Disney’s clash with the state of Georgia, in which the company has threatened to boycott the state if it signs into law an anti-gay bill, has gained some powerful supporters.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, two big media companies, Viacom and AMC Networks, have added their voice to the issue, calling on Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to veto House Bill 757. AMC films “The Walking Dead” in the state.
As we reported previously, Disney has been doing significant business in Georgia, including filming its upcoming “Captain America: Civil War” in the state. The company is reportedly currrently filming “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” at Pinewood Studios, near Atlanta.
Georgia has been offering lucrative tax incentives as it has successfully lured productions to the state. Disney mentioned its Marvel unit in its boycott threat, but other Disney divisions such as ABC Studios and Disney Studios would also be a part of any boycott, THR notes.
While not committing to joining a boycott, AMC issued a statement saying: “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.”
THR quotes a spokesperson for Viacom saying Wednesday: “Viacom is proud to champion diversity and acceptance, which are core values of our company. We have enjoyed doing business in Georgia for many years and we urge Governor Deal to continue to resist and reject the patently discriminatory laws being proposed.”
Forget about Georgia. The fact that they are even considering passing a law like that in the first place puts them as relics still living in the 19th century. Much like Indiana’s similar law…and Indiana definitely still has issues about whether the Earth is a sphere or flat…Georgia will only resist being told that they are ignorant fools and history will view them with sadness and derision.