After nearly a quarter century at Disneyland, a now-former employee is alleging she was fired over what her attorneys are calling “religious discrimination.”
Candace McGee was reportedly ousted from her security lead position at Disneyland after 23 years with the company because of comments she made on an internal social media platform, according to Pirates and Princesses, a blog that covers Disney-related news.
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The entire ordeal, the legal filing by attorneys Alan Reinach and Beth Mora stated, left McGee feeling “deeply distressed,” citing “overt attacks on her religious beliefs,” most of which seemingly stemmed from Yammer, a corporate communications app.
Much of the consternation began in the wake of Florida’s falsely-labeled “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The parental rights law, passed in 2022, prohibits public schools from teaching curricula centered on sexual orientation and gender identity to very young children from kindergarten to third grade.
In November 2022, Bob Iger, unseated by Bob Chapek in 2020, reclaimed the reins as CEO of The Walt Disney Company. During a town hall with employees, Iger was very critical of the parental rights bill, stating, in part, “This company has been telling stories for 100 years, and those stories have had a meaningful, positive impact on the world, and one of the reasons they have had a meaningful, positive impact is because one of the core values of our storytelling is inclusion and acceptance and tolerance, and we can’t lose that.”
McGee’s attorneys stated in their lawsuit the bill — and Iger’s handling of it — “generated considerable bias against Christians as well as conflating Christian conservatives with all things Christian.”
In late November of that year, a senior cast member referred to in the lawsuit as “C. Stephens” allegedly wrote, in part, on Yammer:
…in general discourse, I’ve noticed that what most people seem to mean by “don’t be political” means not centering stories on women, people of color, LGBTQ+, non-binary, transgender and other marginalized communities, and sometimes, they don’t even mean putting any of the people in those categories in prominent roles, but putting them in films and shows at all. …
I have long held the view that what many people want to brand as ‘political discussion is really just human discussion. Imagine how hurtful it is to be told time and time again that your very existence is a political matter, stripping you completely of your humanity. …
That purported comment led to responses that reportedly “directly or indirectly attacked religion, religious values, and placed the discussion in the context of a culture war pitting religion, perceptions concerning religion, and specifically Christianity against other views.”
After a lengthy back-and-forth between numerous cast members, McGee commented in Yammer, writing, “Sexual content in children’s movies are NOT acceptable, ever.” Ultimately, feeling the need to defend her faith, the plaintiff began citing Scripture after others invoked religious themes.
At that point, another cast member, identified as “R. Spang,” reportedly began sending menacing messages to McGee.
“You side with the oppressors, abusers, and murderers at least in thought and word,” the employee allegedly wrote. “In other words, you scare me. Just because you are not carrying the knife or gun does not make you any less of a threat to my existence.”
The cast member continued, “Violence begins with thoughts. I believe that, if you were allowed to get away with it, that you would see violence directed towards the sinners who indoctrinate children as I believe that those who call me abhorrent would as well.”
In addition to the issues that sprang from Yammer, McGee’s attorneys also allege their client was reprimanded for wishing guests “Merry Christmas” during Disneyland’s Christmas celebration events.
The now-ex-employee is suing Disneyland for lost past and future wages, lost bonuses, lost stock options, lost medical benefits, lost vacation and sick pay, as well as other benefits. She is also suing over past and continuing emotional distress, mental anguish, pain and suffering, humiliation, enjoyment of life, reasonable attorneys’ fees, court costs, expert witness fees, and punitive damages.
CBN News has reached out to Disneyland for a statement.
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