Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) came out swinging hard Thursday against the Walt Disney Company for its CEO’s support of transgender instruction for kindergarteners.
“When you have companies that have made a fortune off being family-friendly and catering to families and young kids, they should understand that parents of young kids do not want this injected into their kid’s kindergarten classroom,” he said.
DeSantis took it further by calling out Disney’s hypocrisy, characterizing it as a greedy company willing to die on the hill of transgenderism while coddling Communist China.
“If that’s the hill they’re going to die on, then how do they possibly explain lining their pockets with their relationship from the Communist Party of China? Because that’s what they do, and they make a fortune, and they don’t say a word about the really brutal practices that you see over there at the hands of the CCP,” he said.
“And so in Florida, our policies got to be based on the best interest of Florida citizens, not on the musing of woke corporations,” he added.
Even though the bill specifically bars schools from teaching about sexuality to kindergarteners and third graders, far-left activists have dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” 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,” the bill says.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek came out against the bill on Wednesday and pledged to donate $5 million to LGBTQ groups.
“I understand that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill,” Chapek said. “We were opposed to the bill from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind the scenes, working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.”
“I called Gov. DeSantis this morning to express our disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary, and transgender kids and families,” he added.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek during an address at the Boston College Chief Executives Club, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Chapek even said DeSantis was “open” to hearing different points of view on the matter. However, DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said his position remains unchanged.
“Governor DeSantis has always been open to hearing from Floridians and having conversations about legislation – as long as those discussions are grounded in facts, not false media narratives,” Pushaw said in a statement. “The governor’s position has not changed.”
The White House has condemned the bill as “hateful,” “horrific,” and “a form of bullying.”
“Why are Florida leaders deciding they need to discriminate against kids who are members of the LGBTQI community?” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday. “What prompts them to do that? Is it meanness? Is it wanting to make kids have more difficult times in school, in their communities?”