Disney Accused of Sexual Orientation Discrimination as LGBTQ Pride Month Kicks Off
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
1 Jun 2021
The Walt Disney Co. has been hit with a lawsuit from one of its own executives who alleges the company discriminated against him on the basis of sexual orientation. The complaint comes as Disney is rolling out Pride Month-themed content across its media platforms, including the kid-oriented Disney+ streaming service.
In a ten-page complaint filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Joel Hopkins claims he was denied promotion after his superiors learned about his sexual orientation. He alleges he was also put on a “dead-end career track” and that his compensation “is less than other individuals who are also department heads.”
Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) has been hit with a lawsuit filed by a longtime executive who alleged he faced repeated discrimination based on his sexual .
Photo: Mark Ashman (Getty Images)
Happy Pride month to Disney! The celebration got started this year with a sexual orientation discrimination lawsuit, filed by VP Production Finance at ABC Signature Joel Hopkins, on the very first day of Pride.
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The case seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, and various lawsuit costs. Hopkins says he has repeatedly been denied promotions which he believes was due to his sexual orientation. Hopkins began his career at Disney in 1994, as Director of Production Finance for Buena Vista Television. Over the next six years he was promoted twice, once to Vice President of Production Finance for Touchstone Television and then again to his current position. However, after his final promotion, Hopkins’ sexuality as a gay man became known to Jim Hedges, the CFO of ABC and Hopkins’ direct supervisor. That’s when he says the promotions stalled and his career was placed on a road to nowhere.