Charlee Corra, a 30-year-old Disney heir through stepfather Roy P Disney (Walt Disney’s great-nephew), has come out publicly as transgender. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Corra also came out to support the rights of all LGBTQIA+ kids, even as Disney is mired in controversy regarding Florida’s anti-LGBTQ legislation.
“I had very few openly gay role models,” Corra revealed in the interview. “And I certainly didn’t have any trans or non-binary role models.” While discussing bullying, anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies that LGBTQIA+ kids often grow up with, they explained that not having role models goes a long way in harming children. “I didn’t see myself reflected in anyone, and that made me feel like there was something wrong with me,” they said.
Corra also explained that the current Florida legislation—denounced as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics across the country and the world—adds to the already high pressure LGBTQIA+ kids face. “They can’t learn about their community and their history at school, or play sports or use the bathroom they want to use?” Corra, who recently made a big donation of $500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign, wishes like they “could be doing more” for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Their parents, Roy and Sheri Disney, have also pledged similar donations to the Human Rights Campaign. “Equality matters deeply to us, especially because our child, Charlee, is transgender and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community,” Disney said at the time of making the pledge. Corra’s mother Sheri has echoed these sentiments in a recent interview, where she stated that “I have a trans kid, and I love my kid no matter what.”