Marvel Studios Exec Reacts To Disney CEO's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Stance
Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso reacts to Disney CEO Bob Chapek's criticized stance on Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill. Alonso first joined the film branch of the comic book publisher in 2005 as the executive vice president of visual effects and postproduction following her work on such hits as Big Fish, on which she earned a British Academy Film Award nomination. After working as a co-producer on Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Alonso would be promoted twice within Marvel Studios, first to Executive Vice President of Production in 2015 and later to President of Physical, Post Production, VFX and Animation in 2021.
Florida has been the center of further controversy in the past month when Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill into law, which effectively prohibited any discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten to third grade classrooms. The bill, which also allows parents to sue any school district if they believe the policy to have been violated, has come under widespread criticism for potential violating the First Amendment and seen a lawsuit brought against it in the hopes of blocking on the ground of its unconstitutional nature. Disney has been at the center of much of the controversy surrounding the "Don't Say Gay" bill, namely for CEO Bob Chapek's poor handling of a response to the situation, and a major exec from within the House of Mouse is speaking out against his stance.
While appearing at the GLAAD Media Awards over the weekend and accepting the trophy for Outstanding Film for Eternals (via Deadline), Marvel Studios exec Victoria Alonso opened up about Disney CEO Bob Chapek's stance on Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, revealing she spoke to him and pushed him to change and criticized those remaining silent on the matter. See what Alonso said below:
"I asked him to look around and truly if what we sell is entertainment for the family, we don’t choose what family. Family is this entire room. Family is the family in Texas, in Arizona, in Florida, and in my family, in my home. So I ask you again Mr. Chapek: please respect -- if we're selling family -- take a stand against all of these crazy outdated laws. Take a stand for family. I encourage all of you to stop being silent -- silence is death. Silence is poison. But if you don't stand up, if you don't fight, if you don't give your money, if you don't vote, then all we can do is have a party and be gay. Fight, fight, fight! As long as I am at Marvel Studios I will fight for representation for all of us.”
As Alonso noted in her stance, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has slowly begun building a better diversity of LGBTQ+ characters in recent years. Tom Hiddleston's Loki and his variant, Sophia Di Martino's Sylvie, were confirmed to be bisexual in episode 3 of the eponymous Disney+ series, staying true to his sexuality in the comics, while Tessa Thompson has stated Valkyrie is also bisexual and had a scene from Thor: Ragnarok confirming such cut from the film. Brian Tyree Henry's Phastos in Eternals was also confirmed to be gay ahead of the film's release, with the story revealing him to have a husband and son in the present day story and the two sharing a kiss.
Despite its efforts, the MCU has seen some criticism regarding its LGBTQ+ diversity, including the lack thereof and casting multiple straight performers in gay roles, such as Henry and Avengers: Endgame's Joe Russo. However, Marvel Studios has done a better job of broadening their diversity in their projects than Disney, which has come under frequent criticism for only allotting LGBTQ+ characters brief moments on screen, as well as speaking out against Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, with Marvel Comics writers donating their pay directly to The Matthew Shepard Foundation in response to Chapek's underwhelming response. While Disney has since spoken out against the bill and promised to try and have it repealed, many working under the studio's various branches and within the LGBTQ+ community are waiting to see a stronger response.
Source: Deadline