‘I LET YOU DOWN’

Disney Boss Sorry for Wimpy Reaction to ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill

“You needed me to be a stronger ally,” Bob Chapek said in a memo to furious employees.

After a backlash, Disney CEO Bob Chapek is admitting he screwed up by refusing to take a more aggressive stand against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In a memo to employees on Friday, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Chapek wrote: “You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry.” The Mouse House boss also said Disney—which had donated to both the bill’s sponsors and opponents—would halt political contributions in Florida and increase funding for advocacy groups. The bill, which bans what schools can teach about sexual orientation and gender identity in younger grades, has been condemned by the LGBTQ community and its allies.