Is it true that Disney encourages employees to sterilize their children?

In August 2024, Russian news resources and Telegram channels began publishing information that Disney was paying for puberty blockers for the children of its employees, that is, in essence, they were being sterilized. We checked whether this is true.

August 14 channel "Newsach / Dvach” wrote: “Disney Corporation offers to sterilize children to its employees. American journalist James O'Keefe obtained an internal company document that confirms that the company funds puberty blockers for minors. Any company employee can take their child to a doctor, who will conduct an examination and issue a prescription for the drug. All this is absolutely free." The post has received more than 290,000 views at the time of writing this analysis. Following “Newsach / Dvach” they wrote about this “Ax 18+"(2.5 million views), "Mousetrap"(145,000), "Heavenly"(143,000), etc. In total, according to the TGStat service, the text was published by more than 400 channels. The material was also included in the news of the TV channel "Ren-TV" and news feed "Rambler"

James O'Keefe, to whom Telegram channels refer, is in fact not a journalist, but an American political activist, founder of the far-right group Project Veritas (formerly "Verified" published analysis of one of the videos filmed and distributed by this group). After it is released in 2023 excluded from Project Veritas, the activist founded a new project called O'Keefe Media Group. Material about Disney O'Keefe published on his personal account on social network X - @JamesOKeefeIII.

In the video, James O'Keefe claims that a Disney insider shared with him an internal company document that states that Disney's health insurance covers employees for transgender transition procedures for their minor children.

By searching for the keywords “Verified” I found the same one document, which James O'Keefe talks about. It turned out to be not internal, but public. The document is posted on the portal Disney Benefits, where current (and potential) company employees can familiarize themselves with all the programs, benefits and privileges available to them. According to the information contained therein, the LGBTQIA+ support program includes medical support for transgender transition for both Disney employees and their family members, including minors.

Among the listed services that are covered by insurance are counseling, referrals to specialists, and puberty blockers. However, this does not mean that it is enough to bring your child for an examination in order to receive a prescription for hormone therapy. In any case, doctors will be guided by legislation, medical ethics and standard procedures. To get an idea about them, you can go to the website of Cigna Healthcare, which, in fact, provides Disney with health insurance services, and get acquainted with advice published there for people with gender dysphoria (the so-called condition in which a person cannot accept the discrepancy between his biological sex and gender identity) and members of their families.

This document specifically recognizes that during puberty, children may experience their gender identity differently at different times. Therefore, when working with teenagers, the primary task of doctors is to introduce them to all possible options for non-medical ways of confirming gender: for example, wearing appropriate clothing, using a different name and pronouns, etc. Teenagers may also be offered to attend psychological support groups. Only after non-medical options have been exhausted can we talk about puberty blockers. But even in this case, we mean only reversible hormonal therapy, which does not stop puberty, but only pauses it while taking the drugs. This contradicts O'Keefe's claim that "Disney funds puberty blockers that sterilize children, changing their lives forever." And in the case of children who have not yet reached puberty, hormonal therapy is completely excluded, even reversible. 

In addition, it should be noted that this insurance program has been in place at Disney for several years, and this is not the first attempt to accuse the company of pays for sterilization of employees' children.

So while Disney employees' health insurance does cover gender-affirming procedures, that doesn't mean their children have easy access to permanent puberty blockers.

Cover photo: Unsplash

Mostly not true

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