The Disney+ “Moon Knight” star slammed the Walt Disney Company financially backing Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill during a March 22 virtual junket, the same day that select Disney employees organized a full-scale walkout. When asked his opinion on the protest during Tuesday’s “Moon Knight” junket as reported by Variety, Isaac said, “I guess my comment would be [starts singing] gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gayyyyyy! Yeah, it’s an absolutely ridiculous law. It’s insane. It’s insanity. And I hope that Disney as a company comes out as forcefully as possible against this idea.” Isaac added, “It’s astounding that it even exists in this country.” “Moon Knight” is set to be released March 30 on Disney’s streaming platform.
Disney employees planned the walkout to take action against Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek’s handling of the company’s financial support of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill as well as the handling of its own response to the backlash. Chapek has issued numerous apologies for the financing of what President Biden called a “hateful” bill. The Animation Guild and Pixar staff have condemned Chapek’s handling of the corporate political stance, with employees also taking to their personal social media accounts to speak out against the “devastating” decision by Disney.
Related How Iger May Do What Chapek Wouldn’t: Spin Off ESPN ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Grosses Lower than Expected $17 Million Thursday: What It Means Related The Best Film Sound of 2022 24 Famously Queer and Homoerotic Horror Movies, from ‘Psycho’ to ‘Hellraiser’
The “Don’t Say Gay” bill prohibits discussions in Florida elementary schools around gender identity and sexual orientation.
Disney companies including ABC, ESPN, Disney+, Marvel, and Hulu also released Twitter statements in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We oppose any legislation that threatens basic human rights and stand in solidarity with our colleagues through our practices, our programming, and everything we do,” the official ABC network statement read.
Marvel Studios added, “[We] stand for hope, inclusivity, and strength; and we proudly stand with the community.”
Pixar’s upcoming “Toy Story” prequel film “Lightyear” reportedly restored a same-sex kiss amid the backlash to Disney supporting “Don’t Say Gay.” Disney creatives reportedly have a history of trying to curb Pixar’s attempts to represent a variety of romantic relationships onscreen, also revealing that LGBTQ+ themes were curbed in animated films like “Luca,” “Soul,” and “Inside Out.”
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
