The White House has previously criticized the “Don’t Say Gay” law, but President Biden’s words were his first public comments on Republican efforts to attack Disney.
Because Disney World has opposed the Sunshine State’s Parental Rights in Education bill, President Joe Biden slammed the state’s Republican lawmakers for their actions.
During a fundraiser in Seattle on Thursday, President Trump said that Florida Republicans’ attacks on Disney were “not conservative.”
He stated, “I have a lot of respect for conservatives. Is it conservative to decide that Mickey Mouse is the reason why you’re going to change Disney’s current position? Do you think we should not be permitted to use the word “gay,” for example?”
“What exactly is going on?” The devil knows what’s going on. That’s just not where the great majority of Americans are, in my opinion “He went on from there.
To terminate Disney World’s unique tax status, Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure into law on Friday. This gave Disney World exclusive authority over local matters. After Disney issued a statement last month opposing Florida’s parental rights bill, which DeSantis signed into law at the end of last month, state lawmakers in Florida proposed the measure.
As part of the measure of parental rights, kindergarten through third-grade students are not allowed to be taught about sexual orientation or gender identity.
In addition to giving parents access to their children’s educational and health records, H.B. 1557 requires schools to notify parents when their child’s mental, physical, or emotional health changes, despite the fact that critics have dubbed it the “Don’t say gay” bill, despite the absence of any such prohibition. In the event that a “reasonably sensible person” would be worried that releasing information to parents may result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect, the law exempts schools from doing so.
Since then, similar legislation has been introduced in Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Ohio, among other states.
Disney said in a statement on March 28 that the Florida parental rights legislation “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” Disney’s goal is to have the legislature or the courts “repeal this law or strike it down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working toward that.”
It added, “We are committed to upholding and defending the rights and safety of all LGBTQ+ individuals within our family and throughout Florida and the United States.”
Following criticism from members of the LGBTQ community and even internal dissension within the company, Disney reversed course and announced that it will stop making political contributions to Florida candidates in the wake of the bill’s passage. Many Republicans reacted angrily to Disney’s decision.
A request for comment from The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday was not immediately returned by Disney.
