Disney won't say if it will air same-sex kiss in anti-gay countries
Disney is expanding its footprint into at least 10 countries that openly condemn gay rights
Kaltbaum Capital Management president Gary Kaltbaum gives his take on investing in Disney as controversy rises due to the company's statement on Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill on 'Making Money.'
The Walt Disney Company has remained silent on whether it plans to air a same-sex kiss it recently re-added into an upcoming film in the almost dozen countries it operates in that oppose gay marriage and gay rights.
Representatives at Disney have declined to respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital regarding if the company will include a same-sex kiss in Pixar’s upcoming movie "Lightyear" for audiences in countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia where gay rights are not recognized.
Monorail, Walt Disney World. (iStock)
The kiss between two female characters was added back into the film after initially being removed due to blow back from the company’s perceived lack of opposition to a controversial parental rights bill in Florida, Variety reported last month.
Fox News Digital reported recently that Disney is expanding its footprint into at least 10 countries that openly condemn gay rights, including some places that punish homosexuals with prison and even death.
As part of its expansion, Disney+ will make its way into Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Yemen — all of which outlaw homosexuality.
I'M A MOM AND DISNEY HAS ME RETHINKING EVERYTHING ABOUT IT
While the company is not saying whether it plans to cave to the anti-gay customs in the newly incorporated country’s, Disney’s leadership has taken a stance in recent weeks against a Florida bill that prohibits classroom instruction on "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" with children in third grade or younger "or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law," Disney said after Florida’s Repulican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill. "Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country."
The bill has been misleadingly dubbed the "Don’t Say Gay" bill by Democrats and media outlets, though it does not ban mention of the word.
DeSantis responded to Disney’s criticism by saying that the company "crossed the line."
"This state is governed by the interest of the people of the state of Florida. It is not based on the demands of California corporate executives," DeSantis said. "They do not run this state. They do not control this state."
The Florida Republican also slammed the company for criticizing the legislation’s alleged trampling of rights while remaining silent on China, which has a long and documented history of human rights abuses.
The entrance to Disney World. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
"You have companies, like a Disney, that are going to say and criticize parents rights — they’re going to criticize the fact that we don’t want transgenderism in kindergarten and first grade classrooms, and that’s the hill they’re going to die on," DeSantis said in March."Then how do they possibly explain lining their pockets with their relationship from the Communist Party of China?"
"Because that’s what they do, and they make a fortune, and they don’t say a word about the really brutal practices that you see over there at the hands of the CCP," the governor added.