Disney Caves To Left Wing Pressure, Comes Out Against Florida’s “Anti-Grooming” Bill
Jacob Smith
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The deceptive outrage over Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill now has The Walt Disney Company under the gun, and it didn’t take them long to fold to the mob.
Walt Disney World Resort entrance Photo Credit: Jrobertiko, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Over the last few days, progressives have targeted corporations for refusing to take action against the state of Florida over what they are labeling the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The bill, which is actually called the Parental Rights in Education bill, would ban the teaching of sexuality and transgenderism to children between kindergarten through third grade. A bill that has passed both Florida’s House and Senate and is expected to be signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Source: Official Disney UK, YouTube
Disney CEO Bob Chapek sent out an internal memo saying that the company would not take a stance on the bill citing the potential backlash of inflaming political discourse.
Chapek initially explained why the company would not be getting involved with the bill, “As we have seen time and again, corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds. Instead, they are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame. Simply put, they can be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change.”
Source: Investor Day 2020
However, he quickly made it clear where he and the company actually stands writing, “In terms of our communities, we are and will continue to be a leader in supporting organizations that champion diversity.
“In 2021, we provided nearly $3 million to support the work of LGBTQ+ organizations. And, we have a long history of supporting important events like Pride parades,’ he added.
Source: Bloomberg Markets and Finance YouTube
Now, after intense backlash from progressive activists who demanded the corporation act in their favor, Chapek confirmed the company is pledging $5 million to organizations protecting “LGBTQ rights.”
As reported by Variety, Chapek also declared at Disney’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders that the company had actually been opposing the legislation.
The CEO stated, “The governor heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss the ways to address them.”
“Governor DeSantis committed to me that he wanted to make sure that this law could not be weaponized in any way by individuals in the state or groups in the state to unduly harm or target gay, lesbian, nonbinary or transgender kids and families,” Chapek detailed during the Q&A portion of the meeting.
Source: CNBC Television YouTube
The media outrage about Florida’s new bill has been extremely misleading if not downright deceitful. Progressives who are opposed to the law have labeled it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill as a means to undermine the bill’s true intention.
Some people such as Hollywood filmmaker Judd Apatow claim the bill harms children in ways that will damage many for life without actually explaining how exactly the bill hurts children.
Apatow tweeted, “His customers are children. This bill harms children in ways that will damage many for life.”
“Disney should never be a company that doesn’t stand up for the safety and support of all children. They certainly should never financially support those who attack children like this,” he added.
Source: Judd Apatow Twitter
The truth is parents are becoming more aware of what the public school system is teaching to their children and many of them are fighting back against it.
Florida parents view the inclusion of the LGBT curriculum as a tool to groom their kids into alternative lifestyles.
Progressives who are in favor of teaching sexual and gender identity to elementary-aged kids are carpetbagging the bill as a means to protect their agenda.
Source: Disney Meetings & Events, YouTube
Christina Pushaw, DeSantis’s press secretary, called the bill an anti-grooming measure that protects young children from predators.
“The bill that liberals inaccurately call ‘Don’t Say Gay’ would be more accurately described as an Anti-Grooming Bill,” Pushaw wrote.
Source: Christina Pushaw Twitter
“If you’re against the Anti-Grooming Bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you don’t denounce the grooming of 4-8 year-old children. Silence is complicity. This is how it works, Democrats, and I didn’t make the rules,” she tweeted.
Source: Christina Pushaw Twitter
As noted above, the Florida Senate passed the “Parental Rights in Education” bill 22-17 on Tuesday, paving the way for Governor Ron DeSantis to sign it into law.
“We’re going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum,” Governor DeSantis said in a press conference.
Governor Ron DeSantis speaking with an attendee in November 2021. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
While Disney eventually publicly came out against the bill, they previously detailed they would remain committed to creating more diverse and welcoming content in support of the LGBTQ community.
In fact, in Chapek’s memo to employees he described the company as “a force for inclusion.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 29: (L-R) Chairman of Disney Studios Content Alan Bergman, Producer, President of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Kevin Feige, and CEO of The Walt Disney Company Bob Chapek attend the Black Widow World Premiere Fan Event at Dolby Theatre on June 29, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
What do you make of Disney coming out and publicly opposing this “anti-groomer” bill?
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