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Anti-gay protests at Disney’s Burbank studios turns ugly
Protesters have taken to the streets in the LA suburb of Burbank, demonstrating against a new Disney LGBTQ public service announcement
With tensions between entertainment giant The Walt Disney Company and lawmakers in Florida, Disney – along with three other well-known media companies are gearing up to air a new public service announcement from GLAAD featuring a transgender teen which calls for nationwide support of LGBTQ youth.
The public service announcement, available on YouTube, focuses on a Texas mom, Amber Briggle and her son Max.
Watch the PSA video below:
“They have the same hopes and dreams and deserve the same equality as yours does.” Briggle says in the video, urging Americans to support LGBTQ+ youth stating “they are just kids.”
Police called in as “hateful” anti-gay protest turns ugly
But anti-LGBTQ+ protesters have taken their protest to the gates of Disney, to express their anger at the companies decision to air the PSA on its network.
Video posted to social media highlighted the chaos at the front gates of the entertainment company, with those in attendance vowing “Disney must not interfere with children”
In a seperate video shared on Twitter, a protester, claiming to be an employee of Disney says that she often finds herself shamed for being a “conservative” – stating it has become hard to work for Disney with her beliefs.
“It’s gotten very political”
the protester says.
Protesters condemned for hateful comments
Gay rights groups have since condemned the “homophobic” actions of protesters – stating the company is simply showing its support for the gay community and sharing the community’s concerns about a current anti-gay bill presented to lawmakers in Florida.
What is the Florida “anti-gay” bill?
On February 17, a Florida committee advanced a bill that would restrict discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
Florida’s new bill would ban discussing these issues to students in primary schools and restrict how they are discussed in other grades if they are deemed “not age-appropriate.”
The bill has however been criticised for not specifying what would be considered age-appropriate, or who decides.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), any parent could sue their child’s school for compensation for alleged harm if they believe those discussions have occurred.
The likely outcome of the bill would be to deter teachers from addressing these issues and to chill open discussions and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students.
HRW on its website, goes on to state that the bill would also require school personnel to notify parents of changes in a student’s physical, mental, or emotional health, as well as significantly limiting the ability of councillors and teachers to be a “confidential resource for students, including LGBT students who may not feel safe or comfortable asking questions about sexual orientation or gender identity to family members.”
HRW has also documented how curricular restrictions harm LGBT youth in US schools, stating that “these restrictions not only prevent students from accessing information that’s essential to their health and well-being, but send a discriminatory message that being LGBT is inappropriate or wrong.”
“That message not only stigmatizes LGBT children but can tacitly encourage intolerance and bullying from peers from a young age.”
In recent years, states like Alabama, Arizona, South Carolina, and Utah all repealed laws that limited discussions of gay rights issues within schools.
Similar laws however do remain in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Texas. HRW says that five other states allow parents to opt their children out of schools where LGBT issues are openly being discussed.
