PAST PERFORMANCE IS NO GUARANTEE OF FUTURE RESULTS: Disney to open theme park in Abu Dhabi after abandoning diversity push.
Disney is to open its first Middle Eastern theme park in a country where homosexuality is illegal after the US media giant watered down its diversity policies.
The company has unveiled plans to open a new resort in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which it said will be “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati”.
Disney’s decision to build a resort in the Arab country suggests a significant change in outlook at the entertainment giant, which has long prided itself on its LGBTQ+ friendly stance. Homosexuality is outlawed in the Emirati capital and punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
In 2022, the UAE banned Disney’s animated Buzz Lightyear film from cinemas over a same-sex kiss.
DEI programmes scaled back
The company was previously locked in a long-running legal dispute with Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, over controversial state laws restricting the teaching of sexuality in schools.
Disney criticised the bill, dubbed [by its critics, particularly the DNC-MSM –Ed] “Don’t Say Gay”, prompting Mr DeSantis to strip the company of its right to self-govern its Walt Disney World park, which it had held for more than 50 years.
Of course, it’s not like Disney hasn’t bellied up to authoritarians before; as CNBC reported in 2020: Disney under fire for ‘Mulan’ credits that thank Chinese groups linked to detention camps.
Disney is facing backlash after the final credits for its latest film “Mulan” thanked government entities in Xinjiang, the province where Muslims have faced human rights abuses.
The film had already generated controversy after its lead actress, Liu Yifei, recently expressed support for police crackdowns in Hong Kong, spurring talks of boycotts on social media.
That sentiment only increased after it came to light that Disney filmed scenes for the “Mulan” movie in China’s Xinjiang province, where Beijing is accused of detaining more than 1 million Uighur Muslims.
After releasing “Mulan” on Disney+, eagle-eyed viewers noticed a “special thanks” in the film’s end credits that named eight government entities in Xinjiang, including the public security bureau in the city of Turpan, where the country is allegedly operating more than a dozen “reeducation” camps.
Or as America’s Newspaper of Record noted that year:
