We all know that Disney is one of the most radical organizations in the world. It has strongly opposed a new Florida law that prohibits public schools from indoctrinating students in the radical LGBT agenda. Its senior executives loudly and proudly tout the “not-so-secret gay agenda” they are foisting on unsuspecting children and that they are doing all they can to dramatically increase the number of LGBT characters in their productions. It has purposely put in a gay kiss scene in a movie targeted to children. It has agreed to pay the abortion-related travel expenses of employees in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling that held that abortion is not a constitutional right. And now Disney is so woke that in order to promote its “diversity, equity, and inclusion” agenda it is openly violating the Civil Rights Law of 1964 and similar legislation that prohibit hiring and awarding internships based on race, ethnicity, sex and other forbidden characteristics.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states:
“(a) Employer practices
It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer –
(1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; or
(2) to limit, segregate, or classify his employees or applicants for employment in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin…
(d) Training programs
It shall be an unlawful employment practice for any employer, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee controlling apprenticeship or other training or retraining, including on-the-job training programs, to discriminate against any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in admission to, or employment in, any program established to provide apprenticeship or other training.”
Disney blatantly acts in violation of this law and proudly broadcasts its illegal actions on its web site and elsewhere. As Disney states on its web site:
“We are committed to inspiring a more inclusive world by reimagining the way we tell stories and who tells them. Our intention is to broaden access and diversity in our industry by adopting inclusion standards across Disney General Entertainment and live-action Studio productions by the end of 2022, with the goal of advancing representation in front of and behind the camera, in marketing and more.”
As an example of its commitment to inclusiveness, Disney showcases the policy of its affiliate ABC Entertainment. (Note: Reading the policy requires both a degree in math and Chinese menu reading.) According to Standard A (On Screen Representation) of the policy, at least three of five standards have to be met. Such standards include:
“•A1 Characters: 50% or more of regular and recurring written characters come from Underrepresented Groups
•A2 Actors: 50% or more of regular and recurring actors come from Underrepresented Groups
•A3 Secondary Characters: Meaningful inclusion of Underrepresented Groups as secondary or more minor on-screen individuals, including background actors”
For Standard B (Creative Leadership), at least three of six standards must be met. These standards include:
“•B1 50% or more of producer & above on writing staff and 50% or more of Co-Producer & below on writing staff come from Underrepresented Groups
•B2 50% or more of episodic directors come from Underrepresented Groups…
•B5 Promotion of a member of an Underrepresented Group into a role that constitutes career progression for at least one member of the writing staff”
Two of five standards must be met for Standard C (Below the Line). Such standards include:
“•C1 50% or more of line producer and/or production department heads (ie: DP, composer, costume designer, editor, production designer, music supervisor…) come from Underrepresented Groups
•C2 50% or more of other key roles (any mid-level crew and technical positions) come from Underrepresented Groups
•C3 50% or more of the overall crew or project staff come from Underrepresented Groups”
For Standard D (Industry Access and Career Development), three of six standards must be met. These include:
“•D1 Paid employment opportunities such as apprenticeships, internships, expert advisers to facilitate union eligibility for members of Underrepresented Groups…
•D3 ‘First job’ for member of Underrepresented Group in a role that constitutes career progression from prior training…
•D4 50% or more of outside vendors or contractors employed by production provide industry access or opportunities to members of Underrepresented Groups….”
(I can see Disney executives now. “Does Standard B require two of six or three of six?” “Wait, I thought Standard D has five standards—or is it six?” “What if a person is a member of more than one group—does that get us two points toward a standard?”)
Significantly, ABC’s inclusiveness policy states that “Context is critical when evaluating if a group is ‘underrepresented.’” However, based on Disney’s commitment to wokeness, we can pretty well assume that race, ethnicity, “identifying” with any letter in the LGBT alphabet soup, and the like will determine if a person is a member of an “underrepresented” group.
If there ever was a corporate policy in direct violation of laws prohibiting hiring based on race, sex, ethnicity, and other forbidden characteristics, this policy is it. And Disney openly brags about this policy on its web site and the U.S. Department of Justice does nothing about it.
In addition, Disney has an Apprenticeship Program that likewise violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by being open only to people who are not heterosexual, white, and male. As the program description states:
“The Apprenticeship Program creates opportunity and access for top underrepresented entry-level individuals by removing barriers and providing pathways into Disney General Entertainment Content (DGE) and the media/entertainment industry as a whole. Apprentices are part of a two-year program where they will gain experience supporting Creative Executives, blended with agency exposure and a curated cohort experience.”
The picture of the class that began the program in October 2020 proudly does not have a straight while male in it.
So there you have it. The House of Mouse once again demonstrates its commitment to wokeness by hiring and awarding internships based on race, ethnicity, sex, and other prohibited characteristics in clear violation of anti-discrimination laws. And the Justice Department is not doing a thing about it. One can only imagine the uproar if Disney openly had a policy favoring straight white males. Presidential and Congressional committees would have been formed. The Justice Department would have immediately launched an investigation and applied for injunctions. And the woke mob would have taken to the streets and burned our cities. Let’s hope that new leadership at the Justice Department under a Republican administration in 2025 will have the courage to take on Disney’s discrimination. We Floridians under Governor DeSantis have defeated Disney at the state level; let’s next defeat Disney at the national level.