{"id":18371,"date":"2023-07-28T16:17:12","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T20:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=18371"},"modified":"2023-07-31T09:44:15","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T13:44:15","slug":"ceo-bob-iger-states-disney-does-not-sexualize-children-some-disagree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2023\/07\/ceo-bob-iger-states-disney-does-not-sexualize-children-some-disagree","title":{"rendered":"CEO Bob Iger States Disney Does Not \u201csexualize children.\u201d Some Disagree"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_18416\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18416\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/140\/2023\/07\/bob-iger-disney-logo_credit-IgorGolovniov-shutterstock_Inset-Silvia-Elizabeth-Pangaro-Shutterstock-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18416\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/140\/2023\/07\/bob-iger-disney-logo_credit-IgorGolovniov-shutterstock_Inset-Silvia-Elizabeth-Pangaro-Shutterstock-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18416\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">IgorGolovniov \/ Shutterstock.com | Inset: Silvia Elizabeth Pangaro \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Disney CEO Bob Iger has hit back at claims by GOP presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that the company \u201csexualizes children.\u201d DeSantis spoke at a town hall in New Hampshire in June when he <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/disney-ceo-responds-desantis-claims-company-sexualizing-children-preposterous-inaccurate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">stated<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, \u201cWe\u2019ve put [Disney] on a pedestal \u2014 in the past, it has been like the all-American company. But they\u2019ve really embraced the idea of getting sexualized content in the programming for young kids. And that is just a line that I am not willing to cross.\u201d The governor and Disney have butted heads in the last year when Iger\u2019s predecessor, Bob Chapek, was CEO of the company. DeSantis signed legislation prohibiting the teaching of sex education and gender identity to students from Kindergarten to 3rd grade throughout the state, which the House of Mouse\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2022\/04\/disney-florida-dont-say-gay-backlash-impact-hollywood-studios-1234994109\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">openly opposed<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. The face-off led to the company losing its special tax status and self-governing Reedy Creek Improvement District. Bob Chopek later left his position as CEO, with Iger returning and now being signed with the company through 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In an interview with CNBC, Iger pushed back against DeSantis\u2019s claims. \u201cWe are a pre-eminent entertainer in the world, and we\u2019re proud of our track record there. The notion that Disney is in any way sexualizing children, quite frankly, is preposterous and inaccurate,\u201d he <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/disney-ceo-responds-desantis-claims-company-sexualizing-children-preposterous-inaccurate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">said.<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0He also stated that the company\u2019s pushback against DeSantis\u2019s legislation was an issue of the First Amendment, not sexualizing children. \u201cWe have filed a lawsuit to protect our First Amendment rights there and to protect our business, frankly,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Parents Television and Media Council\u2019s (PTMC) vice president, Melissa Henson, remained skeptical of Iger\u2019s claims in an episode of \u201cQuick Start\u201d with <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.faithwire.com\/2023\/07\/26\/media-watchdog-condemns-bob-iger-over-patently-false-claim-disney-doesnt-sexualize-kids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">CBN<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. \u201cIt\u2019s false on the face of it. There are plenty of examples. Even going back a decade or more, I\u2019ve had parents complaining to me about the way the Disney series is always about romantic relationships, even with 10-, 11-, and 12-year-old kids. That should not be the primary occupation or obsession of a 10-, 11-, or 12-year-old child,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just absolutely ridiculous for Bob Iger to say, \u2018We don\u2019t sexualize kids.\u2019 They do, and that\u2019s a huge part of the reason families are leaving Disney in droves.\u201d Henson had previously expressed concerns last August on \u201c<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pluggedin.com\/blog\/the-plugged-in-show-episode-142\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Plugged in Show<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u201d lamenting the company\u2019s decision to add R-rated material on its Disney+ streaming service. Despite parental controls, Henson warned against the dangers the previously \u201cfamily-friendly\u201d streaming service was bringing to children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In March of 2022, Christopher Rufo released\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/03\/30\/disney-is-boasting-about-pushing-gender-theory-to-kids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">internal Disney videos<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0of Disney Television Animation executive producer Latoya Raveneau discussing how she inserts a \u201cnot-at-all-secret gay agenda\u201d in the programming for children. Karey Burke, Disney\u2019s general entertainment content president, also stated in the video that her goal was to make at least half the characters in the company\u2019s productions LGBTQIA and racial minorities by year\u2019s end. A number of Disney\u2019s recent films\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.faithwire.com\/2023\/06\/26\/disney-hemorrhages-900-million-in-box-office-failures-film-analysis-reveals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">have included LGBTQ+<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0characters or storylines, including \u201cLightyear,\u201d \u201cElemental,\u201d and \u201cStrange World.\u201d Additionally, Disney announced that it would create a new Disney+ series called \u201c<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.charismanews.com\/world\/92019-new-disney-series-showcasing-romance-with-the-devil-aimed-at-teens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pauline<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u201d based on a German series where an 18-year-old girl has a one-night stand, gets pregnant, and finds out her lover is the Devil. The show will currently only run in Germany per the company.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">These moves have seemingly backfired on the company, with one analysis stating the company had <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.faithwire.com\/2023\/06\/26\/disney-hemorrhages-900-million-in-box-office-failures-film-analysis-reveals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">lost over $900 million<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0at the box office. Disney theme park attendance has also been\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/insidethemagic.net\/2023\/07\/disney-world-attendance-crumbles-parks-empty-ld1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">staggeringly low<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Speaking to CBN, Mike Signorelli, pastor of V1 Church in New York City, stated it is a calculated move by the company that viewership would eventually be more left-leaning. \u201cDisney is betting on the fact that the world is going to go in that direction and that they\u2019ll lose finances in the short term, but then they\u2019ll gain in the long term,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Disney CEO Bob Iger has hit back at claims by GOP presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that the company \u201csexualizes children.\u201d DeSantis spoke at a town hall in New Hampshire in June when he stated, \u201cWe\u2019ve put [Disney] on a pedestal \u2014 in the past, it has been like the all-American company. But&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":18416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>CEO Bob Iger States Disney Does Not \u201csexualize children.\u201d Some Disagree<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Disney CEO Bob Iger responds to Disney&#039;s sexualization of children rumors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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