Arts & Entertainment
New CEO rebuffs homophobia, doubles down on inclusion at Disney shareholder meeting
An anti-LGBTQ activist got shut down at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting by none other than the company’s new CEO himself.
Caroline Farrow, who was representing the British conservative advocacy group CitizenGo, came to the March 11 event to pressure the entertainment giant over its promotion of “LGBT ideology” in its films and television programming. It was the first shareholder meeting to be presided over by Bob Chapek, a 27-year Disney veteran who replaced former company CEO Bob Iger at the end of February.
Farrow is an outspoken anti-LGBTQ propogandist who has described rainbow lanyards as a “hostile political symbol,” written an article claiming that LGBTQ parenting “threatens to eliminate the concept of motherhood and rides roughshod over children’s needs,” and has a history of making transphobic statements – even receiving an injunction to desist her tweets about a transgender lawyer.
At the Raleigh, North Carolina meeting, she spoke up to suggest that decline in the value of the company’ stock was due to its inclusion of LGBTQ representation in its content.
Directing her remarks at Chapek, she said, “At a time when your stock is down by 20 percent, is it perhaps time to reconsider what you can do to make Disney more family friendly… and also, what would you say to those 700,000 people who signed our petition saying, please let’s not have the gay prides in the Disneyland parks?”
She added that many families “no longer feel safe” engaging with Disney over its embrace of LGBTQ characters.
Chapek didn’t take the bait.
The fledgling company chair instead doubled down on Disney’s commitment to inclusion, before countering Farrow’s analysis of the falling stock value with the more likely suggestion that the declining numbers were related to the global outbreak of COVID-19.
“At Disney we strongly believe we should reflect in our creative content the diversity that we find in our fanbase and our audience,” Chapek said. “I believe that will continue with an increased commitment as we move forward. We want to represent our audience. We believe we want to tell stories that our audience wants to hear that reflects their lives.”
“In terms of the stock price, there’s a lot of reasons why the stock price might be down 20 per cent that has nothing to do with the issue you raised,” he continued. “It might have more to do with coronavirus and the worldwide pandemic that we’re facing.”
His response was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the crowd of shareholders in attendance.
Disney has been increasing LGBTQ representation in its contents in recent years, introducing the Disney Channel’s first recurring LGBTQ storyline on the show “Andi Mack” in 2017, and featuring same-sex couples on the cartoons “Doc McStuffins” and “Star vs. The Forces of Evil.” It raised the ire of conservatives and challenged censors in foreign markets with anti-LGBTQ guidelines by including a character that was strongly implied to be LGBTQ in its live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast,” and has included LGBTQ moments and characters in its Marvel and “Star Wars” films and shows. The current Disney/Pixar release “Onward” features an out lesbian character voiced by Lena Waithe, and there are reportedly out gay characters coming in the upcoming releases “Jungle Cruise” and Marvel’s “The Eternals.”
Conservative critics have continued to express homophobic outrage at even the slightest suggestion of LGBTQ inclusion from Disney, with anti-LGBTQ groups petitioning the company to stop hosting Pride events at their parks and a call for a boycott from the misleadingly-named One Million Moms.
Despite its efforts toward inclusion, the company has also taken fire from critics and LGBTQ advocates for lagging behind, by providing characters with LGBTQ identities that are hidden, subtle, or token and failing to embrace the fan-fueled LGBTQ identification of characters such as Elsa in “Frozen” or Finn and Poe in the rebooted “Star Wars” franchise.
Chapek’s unequivocal response to Farrow at last Wednesday’s meeting is being interpreted as a signal of the company’s commitment to more representation.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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