Lately, Disney has been at the forefront of the discussion about diversity and discrimination, especially against the LGBTQ community.
Our population is made up of a very diverse group of people of all races, sexes, nationalities, and sexual orientations. This is nothing new.
Discrimination has also been around forever. In the 1960’s, it was against the law for blacks and whites to get married in some states. Before the 1920’s, women were treated as second-class citizens, and did not even have the right to vote in many places. People of varying sexual orientations have always been part of our population. But, for far too long, they have been discriminated against, even imprisoned for what they are. Today, most people recognize that people of all races and sexual orientations all have the same rights.
Discrimination is perpetuated when movies and literature do not represent the society they are portraying. One of the very first movies was “Birth of a Nation”, which inaccurately portrayed races and glorified racial stereotypes and discrimination. Of course, movies have come a very long way since then, but even today, most movies and television shows do not represent all aspects of our society, and even fewer focus on the minorities among us.
People today do not socialize with their neighbors and fellow citizens nearly as closely as we did in the past. People tend to learn about others as much, if not more, from movies and television shows as they do from real-life interactions.
If I walk down the streets of New York City, or Chicago, or Los Angeles, I am going to see people of all races, religions, nationalities, and sexual orientations. They are part of that environment, and are accepted as such by the rest of New Yorkers. They see them every day. They work with them. They are neighbors to each other. They are not afraid of them.
On the other hand, if I live outside New York City, and am watching a show based in present-day New York city, my view of that city is influenced by how the people are portrayed, and, in turn, my view of the minority peoples that I may not personally interact with on a regular basis.
That’s why, especially in rural areas, the attitudes towards minorities are much different. Because people there do not regularly see and interact with nearly as many people of different races, nationalities, and sexual orientations, they are not comfortable around them, and discrimination flourishes.
I live in a semi-rural part of Virginia. We do not see a lot of foreigners. We do not see a lot of people of the Jewish or Muslim faiths. Our county is 90% white. People with sexual orientations outside the mainstream are still ostracized here. Because people here are not exposed to these other elements of society, they are much more likely to believe the false narratives that all immigrants are rapists and drug dealers, or that all LGBTQ people are perverts who want to attack your children, or that most blacks are criminals, or that all Muslims want to impose Sharia law on the rest of us, or other even more ridiculous narratives.
This is why it is so important that movies and television shows accurately reflect our society, especially for the viewers outside the larger metropolitan areas. As more and more shows include minorities of all types as they exist in the real world, we will see people’s prejudices and fear gradually subside.
We have seen this work before. Women were accepted into the workplace during World War II because they were needed as the men were at war. After the war, the attitudes towards women working began to change. Although not accepted nearly as much as women working, interracial relationships are no longer the kiss of death, and are even beginning to be accepted as normal by many. Attitudes towards LGBTQ members are just beginning to change, and, eventually, they will also be accepted as normal.
Disney should be commended to taking a stand to fight discrimination of all types. As that “leaked video” showed, they are very concerned with making sure that their movies, shows, and theme parks, accurately represent our society. One clip from that video included the statement that their goal was to have at least 50% of their characters be minorities. This does not mean that 50% of the characters in each show will be black. This does not mean that 50% of the characters in every show will be gay. This does not mean that 50% of the characters in each show will be Asian. This does not mean that 50% of the characters in each show will be Muslim. This does not mean that 50% of the characters in each show will be Hispanic. This does not mean that 50% of the characters in each show will be women. It means that their goal is that 50% of the characters in each show will be at least ONE type of a minority, which is true in our society.
Unfortunately, some people with agendas of their own, have attempted to cast these actions in a negative light. They have accused Disney of being pedophiles and grooming children, which is absolutely ridiculous and disgusting. I don’t know why these people are spreading these lies. Maybe they are just scared of change, or of what they don’t know. Maybe they are political opportunists who see an opportunity to further divide our country and spread hate just to solidify their base and win the next election.
STOP LISTENING TO THEIR LIES AND PREJUDICES.
People with prejudices against the LGBTQ community are the ones spreading the lies that Kindergartners are being taught about sex, and even managed to get a law passed outlawing that in Florida. What a crock! Sex education has been a part of our public school curriculum since they 1960’s. It has never been taught to kids under the 4th grade. Each sexual education course is tailored to the age-level of the students to which it is taught. For example, kids in 4th grade are taught about puberty and the changes their bodies will be going through. This is age appropriate, as some girls and boys began to enter puberty at that time. They are not taught about the more advanced topics of birth control, safe sex, etc. until they are older. There are National Sex Education Standards that are followed by many school districts.
The truth is these bigots don’t want their children learning that being LGBTQ is not a disease, or a crime, or some sort of perversion. They want their children to learn their prejudices and continue society’s discrimination against the LGBTQ community. This is harming society as a whole by perpetuating prejudice and discrimination. Even worse, for kids who are generally confused about their own sexual orientations, these prejudices cause unnecessary shame and emotional stress, and it’s no wonder that these kids develop very high rates of depression and suicide that can haunt them for the rest of their lives.
We need to stop this hate and division now!