Fox News Is On a Homophobic Rampage

The network is going nuts because Disney finally bowed to pressure and acknowledged that LGBTQ people exist.

Screenshot: Fox News

It’s a tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme….a mega-corporation is forced to tepidly oppose an anti-LGBTQ law after massive backlash, and so Fox News filled their entire evening lineup with claims about the mega-corp supporting “chemical castration,” the “human trafficking” of children, and something imaginary called “Sex Mountain.”

That’s where The Walt Disney Company finds itself now. This story has been on a slow boil the last few weeks as the infamous measure known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill worked its way through the Florida legislature. (Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law on Monday.) Disney remained quiet throughout the legislative process, despite a letter sent to CEO Bob Chapek and other company leaders by LGBTQ Disney employees before the bill passed the state Senate, which urged the company to “issue a public statement condemning anti-LGBTQIA+ policies in the U.S.” When Chapek finally said something, it was a load of horseshit, as he claimed that the “biggest impact” Disney can make was “in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content.” Inspiring stuff indeed!

Since then, that soft-pedaled response launched employee walkouts, which came after a charge by company employees that top brass sought to censor “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection… regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar,” according to a letter obtained by Variety. The public and internal pressure worked: as The Washington Post reported, Disney said on March 11 that it would “pause” all political donations in Florida, a move that came after it was revealed the company had in recent years donated nearly $300,000 to DeSantis and other state politicians who supported the bill. The company has also taken its public response a step further, saying in a statement that the bill “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law” and that “our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts.”

All told, Disney’s handling of this issue has been a complete bungle, one that will be taught in Crisis PR 101 for years to come. It took a very public campaign of ongoing pressure to force the company’s leadership this far; it seems clear that Disney was weary of rocking the boat in Florida, home of its crown jewel theme parks and some of the most unhinged politicians alive.

But there’s always someone who’s willing to brazenly be far, far worse, and Tucker Carlson is all too often happy to be that someone.