Anti-trans activist Chloe Cole will speak out against Disney’s “destructive gender ideology policies” at its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, a conservative action group says.
Cole, 19, who underwent sex-change procedures as a child but later regretted it, will address Disney’s board of directors and CEO Bob Iger about his “discriminatory” healthcare plan, he says the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC).
The conservative nonprofit is also a Disney shareholder.
In a proposal to shareholders, NLPC says the entertainment giant’s health care plan covers sex-change procedures but offers nothing to those like Cole who later regret it and seek “detransition.”
“Disney acts as if people like me don’t exist,” Cole said in a statement.
Chloe Cole, 19, a ‘detransitionist,’ to address Disney shareholders meeting about unilateral healthcare plan
Cole’s appearance in high-level talks is yet another headache for embattled Disney CEO Bob Iger (center)
“I intend to make sure the board and Mr. Iger hear that the company’s irrational gender ideology policies are actually destructive and that I am a victim of policies like this.”
Cole said a growing number of LGBTQIA+ Disney employees have undergone “reckless sex changes” in the plan and that some, like her, would regret it and need medical help to reverse them.
“You can rest assured that deception litigation and discriminatory benefits policies will not be left behind,” he said.
Disney did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
In its annual shareholder meeting documentDisney’s board of directors is urging shareholders to vote against the proposal, calling it “an attempt to generate attention by a narrowly focused proponent seeking to advance a narrow agenda.”
It is not “a genuine attempt to call for action for the benefit of the company and shareholders,” the document adds.
It is unclear how many people have received sex reassignment care under Disney health plans.
Disney has become a target for conservatives, thanks to its embrace of “woke” values in its movies, shows and hiring practices.
Sex-change procedures, especially those on children, are a hot topic in America’s culture wars.
The dispute pits transgender activists, who consider such care “lifesaving” and necessary, against conservatives and a growing number of experts who say medications and surgery are not always the best option.
Transition supporters like Cole complain that online ideologues and misguided doctors rush them into unnecessary medications and surgeries.
Research suggests that between 1 and 30 percent of trans people subsequently abandon transition.
Meanwhile, Disney has become a target for conservatives, thanks to its embrace of progressive values in its entertainment content and hiring practices.
Before the Disney board meeting, the NLPC papers filed with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission and released a video to explain why he wanted the company to expand its health policy.
Paul Chesser, director of NLPC, said Disney agreed to “cover sex reassignment treatments in its health insurance offerings” to meet the requirements of pro-LGBTQIA+ groups like the Human Rights Campaign.
Disney’s 2024 shareholder meeting will be held online, unlike this 2004 event
Paul Chesser, director of the conservative National Legal and Policy Center, says Disney has been bowed down by progressive activism.
“We now call on Mr. Iger to lead the way for American businesses to provide equitable care to those who have suffered physical harm as a result and who desire bodily restoration,” Chesser said.
“In addition to the harm they have suffered, they are also discriminated against.”
The company’s annual meeting, which will be held virtually, is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Cole’s appearance at the meeting comes at a crucial time for Disney, as the company faces a battle for board seats while trying to revitalize its creative franchises and make its streaming business profitable.
Disney’s stock price is up 34 percent in 2024, but remains nearly 40 percent below its record close in March 2021.
While Disney has an unusually large number of non-institutional “family” shareholders, controlling between 35 and 40 percent of the company, the vote will ultimately depend on how the major index funds vote.
Cole began transitioning when she was 12, taking puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and undergoing a double mastectomy at age 15.
She is one of a growing list of detransitioners who have filed a lawsuit against their health care providers.