Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, addressed the company's past controversies with LGBTQ communities during a meeting on Monday.
Iger recently replaced Bob Chapek as Disney's chief executive in a move that shook the entertainment industry. During the closed-door meeting, sources told CNBC that Iger called inclusion and acceptance part of the company's "core values."
"This company has been telling stories for 100 years, and those stories have had a meaningful, positive impact on the world, and one of the reasons they have had a meaningful, positive impact is because one of the core values of our storytelling is inclusion and acceptance and tolerance, and we can't lose that," Iger said.
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Iger reportedly added, "I don't think when you are telling stories and attempting to be a good citizen of the world that that's political," per CNBC.
Iger's remarks come after continuing controversy regarding Disney's reaction to Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act. The bill, signed in March by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), banned classroom instruction referencing gender orientation and sexual identity through third grade. While Republicans lauded the bill, many liberals began calling it the "Don't Say Gay" bill, and criticized it for banning lessons on the LGBTQ community.
Following the passage of the bill, Chapek and Disney initially stayed quiet, saying they wanted to work behind the scenes with Florida politicians. However, after strong backlash from Disney employees, Chapek spoke out publicly against the bill, saying the company had always opposed it, Deadline reported.
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