Human rights campaign demotes Fox Corporation from Best Workplaces list – Deadline

The Human Rights Campaign demotes Fox Corporation from its Best Workplaces list following Fox News’ coverage of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill and LGBTQ+ issues.

Aryn Fields, HRC’s senior press officer, said HRC deducted 25 points from Fox Corp’s score. in its Corporate Equality Index. Fox Corp. was among the companies that scored “100%” as Best Workplaces for LGBTQ+ Quality.

Fields said in a statement, “Fox News has a history of sharing misinformation and misinformation about the LGBTQ+ community. We know from our own research, which we published earlier this week, what their misinformation and misinformation means for the LGBTQ+ community: perpetuating the stigma and marginalization of transgender and non-binary people.

Fields added, “At a time when transgender people — especially transgender children — are under attack in state homes across the country, the rhetoric has real consequences. We can no longer allow Fox Corporation to maintain its score if Fox News personalities and contributors continue to deny the existence of transgender people, minimize the violence transgender people face, label parents of LGBTQ+ youth as perverts, or assimilate leaders in LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion efforts with sex offenders. Each of these actions occurred within the last 72 hours. Enough is enough.”

In response, Fox News highlighted the hiring this week of Caitlyn Jenner, the transgender athlete and former gubernatorial candidate. The company also highlighted a number of LGBTQ+ benefits offered to support same-sex, trans and non-binary employees, including those for mastectomy, tracheal shaving or thyroid chondroplasty reduction and facial feminization surgery. mainly, as well as puberty blockers for young transgender people. .

Fox Corp. has received a 100% score for the past few years, which it has promoted on its website. The distinction is granted to companies who “commit to implementing LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices.”

But a number of her personalities and commentators have targeted The Walt Disney Co. after she spoke out against Florida’s new parental rights law, which has been dubbed the ‘don’t say gay’ bill by critics. opponents. The HRC action came a day after Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law, as other states consider similar legislation. It prohibits classroom discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade.

Progressive advocacy group Media Matters said Fox News mentioned Disney more than 350 times this week and gave it more than three hours of coverage. HRC highlighted a number of segments on the network, including a clip from The five in which Greg Gutfeld said, “Whether you really want to talk to a 5-year-old, 7-year-old, or 8-year-old about their sexuality and gender is up to you. You are a pervert. You are a weirdo. I don’t care if you’re a teacher. In a segment of his show, Tucker Carlson interviewed Chris Rufo, who posted leaked video of a Disney staff meeting, where LGBTQ representation was discussed, and claimed the company was trying to “inject ‘homosexuality’ in children’s programming. After interviewing Rufo about the staff meeting, Carlson noted that “it looks like the behavior of a sex offender. Normal people don’t sexualize underage children. Jesse Watters called Disney “the most woke place on earth”.

The network highlighted segments in which he has featured in which commentators express support for the LGBTQ+ community, but view the issue as a matter of parental rights. At Hanity, Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce objected to the bill being described as “don’t say gay”. “So everybody, every parent out there, just because you’re against it doesn’t make you a homophobe. It makes you someone who cares about your children,” she said. noted. At Outnumbered, Emily Compagno said: “We are all for trans protection, we are also for parental choice.”

It is relatively rare for HRC to call a company on its Corporate Equality Index outside of an annual review period. Saks Fifth Avenue has been suspended in 2015 after the company initially claimed that transgender employees were not covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2017, HRC rejected Bank of America donations and downgraded the company on its Index after helping negotiate a law that barred local governments from issuing non-discrimination ordinances for four years.

Opponents of the Florida legislation view the Florida bill not just as an issue of parental rights, but as a deliberate targeting of LGBTQ+ people for political gain. Some point to the long history of efforts to characterize gays, lesbians and transgender people as threats to children.

A spokesperson for another LGBTQ organization, GLAAD, released a statement Thursday about coverage of the Florida law. “Transgender people and youth are under attack from inaccurate and harmful legislation and rhetoric from elected officials aimed at their access to safe and life-saving health care, as well as access to school sports, books, toilets and to dangerous censorship in the classroom Fox News, its commentators, and all media can do more to elevate these facts above the misinformation and inaccurate opinions that further endanger vulnerable people.

The spokesperson added: “Companies, including Disney, are listening to their LGBTQ employees who understandably don’t want to be discriminated against and want their children’s classrooms to be safe spaces for everyone to enjoy. learn, without being censored.”