President Trump’s executive order against diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government has meant that companies large and small have also been re-evaluating their own DEI programs. The latest to grab headlines is Disney, which according to a new report is scaling back its DEI efforts in a variety of ways—including changing warnings ahead of shows and movies containing outdated stereotypes or other potentially offensive content.
According to Axios, Disney employees today received a note from the human resources chief explaining the changes. Some of it feels like tweaks made to the company’s corporate buzzword-speak (for instance, a category used to determine executive compensation that was formerly called “Diversity & Inclusion” is now called “Talent Strategy,” and is “more focused on how values drive business success”), but it was also announced that “Disney is getting rid of its controversial Reimagine Tomorrow initiative, and the corresponding website, which was used to highlight stories and talent from underrepresented communities. The site, which came under fire from conservatives, was replaced externally in December by an updated hub on Disney’s corporate website, and also on Disney’s internal website.”
Additionally, though it wasn’t part of the official memo, Axios reports that disclaimers appended to potentially offensive Disney content will be significantly de-emphasized. So far Disney+ hasn’t reflected this shift; if you go to the streamer to watch Peter Pan, for instance, the first screen before the movie starts will inform you that “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people and cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it, and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.” You can also find this language under the “Details” tab on the app.
However, according to Axios, moving forward the auto-play will be removed, with disclaimers only appearing in the “Details” tab. It will be a much shorter message, too: “This program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions.”
While it’s tempting to lump Disney’s latest changes in with all the other companies who’ve been hastily re-adjusting their DEI policies to avoid backlash in the second Trump era, it’s not a leap to tie these latest adjustments into how Disney has been trending in in recent years. Its initial reluctance to speak out against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2022 “Don’t Say Gay” legislation—which became part of a now-concluded feud over land rights that expanded to involve the culture wars—was an early indicator that the company’s leaning into being more conservative. More recently, news broke that a trans storyline was cut from Pixar’s upcoming Win or Lose TV show not long after the same thing happened to Marvel animated show Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.
io9 has reached out to Disney for comment on the DEI program changes; we’ll update this post should we hear back.
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