Disney is planning to air a public service announcement titled “Protect Our Families” that was created by media monitoring organization GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). Comcast, WarnerMedia and Paramount will also air the PSA, which focuses on a family with a trans teen.
“Do you want to meet a family with a transgender kid?” asks Amber Briggle at the beginning of the PSA, which was posted to YouTube on April 3. “Here we are.”
‘Protect Our Families’ PSA Emphasizes Love
GLAAD posted an article about the new “Protect Our Families” PSA on April 6, saying GLAAD is “working to secure donated airtime” and that Disney and the other three companies will run 60-second, 30-second and 10-second versions of the PSA across the country. Amber Briggle narrates the video, which shows her and her husband, Adam Briggle, living life with their children, Max and Lulu, focusing particularly on the love they have for Max, who is transgender.
“When I found out I was pregnant, all I really wanted was a happy, healthy, whole child,” says Briggle. “And that’s what I got. If you’ve never met a transgender child before, what I want you to know is that that child is no different than yours.”
Briggle says, “There are some politicians who are trying to tear my family apart simply because my son is transgender. Trans kids don’t have a political agenda. They are just kids. They just want to be left alone.” The video concludes with a call to protect families with trans kids by going to the newly created site Equality-Now.org, where people can sign up to receive more information and show public support.
Disney has been in the news quite a bit recently in connection with Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with children in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Disney faced criticism for initially remaining silent about the bill, although executives later condemned it. The company has since taken steps to show active support for the LGTBQ community.
Despite the national attention Florida’s bill has received, it seems likely that Briggle’s statement in “Protect Our Families” about “politicians who are trying to tear my family apart” refers to the actions of political leaders in her home state of Texas. In August 2021, the state of Texas declared it child abuse to conduct surgery to change the sex of a minor. On Feb. 22, 2022, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a letter stating:
Consistent with our correspondence in August 2021, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has now confirmed in the enclosed opinion that a number of so-called “sex change” procedures constitute child abuse under existing Texas law. Because the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is responsible for protecting children from abuse, I hereby direct your agency to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas.
