[News] [USA] Disney rejects nondiscrimination proposal
Stephanie Stevens
Disney rejects nondiscrimination proposal
Spokesman says ex-'gays' are 'nuance' that can't be accommodated
Posted: March 10, 2010
10:27 pm Eastern
By Bob Unruh
Shareholders of the Walt Disney Co. <http://corporate.disney.go.com/>
have refused to adopt a proposed nondiscrimination resolution at their
annual meeting, with one company spokesman offering the concern that
providing the same protection to ex-"gays" as the company does to
homosexuals would be a "nuance" that could not be accommodated.
WND reported earlier on the proposal
<http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=121865> , and today
Greg Quinlan, a board member for "Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and
Gays," <http://pfox.org/> presented it to shareholders of the Mouse
company.
Quinlan asked for support for Resolution No. 2, which explicitly
prohibits discrimination based on ex-"gay" status in Disney's sexual
orientation policy and diversity training for workers.
A former homosexual, Quinlan explained that every year men and women
with unwanted same-sex attractions make the personal decision to leave
the lifestyle.
"However, there are others in society who refuse to respect individual
self-determination," he said. "Consequently, ex-gays like me are
ridiculed and discriminated against simply because we dare to exist."
He cited the company's mandatory diversity training that emphasizes
"gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders, but fails to include
ex-gays."
Not only do ex-"gays" have to remain in the closet while at Disney,
"employees who support the ex-gay community are also not welcome to
express their views," he said.
The proposed resolution cited the failure of the Walt Disney Co. to
provide the same protections to ex-"gays" as it does to workers of
other lifestyles.
"PFOX has documented numerous incidents of intolerance against the
ex-gay community," the resolution stated. "Ex-gays and their
supporters are subject to an increasingly hostile environment because
they live out or support a different view of homosexuality."
It also noted the Superior Court for the District of Columbia ruled
that ex-"gays" are a legally protected class under sexual orientation.
"RESOLVED: The Shareholders request that Disney amend its sexual
orientation policy and diversity training programs to explicitly
include the prohibition of discrimination based on ex-gay status,"
said the resolution, which failed.
Quinlan told WND the meeting was friendly but the fact that such a
proposal is revolutionary in corporate shareholder meetings was clear.
He said one company spokesman called being ex-"gay" a "nuance" that
the company couldn't accommodate.
Company officials declined to respond to WND requests for comment or
explanation.
Quinlan also told WND that Christians and conservatives who hold stock
in companies such as Disney, and who may be irritated at some of the
socially progressive moves the company adopts, should review their
holdings and use their power to vote for the right agenda for the
company.
He noted that many people sold Disney shares when the company started
a leftward drift under former chief Michael Eisner.
"It was their voice I needed today, and it wasn't there," Quinlan said.
The proposal was on today's agenda after the Securities and Exchange
Commission ruled it would not agree with company arguments that
officials arbitrarily should veto a shareholder's proposal and prevent
the issue from being discussed.
Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX, told WND then that the
suggestion is alarming to homosexual activists because the
acknowledgement that ex-"gays" exist undermines the claim that
homosexuality is immutable and members need protection.
An attorney for PFOX told WND that Disney, in effect, was ordered by
the SEC <http://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/cf-noaction/14a-8/2009/bobbiestrohbar120709-14a8.pdf>
to include the proposal among the issues on the table at its 2010
annual meeting today in San Antonio.
The decision by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, where
a judge ruled former homosexuals are a protected class that must be
recognized under D.C.'s sexual orientation nondiscrimination laws,
came last year when the court ruled against the National Education
Association for refusing to provide public accommodations to
ex-"gays."
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