The Walt Disney Corporation has been hit with a federal civil rights complaint alleging that the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies are unlawful and discriminate against white males, Christians and Jews.
America First Legal filed the complaint against Disney on Wednesday. The group, which was founded by former Trump adviser Stephen Miller, cited publicly available documents that demonstrate how Disney executives have made DEI a central part of their hiring criteria.
“It is sad and tragic that a company whose name was once synonymous with wholesome and charming childhood fantasies is now dedicated to spreading divisive bigotry. We urge Disney to cease and desist its unlawful and destructive conduct at once,” Miller said.
America First Legal has alleged that Disney has effectively mandated race-based hiring quotas in violation of employment law. In some cases, Disney has publicly listed specific percentages when it comes to hiring for its productions.
In one example, Disney mandates that 50 percent of its TV series directors must come from “underrepresented groups.”
“It is patently unlawful to consider racial, ethnic, and sex-based characteristics in hiring, training, compensation, and promotion,” America First Legal wrote in its complaint. “Decades of case law have held that policies that impose racial balancing or quotas in employment, training, or recruitment, such as those presented on Disney’s websites, are prohibited.”
The complaint also cites a leaked internal Disney document that was published by Elon Musk.
The document, which details Disney’s “Inclusion Standards,” describes the company’s intention “to increase training and development opportunities for members of underrepresented groups.”
“Based on its own public admissions, it appears that Disney is knowingly and intentionally violating federal civil rights laws,” the complaint goes on to say.
Disney is already facing a number of financial challenges due to a string of box office bombs dating back to 2021. The company has lost more than $1 billion dollars on major studio film releases, many of which contained woke messaging, over that run.