ILoveGay.NET

In a remarkable rejection of the growing anti-woke trend, Disney shareholders sent a powerful message at last week’s annual shareholder meeting: diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are not just a moral imperative, but fundamental pillars of the company’s success.

A proposal from the conservative National Center for Public Policy Research that would have required Disney to withdraw from the Corporate Equality Index—a benchmark for LGBTQ+ inclusive corporate policies—was defeated by an overwhelming 99 percent of the vote.

This outcome is all the more remarkable given the growing political pressure on companies to distance themselves from DEI initiatives. Under Trump, such programs were severely curtailed within the U.S. military. Companies like Ford, Jack Daniels, Harley Davidson, Paramount, and Google cowardly followed suit, while Facebook threw the doors wide open to outright rainbow discrimination.

Shareholders Speak Out: Diversity as a Core Value

It is rare for shareholders to speak out so forcefully on an issue like DEI. This demonstrates that they recognize the strategic value of inclusion:

⦁ Talent acquisition and retention: In a competitive marketplace, an inclusive culture is a critical factor in attracting and retaining toptalent, especially Millennials and Gen Z.

⦁ Market reach and customer loyalty: Disney’s diverse customer base expects their own values ​​to be reflected in the company’s products and services.

⦁ Innovation and creativity: Diversity of perspectives drives innovation, which is essential for a creative company like Disney.

⦁ Reputation management: In an era of increasing social awareness, a strong DEI reputation is a valuable competitive advantage.

A powerful counter-narrative to the anti-woke movement

The rejection of the proposal is a clear signal that Disney’s shareholders are not swayed by political winds. This development stands in stark contrast to the anti-woke movement, which is pressuring companies to distance themselves from DEI initiatives. Disney’s reputation for inclusion hasn’t always been one of the most inclusive, but it has seen notable highlights. Pixar brought its first gay character to the forefront in the Disney+ short film Out.

In 2021, High School Musical made history with the first love song between two men.

The Future of Inclusion at Disney

Despite Disney shareholders’ clear commitment to upholding DEI within the company, recent projects have been met with controversy. For example, a minor trans storyline was cut from the new Disney Pixar series Win or Lose , and fans of Lilo & Stitch were left displeased when the character Pleakley’s drag costumes were seemingly removed from the film after the first trailer.

Despite this, Disney remains committed to promoting inclusion across its operations. The company recognizes that there is always room for improvement and is determined to continue to set an example for other companies to follow, acting as role models that will help them avoid the – hopefully short-lived – decline in the journey From Representation To Respect. I hope they continue to talk about the Gulf of Mexico, when appropriate.

Alfred Verhoeven is a marketer and is in the final phase of his PhD research Marketing the Rainbow.
He previously wrote for ILOVEGAY about From Representation To Respect, The Musk Effect, Pride Month, The Oldest Rainbows, The Dutch Rainbows, The Belgian Rainbows, The Chinese Rainbows, Super Bowl Ads: What Would Jesus Do?, Get woke, go broke, Spain has 6.8 billion reasons to love rainbow tourists, Everyone’s gay in Amsterdam, Gay Capital, The Ideal Traveler, Abercrombie & Fitch : The Rise & The Fall, Barbiemania, Bud Light and the 4 bln dollar woman, Pronouns, About those rainbows, Alphabet soup, M&M’s and the lesbian invasion, The Men from Atlantis, 5 Bizarre LGBT Videos, TRANSparency, Transgender persons as a target group, 5 videos that went viral, Cultural sensitivities and social involvement in marketing, and 4 reasons to practice diversity.