Navigating the VUCA World: “Don’t Say Gay”: The Case for Corporations to Become Proactive, Instead of Reactive

“Don’t say gay.” By now, most of us have probably heard this phrase, which replaced the name for Florida House Bill 1557, the “Parental Rights in Education” bill. The bill states that discussion surrounding: “sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” Events surrounding this bill led to walkouts at The Walt Disney Company and even called into question the leadership of Disney CEO Bob Chapek over his initial silence related to its passage.  

We are talking about Florida House Bill 1557 right now, but this bill is nothing more than the latest in a string of state legislative initiatives aimed at restricting the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and, most concerningly, transgender individuals. These individuals make up some of the most marginalized groups within U.S. society and there have already been more than 238 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills introduced in state legislatures within the first three months of 2022.

This makes the landscape for LGBTQIA+ rights within the United States sound rather bleak, doesn’t it? Well, that doesn’t need to be the reality. The backdrop of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation initiatives around the country presents an opportunity for corporations to expand their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Many corporations are used to responding to the crises of this VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world in a reactive manner.  

Disney, as referenced earlier, is a perfect example of this. CEO Chapek is now on the defensive and the company has had to put out numerous social media statements reaffirming their support for the LGBTQIA+ community. An example of this is the following Tweet from Marvel Studios: “We strongly denounce any and ALL legislation that infringes on the basic human rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. Marvel Studios stands for hope, inclusivity and strength; and we proudly stand with the community. Today, we pledge to continue our strong commitment as allies who promote the values of equality, acceptance and respect.” What Disney is doing in coming out strongly against House Bill 1557 is correct, but it is being done in a reactive manner, versus a proactive manner. 

Companies can learn from the example of House Bill 1557 to constantly grow and evolve their policies related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. In June of 2021, support for gay marriage within the United States reached an all-time high of 70%. Companies should be seizing upon the shift in public opinion in favor of LGBTQIA+ rights to do things like strengthening their corporate social responsibility statements, reviewing the organizations and politicians that they donate to in order to make sure that they are only backing candidates that support inclusivity, and creating leadership training programs aimed at fostering inclusion to get ahead of related issues before they spiral out of hand. 

Disney is just one example of a company caught in the crossfire of legislative initiatives aimed at rolling back the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals, but corporations should look at this as a harbinger of things to come in this VUCA world. State legislatures continue to pass anti-LGBTQIA+ initiatives at a record pace. While corporations can not directly stop politicians from passing these initiatives, they can and should do more to come out publicly against bills that are not inclusive sooner, and strengthen their own corporate governing documents — even if it means making decisions that may have negative financial implications down the line. However, with more than 70% of the American public now supporting gay marriage, corporations that are proactive, instead of reactive, will find themselves on the right side of history and will best prepare themselves for inclusion issues beyond Florida House Bill 1557.