Renzo Downey
As Disney cast members and employees staged a walkout over how the company handled Florida’s controversial parental rights in education bill, Gov. Ron DeSantis took another jab at the company, but also protesters.
Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek took a public stand against the bill (HB 1557) earlier this month after internal pressure forced his hand. However, employees still planned a walkout Tuesday morning, saying the company should have acted sooner.
When asked about the planned walkout, which has received national media attention this week, the Republican Governor said protesters weren’t on the same side of the issue as parents.
“It’s a free country, do what you believe in. But understand, if you are out protesting this bill, you are, by definition, putting yourself in favor of injecting sexual instruction to five-, six- and seven-year-old kids,” DeSantis told reporters. “I think most people think that’s wrong. I think parents especially think that’s wrong.”
The measure limits instruction about “sexual orientation and gender identity” at all grade levels but explicitly prohibits those topics from kindergarten to third grade. GOP Sen. Jeff Brandes aligned with Democrats in an attempt to amend the bill to regulate discussions on “human sexuality” in general rather than target talks on sexual orientation and gender identity. But Republicans blocked that amendment, leaving in the original language.
“The classroom instruction they’re getting should not be involving these issues involving sexuality, particularly things like transgenderism, where they’re being taught that they may be able to change genders,” DeSantis said. “That’s something that parents do not want. That’s something that a parent would want to be engaging with their student in.”
Critics have dubbed the legislation the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, a moniker that has drawn consternation from proponents who say those words aren’t in the bill. DeSantis, who says opponents are misinformed, encouraged critics to read the bill text before articulating their concerns.
“What I don’t do are narratives and slogans and people just putting things out that are basically false narratives, and I think that’s what happened. I think, unfortunately, Disney’s leadership bought into a lot of the false narratives,” DeSantis told reporters in Pasco County.
It’s not the first time the Governor has taken aim at Disney over the legislation. The day after Chapek held a phone call with DeSantis two weeks ago, Fox News Digital obtained a video of DeSantis saying he would sign the bill in opposition to the “musings of woke corporations.”
Disney has long been influential in Florida politics, tending to be conservative and supporting Republicans who have been in control of Tallahassee for two decades. But The company is also being more open on social issues, Patricia Campos-Medina, co-director of the Worker Institute at Cornell University, told the Associated Press.
15 comments
Concern Citizen
March 22, 2022 at 4:30 pm
DeSantis can we talk about the high cost of property insurance and not about transsexuals in sports and sexual instruction in schools. My hang up is not about sex, but spending a massive of money every year to have property insurance ( if feels like I am getting screwed by the insurance companies).
Elliot
March 23, 2022 at 8:33 am
Seriously! I don’t know a single person who’s homeowners insurance hasn’t skyrocketed. Maybe try campaigning to Floridians about things that actually happen in Florida!
Steven Brengard
March 23, 2022 at 1:36 pm
Perhaps both are issues we as Floridians can tackle. Why one or the other?
Stephen
March 30, 2022 at 1:51 pm
One reason insurance casts have almost doubled is the cast of labor and material costs. It’s not limited to Florida. It’s happening all across the nation.
Green leaks
March 22, 2022 at 5:55 pm
I hope you get get taught that losing Money hurts more then your politics lol
Steven Brengard
March 23, 2022 at 1:37 pm
Florida … like it or not … is a conservative state. We think parents should get a say over teachers about kids 5-7 get taught about sexuality. Deal with it.
60 year old birthday party
March 23, 2022 at 2:14 pm
“”Deal with it”
No
Heck if I wait about five years half of the conservatives will be gone.
They don’t call it the grand OLD party for nothing lol
Inmates are Running the Aslyum
March 23, 2022 at 5:09 pm
How do you mean Florida is a conservative state? If you mean solely Republicans as conservatives, they don’t have that much of an edge over Democratics in the registered numbers – 100K or so?
Now if you mean the 3.8M NPA/Independants that may share conservative values in the term “conservative” and vote with them, that’s different. Don’t forget you need to align their interests too to win just as much as either base. To ignore that fact will cause much “Dealing with it”
And to be fair, anything that is under the umbrella of Parents Rights should be put to a ballot vote. There’s parents on both sides of it. If it passes, then it will truly have the solidarity of Parents and would be harder to repel.
Are people really that thick, they think some teacher is pontificating about sexuality between teaching numbers, colors, and how to read? Like they have time.
Problem in search of a solution. Fix our home-owners insurance issue, housing and remt price run-up, and a gas tax-holiday.
Elliot
March 24, 2022 at 11:39 am
Best post I have read on this site to date.
Elliot
March 24, 2022 at 11:40 am
Inmates are Running the Aslyum
Tom
March 24, 2022 at 10:55 pm
Total mental Manchurian break down. Oh so under this ill logic it’s not a liberal state. Well you know what, Florida is a lot more conservative and Republican, compared to liberal and Democrat.
What you want on housing? Gas tax is suspended pal. Sorry, no need to encourage sexuality K-3.
Give it up loser. Elliot. Really best post. You ain’t seen mine, I’m
a legend on FP.
Inmates are Running the Asylum
March 24, 2022 at 11:17 pm
Florida is about even and has significant NPA’s that swing the state. But you know this being a political scienctist.
And as you said, no need for sexuality in K-3, and hence no need for a bill. It was a waste of time.
You’ve mentioned how DeSantis has helped the working man, well he and legislators could help the housing with multiple ways.
For starters a new class of residential designation for owner occupied, and it is 12 months out of the year, as a decent percent of the overall zoning layout.
Larger homestead amounts for all year full time residents (12 months) or for owners that work verified by payroll tax.
Smaller offsets and lot sizes to allow for smaller homes that are owner occupied. This still allows free markets, but more housing stock to come online and be more affordable.
And all tis comes with golden handcuffs – you have to stay in the home for certain amount of time to get the homesteading or smaller home considerations.
Inmate are Running the Asylum
March 24, 2022 at 11:38 pm
And last I read gas tax has not yet been suspended it’s being looked into pal. It’s proposed for October the last I read. If you have a press relase about it being suspended currently, share please.
Old angry guy
March 23, 2022 at 2:15 pm
Heck Desantis is old enough to be my dad lol
Comment
March 24, 2022 at 2:27 pm
Big groming project
Comments are closed.