Sean Feucht: ‘We Have a Voice That Can Change Things Economically for Disney’
Sean Feucht, a worship leader turned social activist, announced Wednesday afternoon he is leading a “Hold the Line” rally next month at the Walt Disney World complex in central Florida.
Feucht declared news of the May 16 rally just a couple weeks after hosting a similar event at The Walt Disney Company headquarters in Burbank, California. Hundreds of Christians and conservatives — including at least one current Disneyland cast member — participated in that rally.
The protests come as Florida has drawn national media attention over its Parental Rights in Education bill, which Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law in late March. The bill will go into effect July 1.
And the negative publicity is taking a financial toll on the entertainment giant. Fox News reported that Disney’s stock, which reached an all-time high in March 2021 while trading at $200 per share, is now hovering at nearly $120 per share, down roughly 33% from a year ago.
Disney is poised to rank among the worst-performing stocks in 2022 after the company’s involvement in this high-profile controversy.
The legislation — mischaracterized by the media and leftist groups as the “Don’t Say Gay bill” — simply stipulates public school educators cannot teach children in pre-K through third-grade classrooms about sexual orientation or gender identity. The word “gay” never once appears in the five-page bill nor does it place any limits on the use of the term.
Initially, Disney CEO Bob Chapek tried not to wade into the political fight, taking an apolitical stance on the legislation, even saying corporate statements on such issues are “counterproductive.” That, though, didn’t last long. Chapek quickly drew the ire of activists inside and outside The Walt Disney Company who urged him to vehemently condemn the parental rights law. And that’s exactly what he did.
Disney has spent the last several weeks using its cultural capital to speak out against the law, which enjoys support from the majority of Americans — including 51% of Democrats, according to a newly released survey.
Feucht previously told CBN’s Faithwire parents have been “blindsided” by Disney’s unflinching opposition to the parental rights law in Florida, adding many have been gobsmacked at the sight of the family brand “fighting for the sexualization of children, starting in kindergarten.”
“I think Christians sometimes — they get way too soft,” said Feucht of why it’s important to vocally oppose Disney’s recent actions. “They don’t realize that they’re powerful. We have a voice that can change things economically for Disney. We have a voice that can change things politically in this country. … We’re called to be salt and light in every part of society. So when issues like this happen, we don’t just back down; we have to stand up.”
And the entertainment behemoth isn’t backing down.
While the company has remained fairly silent over the last week or so, in late March, the brand stated its “goal” is to see the parental rights law repealed. Since then, Disney has teamed up with other corporations to run a GLAAD-produced ad featuring a transgender teenager and claiming Republicans are attempting to “tear families apart” over transgenderism.
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