America First Legal (AFL) has filed a federal civil rights complaint against The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries, accusing them of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The complaint alleges that Disney has engaged in illegal race, sex, and national origin discrimination, which is prohibited by the law.
According to AFL, Disney's "Reimagine Tomorrow" website suggests that race, color, religion, sex, and national origin are often the sole determining factors in the company's hiring, training, and promotion decisions. This alleged intentional discrimination is said to be targeted against white American men, Christians, and Jews based on their race, sex, religion, and citizenship.
One of the key issues highlighted by AFL is Disney's "Inclusion Standards," which require all Disney General Entertainment productions to comply with diversity and inclusion guidelines. These guidelines explicitly state that fifty percent of certain jobs must be filled by members of "Underrepresented Groups." Productions can also meet the standards by promoting members of Underrepresented Groups, creating jobs to facilitate union eligibility, and increasing the representation of Underrepresented Groups in directing and writing roles.
A leaked Frequently Asked Questions document on Disney's "Inclusion Standards" further reveals the company's plan to prioritize training and development opportunities for members of underrepresented groups in a racially exclusionary manner.
AFL also points out Disney's workforce demographic data, which they claim shows an aggressive effort to achieve race and sex-based workforce balancing. The data reportedly indicates an increase in the percentage of directors, series regulars/leads, and writers identified as "people of color" and female.
Notably, AFL highlights that Disney's aggregate workforce data shows a decrease in the percentage of individuals identified as "white" and "black," while the percentage of individuals identified as "Hispanic" increased. However, there is also a significant increase in a category labeled "not disclosed," making it difficult to interpret the data accurately.
In addition to these allegations, AFL claims that Disney maintains an illegal grant program that only awards grants to specific groups, including women, AAPI, Black, Indigenous/Native, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, disability-identifying, and religiously marginalized individuals.
Stephen Miller, President of America First Legal, expressed his concern over Disney's alleged discriminatory practices. He stated, "Disney appears to be engaged in pervasive, far-reaching, and illegal race and sex discrimination in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act." Miller called on Disney to cease its unlawful conduct, emphasizing the company's responsibility to uphold its reputation for wholesome and charming childhood fantasies.
The complaint has been formally filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and America First Legal hopes that Disney will address and rectify these alleged violations promptly.