Disney ditches its 'fairy godmothers' for gender neutral title

Now Disney ditches its ‘fairy godmothers’: Theme parks will use more gender neutral title ‘apprentices’ for cast members working at its dress-up salons

The salons give makeovers and help kids aged 3 to 12 to dress up as characters
Staff are no longer called ‘fairy godmothers in training’ and are now ‘apprentices’
The change angered Disney fans and prompted a social media backlash
It is the latest example of what many see as Disney bowing to the ‘woke mob’

Disney has announced it is ditching the term ‘fairy godmothers’ for gender-neutral titles at dress-up salons across its theme parks.

The salons, which give makeovers and help kids aged 3 to 12 to play dress up as princess, knights and other characters, will drop the term ‘fairy godmothers in training’ for their staff, instead referring to them as apprentices.

‘This way, cast members that might not identify as female can still be part of the process to dress up & style the children without having to refer to themselves as a female Disney character,’ a release on Disney blog Streaming the Magic said.

The sweeping change comes into effect in August when the boutiques in both Disney World and Disneyland reopen from long-term closures brought about by the pandemic, according to an update on Disney resort websites.

The move seemingly represents a doubling down on what has been perceived by many as appeasing a small percentage of aggressive ‘woke’ commentators.

It emerged last year the company has adopted divisive and ideologically-driven ‘critical race theory’ as part of their employee training, and changed the parks’ classic ‘ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!’ greeting to ‘everyone and dreamers of all ages’ – a move designed to help everyone of all genders and sexualities to ‘feel comfortable in the park’.

Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in April stripped Disney of its 55-year-old special privileges that effectively allowed it to self-govern and sheltered it from massive tax payments after the company hit out at a new law which prevented schools from instructing 3 to 9 year olds on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who has been at the helm of the entertainment giant since February 2020 and presided over the changes, last month signed a contract to continue his tenure at the company for another three years despite its stock price plummeting a whopping 41 per cent in the past year.

DailyMail.com has contacted Disney for comment.

Disney has announced it is ditching the term ‘fairy godmothers’ for gender-neutral titles at dress-up salons across its theme parks (Cinderella and the fairy godmother, 1950)

A Disney blog said dropping the employee title ‘fairy godmothers in training’ for ‘apprentices’ would mean ‘cast members that might not identify as female can still be part of the process to dress up & style the children without having to refer to themselves as a female Disney character’

The sweeping change comes into effect in August when the boutiques in both Disney World and Disneyland reopen from long-term closures brought about by the pandemic

Disney CEO Bob Chapek last month extended his contract for another three years, despite Disney’s share price having plummeted 41 per cent in the past year

The change prompted a storm of criticism on social media, with most users mocking the company for what many see as bending to the woke mob.

‘Hold up. I was reliably informed that the only genuinely inclusive language is FAIRY GOD BIRTHING PERSON,’ lawyer Jenna Ellis tweeted, using the widely-ridiculed gender-neutral term for a woman.

Other users chipped in along the same lines, suggesting Disney should name the employees ‘Birthing People Apprentices’, while another user quipped: ‘Now ditch the mouse, duck and dog characters too for those who don’t identify as animals!’

Some pointed to Disney’s tumbling stock prices as an indication that the introduction of the company’s faux-liberal policies panders to a small minority market and is alienating the bulk of its fanbase.

‘Can’t imagine why $DIS stock continues to plummet when they show such bold vision and decisions such as this,’ one user tweeted.

Last year, investigative reporter Chris Rufo revealed Disney’s training documents show the company asked their white staff to ‘decolonize their bookshelves,’ participate in reparations and complete a ‘privilege checklist’ as part of their anti-racism training.

The media conglomerate was slammed as the ‘Wokest Place on Earth’ after the training module showed them adopting critical race theory as part of their employee training.

Rufo, who obtained the documents, called Disney out for promoting ‘division and self-hatred’.

‘I think it should be very clear that (Disney) makes its money on middle Americans who go to their theme parks and buy their content, and those people should know that this corporation, it hates you…

‘I think Americans should reject this kind of politics and reject the companies that are pushing it,’ he declared.

‘The great irony of this is the people in charge of are some of the richest and most powerful and privileged white males in the history of humanity, and they are pushing this divisive, critical race theory-based ideology.’

Rufo says Disney executives ‘bombarded’ employees with trainings on ‘white fragility’ and launched racially segregated ‘affinity groups’ at the company’s headquarters.

The training documents show that staff were asked to complete a ‘privilege checklist’ and read a series of how-to guides, including ’75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice.’

Disney’s stock price has dropped dramatically in the past year

The 22-page ‘Reimage Tomorrow’ document says to ‘take ownership of educating yourself about structural anti-black racism’ and to ‘work through feelings of guilt, shame and defensiveness to understand what is beneath them and what needs to be healed’

The guide includes notes that tell staff not to question black colleagues’ ‘lived experience’

FOX News anchor Tucker Carlson compared the demand to ‘decolonize your bookshelf’ as akin to ‘burning books’

Then, in April this year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially stripped Disney of its 55-year-old special privileges that effectively allowed it to self-govern and sheltered it from massive tax payments.

DeSantis’ war with the firm started when it blasted a new state law – the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill – which barred schools from instructing kids about sexual orientation and gender identity in pre-school through to third grade (3-9 years).

The company said in March it would suspend political donations in the state and added it would in turn support organizations working to oppose what is officially called the Parental Rights in Education bill.

At the bill signing ceremony in South Florida in April, DeSantis said of Disney: ‘You’re a corporation based in Burbank, California, and you’re gonna marshal your economic might to attack the parents of my state. We view that as a provocation, and we’re going to fight back against that.

‘Disney and other woke corporations won’t get away with peddling their unchecked pressure campaigns any longer.

‘If we want to keep the Democrat machine and their corporate lapdogs accountable, we have to stand together now.’

The newly-passed bill rips up the 55-year-old deal that allowed Disney to regulate land, enforce building codes and treat wastewater – and could cost the company millions in lost local taxes.

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