Joe Biden has responded to Florida’s attack on Disney. The president spoke to a crowd in Seattle yesterday at a fundraiser according to Deadline. In his comments he pondered the merits of punishing Disney executive and staff for exercising their first amendment rights. Florida governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign legislation into law repealing a special tax district that encompasses Walt Disney World. All of this transpiring after the state’s legislation passed a bill prohibiting teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in classes. (You can read one of the key passages in the legislation at the bottom of this article.) Supporters of the bill were confused to learn that taxes would be raised around $2,000 on Floridians living in the areas where Disney World’s special exemption used to reside. Here’s what President Biden said:
“There’s nothing conservative about deciding you’re going to throw Disney out of its present posture because — Mickey Mouse? In fact, do you think we should be not be able to say, you know, “gay? I mean, what’s going on here? What the **** is going on? And it’s just — so, I don’t believe it’s who the vast majority of American people are.”
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Opponents of the bill have been outspoken about the broad language inside of the legislation. There have been worries that the law would be used as a springboard to bully and harass kids and families with LGBTQ+ identities. That coupled with other measures like ones in Texas and Alabama have LGBTQ historians and news pundits worried about the state of civil liberties in American life. Here’s the key legislative text from the bill.
“Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Here’s Disney’s response to the bill after it passed, “Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” the statement reads. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.”
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