Disney’s chief diversity officer Latondra Newton is reportedly leaving the company — ending a six-year stint that generated controversies as the Mouse House adopted “woke” policies that have alienated many of its core customers.
Last year, Disney World in Orlando, Fla. grabbed headlines when it did away with its longtime greeting, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” from its Magic Kingdom fireworks show to promote inclusivity.
“We want to create that magical moment with our cast members, with our guests,” Newton said at the time. “And we don’t want to just assume because someone might be in, our interpretation, may be presenting as female that they may not want to be ‘princess.’”
On Newton’s watch, Disney also ditched “fairy godmothers” for more inclusive, gender-neutral titles at dress-up boutiques inside its theme parks.
Employees who were formerly called “Fairy Godmothers in Training” are now called “Fairy Godmother’s Apprentices.”
“This way, cast members that might not identify as female can still be part of the process to dress up & style the children without having to refer to themselves as a female Disney character,” according to Disney blog “Streaming the Magic.”
Newton had led Disney’s diversity and inclusion initiatives since 2017, coordinating with various teams to produce entertainment “that reflects a global audience and sustains a welcoming and inclusive workplace for everyone,” as per a profile on the company’s website.
Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” released last month, featured Halle Bailey, an African-American, as Princess Ariel, highlighting the firm’s effort at promoting diversity.
Newton plans to join the corporate board of another company and focus on the creative company she owns, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
The Post has sought comment from Disney, which has yet to make a public statement on Newton’s reported departure.
Variety previously reported on Newton’s departure.
Newton’s direct reports will be led by Julie Merges, the senior vice president of talent acquisition, on an interim basis, according to an internal note from Disney’s chief human resources officer, Sonia Coleman.
During Newton’s tenure, Disney landed in the middle of the nation’s culture wars by introducing gay, lesbian, transgender, non-binary, and other minority characters into its animated series and films.
The company instituted a slew of other changes, such as outfitting Minnie Mouse with a blue pantsuit instead of her traditional red and white polka-dot dress.
Disney also announced that it would do away with the seven dwarves characters from its Snow White live-action remake in response to criticism that it was denigrating to those in the dwarfism community.
In May, a Florida teacher was investigated by the state Department of Education for screening “Strange World,” a Disney movie with an openly gay character.
Last month, a survey found that Disney’s reputation has suffered as a result of its wading into polarizing topics including transgender and sexual identity issues.
The Axios and Harris Poll survey ranked Disney as the fifth most polarizing company — a metric that is measured by the gap between the reputational score among Democrats and Republicans.
The media giant plunged 12 spots to rank 77th in this year’s Axios and Harris Poll 100, which is based on a survey of 16,310 Americans from a nationally representative sample conducted March 13–28.
The company has been engaged in a bare-knuckle battle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the GOP presidential hopeful, after it publicly opposed the governor’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation — which sought to limit sex and gender identity education in elementary schools.
DeSantis moved to strip Disney of its semi-autonomous status which confers it wide-ranging authority to levy taxes and shape zoning regulations on the Central Florida land where its resorts and amusement parks are located.
Disney responded by filing a lawsuit accusing the Florida governor and his GOP allies in the state legislature of violating the company’s First Amendment rights.
With Post Wires