Walt Disney World Resort entrance. (Photo by Jrobertiko from Wikimedia Commons)
ORLANDO | Walt Disney World announced it will be hosting one of the largest LGBTQ workplace conferences at its resort later this year.
Out & Equal’s annual LGBTQ Workplace Summit will take place Sept. 12-14 on Disney property in Orlando. The mass media and entertainment conglomerate has committed to host next year’s conference as well.
Out & Equal debuted its Workplace Summit at Walt Disney World’s Swan & Dolphin in 2016 following the Pulse tragedy. The upcoming 2023 summit will be the nonprofit’s first to return to Disney since that inaugural year.
“Out & Equal is the premier organization working exclusively on LGBTQ workplace equality. Through our worldwide programs, Fortune 500 partnerships and our annual Workplace Summit conference, we help LGBTQ people thrive and support organizations creating a culture of belonging for all,” the groups states on its website.
Last year, 5,300 people attended the Las Vegas summit either virtually or in-person. During that summit, 111 sessions and workshops were hosted — 35 of which were livestreamed and recorded. The summit’s goal is to provide LGBTQ employees and employers with strategies that help ensure inclusive workplaces. Disney is a longstanding partner of Out & Equal.
The return of the LGBTQ conference to Disney comes during a very public discourse between the House of Mouse and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Earlier this year, DeSantis signed into law a bill giving him control over Disney’s previously self-governed district. The new law changes the district’s name from the Reedy Creek Improvement District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. It’s widely believed that he did so to punish the company for its public opposition of the Parental Rights in Education bill, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill, passed last year.
DeSantis detailed how “Disney declared war on Florida families” by opposing the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill in his recently released book, “The Courage to Be Free.” DeSantis, who is expected to soon announce a run for the presidency in 2024, has been on a book tour for the past few weeks.
“Today, the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” DeSantis said after signing the bill that appointed the new board. “This is what accountability looks like.”
In his book, DeSantis has claimed that his public dispute with Disney was “a political battle that would reverberate across the nation.” Prior to his “political battle” with the company, DeSantis and his wife got married at the Walt Disney World Resort in 2009.
For more information on Out & Equal and to stay up-to-date on information for its LGBTQ Workplace Summit, visit OutAndEqual.org/Workplace-Summit.
