Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday criticized Disney for CEO Bob Chapek’s support of transgender instruction for children from kindergarten through third grade after the Florida legislature passed the Parental Rights in Education bill.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against the bill this week and pledged to donate $5 million to LGBTQ groups.
DeSantis lamented Disney’s “wokeness” and argued it would “destroy this country if we let it run unabated.” He advised the Florida Legislature would reevaluate Disney’s “special privileges.”
“[O]ver many, many decades, Brian, [Disney has]gotten incredible treatment from the Florida Legislature, and they are treated on a pedestal,” DeSantis said on FNC’s “Fox & Friends.” “This one corporation is treated differently than everybody else. And so, that’s not something I’ve ever supported, but now in the legislature, you see a movement to reevaluate those special privileges. And so, at the end of the day, I think Disney has gotten over its skis on this. And look, there are policy disputes, and that’s fine, but when you’re trying to impose a woke ideology on our state, you know, we view that as a significant threat. This wokeness will destroy this country if we let it run unabated.”
“So, in Florida, we take a very big stand against that, and I think the legislature is going to look at that,” he added. “And six months ago, it would have been unthinkable that they would be willing to reevaluate those special privileges. I think they are going to do that now, and that’s going to represent a major shift for our state, but at the end of the day, you know, I don’t… believe in special treatment for any corporation.”
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