Disney protesting unless it threatens profit?
Ever since Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed the new 'Parental Rights in Education' bill into law, various organizations, political leaders and corporations have been critical of it and of him - most notably the Disney Corporation.
Their assertion is that the bill (informally known by its critics as the 'Don't Say Gay' bill) is potentially damaging to Florida's kids in preventing the discussion of sexuality, gender identity and sexual orientation in primary school classrooms.
Governor DeSantis appeared on Fox News on March 29 to point out what he sees as hypocrisy on the part of the Disney Corporation - that amongst their many products and services they offer a leisure cruise which stops in the Caribbean nation of Dominica where homosexuality is illegal and same-sex relations are punished with a jail term.
He told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the corporation had shown that Disney are happy to publicly protest the law, but when it comes to putting their values ahead of profit, they're not willing to do so:
"It's just an odd manifestation of their corporate values that they actually do Disney cruises to the nation of Dominica, which criminalizes homosexuality. So they're fine doing that and lining their pockets."
The governor went on to state that this was further evidence of a Californian corporation bringing Californian values and viewpoints to a state which is not California, nor is it run by people with such ideals.
DeSantis describes his perspective on the bill
Critics have been quick to jump on board with LGBTQ+ groups who believe the law could have negative effects for Florida's children. But in his interview, Governor DeSantis questioned why critics like Disney are so keen on having the law overturned:
"... why is the hill to die on, to have transgenderism injected into kindergarten classrooms or woke gender ideology injected into second grade classroom."
He has already proudly declared that Florida is the state "where 'woke' goes to die" and it would be easy to see why this particular bill then appeals to the Governor and those who appreciate his leadership.
Meanwhile it seems that the public have mixed opinions on corporate activism by Disney - some have taken a stance and are no longer attending Disney World and believe that such topics covered by the law shouldn't come up in classes at primary school, where others believe in standing up for LGBTQ+ groups.
Time will tell if the law stands or not.
Are you in favor of the Parental Rights In Education Bill or not? Do you think the governor is right to call out hypocrisy on the part of Disney? Let me know in the comments section below.
Comments / 17