Some Republican lawmakers in Florida are considering punishing Walt Disney World for taking a public stand against the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law by repealing a 55-year-old law that allows the company to self-isolate govern.
Florida House Representative Spencer Roach tweeted Wednesday that lawmakers held two meetings this week to discuss repealing the Reedy Creek Improvement Act of 1967, which he said “allows Disney to act as its own.” government to act”.
Spencer, a Republican, added, “If Disney is going to embrace the woke ideology, it seems appropriate that Orange County should regulate it.”
The 1967 Act, signed by then-Governor Claude Kirk, a Republican, created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, covering about 25,000 acres in Orange and Osceola counties.
Florida House Representative Spencer Roach tweeted that lawmakers have met twice to discuss repealing the Reedy Creek Improvement Act of 1967, which allows Walt Disney World to govern itself
The 1967 Act created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, covering about 25,000 acres in Orange and Osceola counties and controlled by its landowners, the largest of which is Disney
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the Parents’ Rights in Education Act Monday, banning teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade
What is the Parental Rights in Education Act?
HB 1557 was introduced by two Republican members of the Florida Legislature – Rep. Joe Harding and Senator Dennis Baxley.
They say the bill’s goal is to “empower” “parents” in their children’s education and get teachers to see the difference between “teaching” and “discussion.”
“What we forbid is teaching them a specific direction,” Baxley said of how teachers direct students in a classroom.
“Students can talk about anything they want to bring up, but sometimes the right answer is, ‘You really should talk to your parents about it.’
The law applies to children in kindergarten through third grade.
It states that “classroom teaching by school staff or third parties about sexual orientation or gender identity must not take place”.
It also requires districts to “establish procedures for notifying a student’s parents if there are changes in the student’s services or supervision related to the student’s mental, emotional or physical health or well-being,” something LGBTQ advocates said could result in students being outed to their parents without the student’s knowledge or consent.
It passed on March 8 by a vote of 22 to 17. The State House approved the bill late last month. DeSantis signed it on March 28th and it goes into effect on July 1st.
The district is governed by its 19 landowners, the largest of which is Disney World. It is responsible for overseeing land use and providing basic public services, including fire safety, emergency medical services, water supply, electricity and sanitation. The district also operates and maintains all public roads and bridges.
Disney World’s special status is now in jeopardy after the entertainment giant condemned the Parents’ Rights in Education Act — commonly known as which Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed into law on Monday and sparked outrage among LGBTQ activists and progressives.
The law bans teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Its many critics argue that the law’s true intent is to marginalize LGBTQ people and their families.
Disney, Florida’s largest single employer and a major political donor, is at the center of the escalating feud over the law after progressive employees and customers blasted the company for donating money to all the sponsors of the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ -bill and failed to denounce it.
In response to the backlash, which included protests and strikes, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced earlier this month that he would be meeting with DeSantis to oppose the law.
“I understand that our original approach, no matter how well intentioned, didn’t quite work out,” the CEO said at the time.
After DeSantis signed the law into law, Disney released a statement stating, “Our goal as a company is to have this law repealed by the legislature or struck down in court.”
DeSantis responded to Disney’s new stance on the law by accusing the company of being dishonest and hypocritical.
“One has to wonder why the hill to die injects transgenderism into kindergarten classrooms or gender-savvy ideologies into second grade classrooms. Why is this the hill to die for?’ he asked in a Tuesday night interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.
“Meanwhile, if we had passed a law prohibiting speaking about the abuse of Uyghurs in China, Disney would have supported that legislation. They won’t say a word about it,” the Republican governor continued.
DeSantis pointed out that Disney Cruises sails to the Dominican Republic, which has laws banning gay marriage and legalizing gay discrimination.
Disney faced a backlash for initially failing to oppose the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law after donating money to all of its sponsors
Disney’s lukewarm response to the controversial law led to protests and work stoppages
“So they do that well and fill their pockets, they fill their pockets well from the CCP and all the atrocities that are happening there,” he continued, referring to the Chinese Communist Party, which the company thanked in the credits of its live Action Mulan reboots.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced earlier this month that he would be meeting with DeSantis to appeal the bill
“But it’s these Florida kindergarten kids who really want transgenderism as part of their core curriculum in school.”
Disney’s reversal of the law led to condemnation from some conservative staffers and calls for a public boycott.
Jose Castillo, a Disney resort executive who is also running for Congress in Florida, said his employer’s decision to oppose the law could be “bad for business” because not everyone is a “raging liberal “ be who works there.
In an interview with Fox News, Castillo argued that many employees support the law and that the company’s opposition to its own workers is destroying democracy.
A Disney employee, writing under the alias Ethan L. Clay, claimed the company’s executives “surrendered” to the ideology of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and instituted a culture of employees supporting the law , forces to remain silent for fear of examination or dismissal.
“I encourage everyone to ignore the bloats of Disney executives, from CEO Bob Chapek down to Park vice presidents,” Clay wrote in his blog post published Tuesday on Quillette.com. “These people are not thought leaders or cultural revolutionaries. They are cowards held hostage by the dominant narrative, and they will run in the direction that narrative dictates.’