Disney and Marvel Boycotting Georgia due to Religious Liberty Bill

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is currently being shot at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Georgia. The Walt Disney Company and Marvel Studios may cut ties with the state, however, if Governor Nathan Deal signs a religious liberty bill. Georgia legislators have already passed this bill, which permits faith-based groups to reject services and employment to homosexuals. The bill would also prevent religious officials from performing same-sex weddings. According to Variety, the studios will film somewhere else “should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law.”

“Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law,” a Disney spokesman said on Wednesday.

“We are confident that Governor Deal will not allow a discriminatory bill to become law in Georgia,” said Vans Stevenson, MPAA senior vice president of state government affairs.

Disney and Marvel aren’t the only companies threatening to boycott Georgia. A spokesman for AMC Networks, which films The Waking Dead in Georgia, had this to say: “As a company, AMC Networks believes that discrimination of any kind is reprehensible. We applaud Governor Deal’s leadership in resisting a previous version of this divisive legislation and urge him to reject the current version as well.”

There’s still no word on whether Deal will approve or veto the bill. Given the themes of acceptance depicted in Zootopia, it’s good to see that Disney is standing by their morals and ethics.