Epoch Times. "I think they are aware of how badly they've messed up here and the only way they can get to d=E9tente on this is Bob Chapek is going to have to go. I think his days are numbered and he's going to be out as CEO in very short order. Whoever comes in is going to have to publicly acknowledge to some extent that Disney is not going to be held hostage by a small number of employees who think they can dictate Disney's political stance and if some employees don't like that they are going to have to leave."

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Roach said he has been to a dozen campaign events over the past few weeks and it's very clear that "people are outraged." At this point, Roach believes the only way for Disney to save face is to acknowledge they didn't read or understand the and they are going to stop meddling in Florida's legislative affairs. He also suggests Disney make a clear statement affirming or reaffirming their support of parental rights in Floria.

While he would not provide names, Roach also said he has had numerous discussions with Disney lobbyists who have been very vocal in advising corporate leadership that they are very badly mistaken about the political climate in Florida and they strongly advised them to stay out of it. But the executives in California "did not heed that warning."

=91It's Also Disney Making Money'

In the "strategic gamble" against Florida's Parental Rights legislation, James Bailey — professor of leadership at George Washington University's School of Business — told the Washington Examiner that Disney knows what it's doing.

"For Disney to step up and say, =91Hey, we're a progressive company, and you can't tell us what to do,' is actually helping their reputation," Baily told The Washington Examiner. "And so, this is Disney being Disney and adhering to their values, but it's also Disney making money." Baily further argued that "Disney has accountants, marketing people, and focus groups that have been able to suss out that their business model will be better off by pushing back on the legislation." While there is a risk of losing some conservative customers, Baily believes the move could gain some new liberal customers.

Conversely, Roach contends the business model of gaining some new liberal customers while sacrificing conservatives in a state where registered Republican voters recently overtook Democrats by 100,000 is not a winning strategy.

"Perhaps in California," Roach said. "A lot of the executives of Disney live in a California bubble." Roach also believes Chapek's apologies and promises to have the law overturned is a political gamble based on ignorance, scripted talking points, and a lot of bad advice.

"The information that Bob Chapek has been receiving is flat out wrong," Roach argued. "Despite the fact that we have a strong Disney presence in Florida, this is a California company with California values. Chapek is a man who was raised in Chicago and lives in California. I don't have any idea how often he actually comes to Florida, but I have to believe he is getting his advice from corporate executives in California. I would be absolutely shocked if Chapek actually took the time to read the seven-page . I'm sure he didn't. He got his talking points from someone in California."

It's a sentiment shared by DisneyBizJournal.com editor and Disney shareholder Ray Keating.

"Here's a suggestion for Disney CEO Bob Chapek: Get back to business, that is, excellence in storytelling, and stop wasting shareholders' money on political crusades that have nothing to do with Disney's business," Keating told Fox News Digital. "We all have the right to have our voices heard on issues, but not on the shareholders' dime."

Roach predicts this is the "very beginning of the shareholder revolt."

"I think the executives at Disney are well aware that they have made a very critical error and I think their shareholders are starting to respond," Roach asserted. "The problem with woke corporations is they fail to realize that they exist to serve their shareholders, not their employees. What happened at Disney has happened at many other corporations, a very small minority of woke radical progressive employees putting pressure on management to speak out on political issues and many times, management is hijacked by these folks thinking it represents a broad consensus of public opinion when it actually doesn't. Ultimately, the shareholders will make a decision on whether Bob Chapek gets to keep his job, not the employees. So, I think you have a real disconcerted corporate model here where a lot of people in the public and employees seem to forget that the shareholders who drive these decisions at companies, not the employees."

Repeal of Reedy Creek More =91Opportunistic than Retaliatory'

While some have accused DeSantis of trying to punish Disney with a show of "post-Trump authoritarianism," Roach insists the move to repeal Reedy Creek is more "opportunistic than retaliatory."

"In the past, it was politically impossible to try to dismantle Reedy Creek because of the overwhelming political power Disney has had in the state of Florida," Roach told The Epoch Times. "But now they are politically vulnerable." According to Roach, Disney's political clout is at a "55-year low." Republican candidates are even returning Disney's campaign contributions. "This eious error Disney has made has provided a politically opportunistic time to capitalize on this moment for us to correct this free-market apparition," Roach said.

According to Roach, Reedy Creek has been hotly debated and seriously questioned for years. DeSantis said the repeal would not be entirely retaliatory, but rather made as part of a larger effort to strip Disney of what he called "special privileges." Repeal, Roach said, is "an opportunity to correct something that should have [been] fixed a long time ago."

There are numerous other amusement parks in Florida. As Roach explained, the "special privileges" Disney takes for granted are numerous and unique to Disney alone. Of the near 40 square miles of land Disney controls, Reedy Creek exempts all of that land from "all county and nearly all state regulations." This means Disney is exempt from impact fees, building codes, surface water control, drainage, and all waste treatment regulations. In fact, Roach said Disney even gets to pick the residents — of which there are only 36 — who live in the "state-cities" they've created in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista.

"The problem with this now is they are straying away from what [Disney's] original vision was," Roach said.

As Roach explained, it's not just the theme parks anymore. Disney has had long-laid plans to build a $300 million movie studio on the property. There's a fourth, out-of-this-world expensive Disney-owned hotel where the most modest package starts at $4,809 on weeknights. Disney also has plans for a new apartment complex and expansive residential communities. Disney is also working on plans to develop a business park and transfer jobs to the Sunshine State from its California operation.

"When you look at the developers and businesses that want to invest there, Disney has an absolute advantage because they don't have to comply with all of the state and county regulations," Roach clarified. "Reedy Creek is an absolute perversion of the free market system. It is the largest privately controlled taxing district in the state of Florida, maybe in the United States. The problem with Reedy Creek is we never should have done this in the first place. It's absolutely anti-free market. There are multiple theme parks near Orlando Osceola County/Orange County area, seven to 11 others. None of them have this special carveout. Only Disney. So it's absolutely anti-free market and an enormous tax windfall for Disney. The largest tax evasion scam in the history of the state of Florida and possibly in the United States.

"I suspect that Bob Chapek's days as CEO are numbered," Roach reiterated. "He will be a casualty of this, and I hope Disney will come out with some kind of statement reconfirming their commitment to parental rights in Florida and acknowledging they are not going to be held hostage by a group of radical, progressive employees who do not speak for the majority of Florida voters or even a majority of Disney employees."

The Epoch Times reached out to Disney CEO Bob Chapek for comment but received no response.

Patricia Tolson, an award-winning political columnist and investigative reporter with 20 years of experience, has worked for such news outlets as Yahoo!, U.S. News, and The Tampa Free Press. With The Epoch Times, Patricia's in-depth investigative coverage of elections, education, school boards, parents' rights, and COVID-19 mandates has achieved international exposure. Send her your story ideas:

Sent: Wednesday, April 6, 2022 10:55 PM
las

Subject:

Good news to see the crazy creeps of disney meeting their match in florida.

https://m.theepochtimes.com/florida-lawmaker-says-disney-stepped-in-quicksand-and-made-a-drastic-unforced-error_4381529.html