Arts & Entertainment
Disney heir comes out as Trans, denounces ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills
Disney admitted that they had little experience with advocacy &, expressed regret for not doing more to support the LGBTQ+ community
Walt Disney Company heir Charlee Disney came out as Trans and denounced anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the U.S. in a recent Los Angeles Times interview.
Roy P. Disney, Disney’s father and the grandson of the company’s co-founder, revealed the news in a recent statement announcing the family would double its initial promise and match up to $500,000 in donations to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ rights organization. Last month, Charlee Disney said the family would match up to $250,000 at the organization’s annual gala in Los Angeles.
“Equality matters deeply to us,” Roy P. Disney said in a statement, according to the LA Times. “Especially because our child, Charlee, is transgender and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.”
The HRC gala was sort of a public coming out for them, Charlee Disney told Times columnist Robin Abcarian, given that they came out privately four years ago.
“I have a trans kid, and I love my kid no matter what,” Disney’s mother, Sheri, told the newspaper.
The news comes after Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law. The legislation will ban classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3 and allow parents to sue schools or teachers.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek came under fire for his response to the bill, which many viewed as muted. After widespread criticism for declining to speak out against the legislation, Chapek ultimately apologized, publicly opposed the measure, paused all political donations in Florida and urged Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to reject the bill in a phone call.
After DeSantis’ signature, the company also released a statement, saying the bill “should never have been signed into law.” The governor later said the company “crossed the line,” adding that Disney has “alienated a lot of people now,” at a press conference in West Palm Beach.
Charlee Disney, 30, a high school biology and environmental science teacher, had a difficult journey, even with “all the apparent privilege in the world,” Abcarian wrote.
“I had very few openly gay role models,” they said. “And I certainly didn’t have any trans or nonbinary role models. I didn’t see myself reflected in anyone, and that made me feel like there was something wrong with me.”
Disney, who admitted that they had little experience with public speaking or advocacy, expressed regret for not doing more to support the LGBTQ+ community.
“I feel like I don’t do very much to help,” Charlee Disney told the Times. “I don’t call senators or take action. I felt like I could be doing more.”
They also widely condemned anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the U.S. So far this year, state lawmakers have proposed over 240 anti-LGBTQ+ bills – many of which target Trans youth – according to Freedom for All Americans’ legislative tracker.
Disney said that LGBTQ+ youth already face high rates of depression and anxiety, not to mention bullying and suicide. “Then to put something like this law on top of that? They can’t learn about their community and their history at school, or play sports or use the bathroom they want to use?”
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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