Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed Disney for supporting “sexualizing kindergarteners” in its opposition to the state’s newly-signed "parental rights" bill that “empowers parents, protects kids.”
The Republican governor had joined Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Tuesday to weigh in on the controversial "Parents Rights in Education” bill that he had signed on 28 March. The legislation bans discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in pre-K classrooms and requires a school district to notify a parent of any health services and of any changes to their child’s physical, mental or emotional health, except in reported instances of child abuse.
Despite originally voicing reluctance to engage in what it referred to as "political football", the Walt Disney Company moved to halt political donations to the Republican Party in Florida following controversy over the GOP governor's legislation. Since 2020, over 80% of Disney's donations in the state have gone to the GOP.
On Friday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek released a statement apologising for his company's earlier "silence" over the bill, saying:
"It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights. You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry."
In response, DeSantis questioned Disney’s vocal opposition to the bill now, while the company had remained silent on the issue when this was going through the Republican-controlled Florida state House in late February.
“They only started doing this because the woke mob came after them…Why is the hill to die on to have transgenderism injected into kindergarten classrooms or woke gender ideology injected into second grade classrooms?”
The GOP governor cited as an example of the company’s two-faced corporate values approach to the issue that fact Disney does cruises to the island of Dominica, the Eastern Caribbean Sea, where homosexuality is criminalised.
“The fact they are going to this length to try to torpedo legislation that 90% of parents view as common sense, it makes you wonder about what's motivating this decision-making,” queried the Florida governor.
As Tucker Carlson referenced critics dubbing the legislation the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, DeSantis ripped into the media and critics, as he reminded that the word “gay” isn’t present in the legislation.
“It’s not even used in the bill, it’s a fake narrative, it’s a lie. They have to lie because if they admitted to what they were really for, sexualizing kindergarteners and first graders, they know that would not fly with the public,” he fumed.
The bill received its nickname, "Don't Say Gay" legislation, after activists noted that such a law would infringe on LGBTQ+ rights by prohibiting any mention or discussion of gender identity and sexuality in the classroom.
The White House also lambasted the bill as "designed to attack LGBTQI+ kids."