Marvel’s Oscar Isaac has one word for Disney over its shameful LGBT+ failure: ‘Gay, gay, gay’
Oscar Isaac attends the Moon Knight Los Angeles Special Launch Event at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on 22 March 2022. (Jesse Grant/Getty for Disney)
Marvel heartthrob Oscar Isaac has a lot of feelings about Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill and Disney’s delay in condemning the “insane” legislation.
Disney has faced fierce backlash for its response to the bill, which would ban the discussion of LGBT+ identities in Florida classrooms.
The entertainment giant initially refused to make a public statement on the legislation after being called out for its political donations to Republicans who pushed the bill through before apologising and pausing such funding.
Isaac – who had a major role in the latest Star Wars trilogy and is set to make his Marvel debut with Moon Knight – openly criticised Disney’s response to the “absolutely ridiculous” bill in an interview with Variety.
“I guess my comment would be: gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gayyyyyy!” Isaac said, breaking into song.
He continued: “It’s insane. It’s insanity. And I hope that Disney as a company comes out as forcefully as possible against this idea.
“It’s astounding that it even exists in this country.”
Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight co-star Ethan Hawke didn’t specifically speak on the legislation or Disney’s response to it, as he said he’s “not educated about it”. But he said it was important to have LGBT+ representation in pop culture, saying his “life’s work is dedicated to creating empathy”.
“I feel the power of stories that we tell each other,” he said. “If you tell the truth about human experience, you invite empathy.”
He added: “And the more places we shine light, the less dark places there are, and there’s less to be afraid of.
“And the more we understand each other’s experiences, the more humanity we find in them, and the better we all actually feel. So that’s my job, and that’s what I believe in.”
Oscar Isaac is the latest high-profile star to have condemned Disney’s inaction on the controversial bill and shared their support for Disney staff who protested their employer’s response.
Cheaper by the Dozen actor Gabrielle Union slammed Disney for not taking a stand against the bill but instead actively funding “hate and oppression”. She also said big corporations and influential figures should “campaign and fund for those people who stand for us”.
“There are so many states that are following suit [with Florida’s legislation], because there is no pushback, because no one in positions of power [or] corporations are taking a hard stance,” Union added.
Scandal star Kerry Washington said on Twitter that she “does not condone the actions or inactions of Disney in this moment”. But she fully supported queer Disney staff and allies who have chosen to walk out in protest of the company’s response to the legislation.
“I wholeheartedly support the LGBTQIA+ employees, and stand with them in this walk out today,” Washington wrote. “Please know that you matter. Your rights matter. Your voices matter. I encourage you all to help their voices ring louder today.”
Marvel’s Mark Ruffalo retweeted Washington’s statement, adding he is “standing proud and in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ family”.
Standing proud and in solidarity with our LBGTQIA+ family! #SayGay #DisneyWalkout https://t.co/DdYsOVFxw9
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) March 22, 2022
Raven-Symoné and the cast of her Disney Channel show Raven’s Home participated in the protest against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, walking off set to show their solidarity with the LGBT+ community.
In a video posted to Instagram, Raven-Symoné said the cast was walking out to protest against “this ridiculous bill”.
“We don’t like it! We’re walking out,” she declared. “It’s stupid. We love everyone. Support, support, support.”
Encanto animator Rebecca Perez shared a photo of Disney’s Animation Studio staffers participating in the walkout in support of “our fellow Florida co-workers and LGBTQIA+ community” on Twitter.
Disney Animation Studios employees full day #DisneyWalkout #DisneyDoBetter #DisneySayGay Supporting our fellow Florida co-workers and LGBTQIA+ community. Solidarity. 🌈♥️✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/zwKZisJtUr— Rebecca Perez (@reblynk) March 22, 2022
