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Woke Disney removes 'boys and girls' from park greetings to be inclusive
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Disney Dreamers Academy

Woke Disney removes 'boys and girls' from park greetings to be inclusive

Disney amusement parks will no longer refer to boys and girls as "boys and girls" in park greetings in an effort to promote gender inclusivity, a company executive said in a video.

"We’ve provided training for all of our cast members in relationship to that. So now they know it's ‘Hello, everyone,’ or ‘Hello, friends,'" Vivian Ware, Disney's diversity and inclusion manager, said in a video conference call posted by City Journal writer Christopher Rufo.

Ware said the company was in the process of changing all of its recorded messages to delete any all mentions of "ladies," "gentlemen," "boys," and "girls."

"We want to create that magical moment with our cast members, with our guests," she said. "And we don't want to just assume because someone might be, in our interpretation, may be presenting as female that they may not want to be 'princess.'"

Last year, Disney World in Florida replaced its longtime greeting, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," from the Magic Kingdom fireworks show with the phrase, "Good evening, dreamers of all ages!" A company spokesperson told the L.A. Times that the switch was "part of a broader effort around diversity and inclusion."

“We want our guests to see their own backgrounds and traditions reflected in the stories, experiences and products they encounter in their interactions with Disney,” wrote Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, in an April 13, 2021 blog post. “And we want our cast members — and future cast members — to feel a sense of belonging at work.”

In other leaked videos shared by Rufo, Disney executives have boasted about implementing a "gay agenda" by creating pro-LGBTQ+ content for children. Disney corporate president Karey Burke has stated a desire to increase the number of "queer leads" featured in Disney's content.

Another video featured a Disney production coordinator who said the company is "exploring queer stories" and creating stories with numerous "gender nonconforming characters."

The push for greater "diversity and inclusivity" at Disney is part of the company's "Reimagine Tomorrow" initiative, which the company says is "our way of amplifying underrepresented voices and untold stories as well as championing the importance of accurate representation in media and entertainment."

Disney has also taken aggressive political positions against laws progressives claim are anti-LGBT, including Florida's "Parental Rights in Education Law" — which bans discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in K-3 grade. About 70 Disney employees walked out of the job last week in protest of the Florida law, and progressive employees have demanded that Disney's leadership do more to oppose such legislation.

In the face of that political pressure, Disney released a statement Monday blasting the law after it was signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law," the company said in a statement. "Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country."

While Disney claims to support diversity and makes statements about wanting every employee to feel "belonging at work," the company's conservative employees have spoken out about harassment and bullying they've received at work because of their views.

In an open letter published last week, anonymous Disney employees detailed how the company has "come to be an increasingly uncomfortable place to work for those of us whose political and religious views are not explicitly progressive."

They warned that should Disney continue to take public political positions on controversial issues, it could alienate many of its customers and contribute to division.

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