Disney, the company, goes where the money goes. I mean, yes, there are human beings with beliefs in charge also, but the company has a very sensitive nose for where the wind is blowing in terms of American politics. Misreading those winds leaves money on the table.
Disney World Gay Days were an organized event dating back to the '90s, where people would show up on a specific day and wear red to indicate they were there for a specific reason. This was, broadly, supported by the staff (no surprise that there is a massive overlap between a theater-heavy ecosystem and LGBTQ+ tolerance and inclusion) and never formally endorsed by the company.
... but the company did start selling red-based rainbow-patterned official merchandise for certain months of the year. Plausible deniability, but people have money and the company would prefer they spend it.
If anything, the Disney we see in this decade of the 2000s is a Disney that is responding to what it perceives Americans are willing to support, spend money on, and consume. People blame Disney for "being woke," but Disney's Disney; it's always been Disney. Disney looks at American culture, catalyzes it, makes it feel fun, exciting, and engaging, and feeds it back to the public. Disney's telling the stories its audience wants to hear.
... and that is what scares the hell out of the DeSantises of the country and those who support them.
(Sidebar: if you happen to know staff who have worked at the parks and are willing to talk to you off-the-record, the stories are hilarious about guest behavior. Gay Days guests were basically never a problem. Church youth groups, on the other hand? Cast has to poke their noses into every nook and cranny of the parks to make sure they aren't sneaking off to make out and... let's say "violating decency policy").
(Sidebar 2: I tend to be a cynic and my writing tends to end up with a cynical tone. but I want to turn the elephant around here and highlight something: "Disney responds to what Americans are willing to support" means that they're doing what they do now because people like you didn't shut up when told, didn't sit down, didn't go away, didn't become invisible. There are megacorporations who haven't been able to make the Mouse hear them. The people who stubbornly refused to go away for so many decades that the company started selling red shirts and rainbow mouse ears did something to be proud of.)
So just a couple things, I wasn't referring to Disney World Gay Days but "Disneyland Pride at Night" which was an official event that was held this year.
I was at the event and it had the feeling of it being organized as a big "F U" to DeSantis. (and btw it was a fantastic event).
They also have pride elements around both parks (including a friend of mine was there just a month or so ago and they still had some pride things up. Downtown Disney at Disneyland has (or had) a giant pride mickey reef.
Disney now is past plausible deniability on this.
I do think that Disney did push the envelope a bit. I mean it was back in 2014 that they had a Disney Chanel show had a lesbian couple with kids on Good Luck Charlie.
But you are right that the reality is what Disney is doing (and most companies) is following what is socially acceptable. That is good business. Maybe they will push a bit, especially with Hollywood tending to lean more socially liberal so they are generally a few steps head of the rest of the country.
Gay acceptance was pretty big in the 90's. I remember white papers released around 2000 talking about the inevitable nationwide acceptance of LGB. It was trending up fast. My family is from SF/Oakland. I talked with a lot of LGB academics at that time, I watched it happen. The LGB are also a demographic that has a lot of disposable income and that's part of the reason they were so accepted by corporations.
Disney World Gay Days were an organized event dating back to the '90s, where people would show up on a specific day and wear red to indicate they were there for a specific reason. This was, broadly, supported by the staff (no surprise that there is a massive overlap between a theater-heavy ecosystem and LGBTQ+ tolerance and inclusion) and never formally endorsed by the company.
... but the company did start selling red-based rainbow-patterned official merchandise for certain months of the year. Plausible deniability, but people have money and the company would prefer they spend it.
If anything, the Disney we see in this decade of the 2000s is a Disney that is responding to what it perceives Americans are willing to support, spend money on, and consume. People blame Disney for "being woke," but Disney's Disney; it's always been Disney. Disney looks at American culture, catalyzes it, makes it feel fun, exciting, and engaging, and feeds it back to the public. Disney's telling the stories its audience wants to hear.
... and that is what scares the hell out of the DeSantises of the country and those who support them.
(Sidebar: if you happen to know staff who have worked at the parks and are willing to talk to you off-the-record, the stories are hilarious about guest behavior. Gay Days guests were basically never a problem. Church youth groups, on the other hand? Cast has to poke their noses into every nook and cranny of the parks to make sure they aren't sneaking off to make out and... let's say "violating decency policy").
(Sidebar 2: I tend to be a cynic and my writing tends to end up with a cynical tone. but I want to turn the elephant around here and highlight something: "Disney responds to what Americans are willing to support" means that they're doing what they do now because people like you didn't shut up when told, didn't sit down, didn't go away, didn't become invisible. There are megacorporations who haven't been able to make the Mouse hear them. The people who stubbornly refused to go away for so many decades that the company started selling red shirts and rainbow mouse ears did something to be proud of.)