Cast Members to “Walkout,” Protest FL Education Bill – What Guests Should Expect

In Tallahassee, Florida, the Parental Rights in Education Bill has passed both legislative houses and moves to Governer Ron DeSantis‘ desk to be signed into law. And at the Walt Disney World Resort outside Orlando, Florida–and elsewhere across the country–, a vocal contingent of Cast Members is not happy about it.

As previously covered by Disney Fanatic, the Parental Rights in Education Bill will prohibit all lessons and discussions of sexuality and gender identity in all Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade classrooms.

Parents and supporters have praised the bill. Some go so far as to call it an “anti-grooming” law while others simply want to be the ones to decide when such conversations occur, making sure their kids remain concerned with discovering if they are right-handed or left-handed as they start to learn how to write properly rather than questioning if they are boys or girls. But it has also come under fire from the LGBTQ+ community and their allies, labeling the legislation the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Scores of Disney fans and Cast Members have voiced their protest of the bill, and Disney CEO Bob Chapek has come under fire for not having one of the world’s largest entertainment and media conglomerates take a more aggressive stance against it. Now, despite the bill’s seemingly imminent signing, Disney Cast Members want to make their voices heard even more. They appear to be planning a full walkout protest at Walt Disney World and other Disney locations across the country, and it is set for Tuesday, March 22.

For all would-be Guests set to visit a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel or Theme Park on March 22, 2022, here is what you could expect.

This “Walkout” Will Have Absolutely ZERO Impact On Your Disney Vacation

Readers, I’d bet all my bitcoin that this movement will not have a major effect on your Walt Disney World Vacation. Because these organizers are giving away the store to the people that run the largest Resort and one of the greatest masters of people-moving logistics in the world.

While this grand full walkout is set for March 22, tiny break walkouts have been happening since Tuesday, March 15.

According to this “Walkout”s website,

“Starting Tuesday March 15th through Monday March 21st we will begin scheduled walkouts during a 15 minute break period. These will take place at 3:00PM-3:15PM respective to employees timezones. Then on Tuesday March 22nd we will engage in a full stage walkout.”

Related: Bob Chapek Sends Apology to Cast Members & Says Disney Will Pause Political Donations

The organizers of this movement are also telling fellow Cast Members to “Talk to your co-workers about the walkouts” and to set backgrounds like the one below on their computers for virtual meetings:

Supportive Cast Members are also advised to check-in for the daily walkouts–so the people in charge can gauge if they will have enough supporters to make the big one happen–and set scripted “I’m away” messages on their company Outlook and Slack profiles, such as:

As an employee of The Walt Disney Company and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community I will be taking an organized and unified break to speak out against Disney’s lack of action against the ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans Bill”. You can find our demands of Disney leadership here: https://www.whereischapek.com/demands

And Disney Worker organizers make sure to include the disclaimer that Cast Members could get fired:

You are protected to act while on break for the daily break walkouts, but the full scale walkout that will take place on Tuesday March 22nd is not a legally protected action. Take your own situation into account before choosing to participate.

So for a whole week…

• Cast Members are staging 15-minute-long dress rehearsals.
• Cast Members are letting their co-workers know about it through openly speaking about it, leaving admitting auto-replies, and blatantly waving likening paraphernalia in their meetings.
• Cast Members are being told that they could get fired and face legal action unprotected.

That means from March 15 through March 21, Disney World Cast Members are given plenty of time to get the desire to protest out of their systems during the 15-minute break. And the powers that be have more than enough time to flag any potential walkouts, rearrange their schedules, and let them know they have March 22 off. So, the only inhibitors to your ideal Disney day will only be the massive Spring Break crowds.

Next week is looking to be just as busy at The Walt Disney World Resort as it was this week. According to Disney’s Park Pass Availability Calendar, all Park Pass Reservations available for Theme Park Ticket Holders and Select Resort Hotel Guests are taken for Monday, March 21. Only EPCOT reservations remain available for Tuesday, March 22.

Related: Disneyland Paris Announces End of Vaccine Mandate

It should be noted that this article is purely speculation based on the writer’s own understanding of how a Cast Member protest could be handled at the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida. It is unclear how the Disney Walkout protest will be executed elsewhere in the United States like the Disneyland Resort in Southern California. We at Disney Fanatic will keep an eye on the situation, and we will update our readers as more realized developments come to light.