Photo: Lintao Zhang / Getty Images
The Walt Disney Co. announcement that it will somehow force the repeal of the “Parental Rights in Education” bill ” promulgated by the governor of the state of Florida, Ron DeSantis, could be translated as the loss of government benefits that would generate “a living hell” for the company known for its theme parks and movies, said state Rep. Anthony Sabatini.
The legislator voted in favor of the Bill 1557 of the House of Representatives, which critics call it the “don’t say gay” law , in the month of February and has been one of its staunchest supporters since Disney issued a decree on 22 of March stating that their “goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or annulled in court.”
So in response, legislators threatened to reverse favors from the government benefiting Disney since 1967, when Florida created the “Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID)”.
This gave Disney fiscal and other privileges and allowed it to “act with the same authority and responsibility as a county government” , thing that for that moment or for politicians it made sense, since the mouse company promised to convert 38, 5 square miles of “largely uninhabited grasslands in bogs in a global destination”, according to the RCID website.
“When Disney bought land for its theme parks, it promoted laws that said it was autonomous”
, Sabatini told Newsweek.
“They have their own police departments and firefighters and could even have their own nuclear power plant if they wanted to. If it were up to me, I’d call a special session and Disney would lose everything. If they are governed by local authorities, it is not going to be pleasant for them: they will be subject to all kinds of crazy taxes, rules and regulations. It will make life hell for them. They will be regulated like everyone else.”
For his part, DeSantis indicated in a press conference that he is open to the idea of reversing the special privileges that were granted to Disney. In addition, he expressed that he is in favor of not allowing the company “to have its own set of rules compared to everyone else”.
These comments are apparently an escalation of a controversy that had been limited to the social issue of parental rights and LGBTIQ+ , although now it could have dramatic consequences for both sides.
Furthermore, the streaming service Disney+ issued a separate statement on 22 March against HB 1557 which read the following: “We strongly denounce any legislation that violates the basic human rights of people in the LGBTQIA+ community, especially legislation that targets and harms young people and their families”.
The seven-page bill boils down to the notion that “classroom instruction by from school personnel or third parties about sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through third grade in a manner that is not age- or developmentally appropriate according to state standards.”
For his part, The Trevor Project, a youth mental health organization tions of the LGBTIQ+ community, said the bill erases “LGBTQ identity, history, and culture” and that “vague parental notification requirements…could require teachers to ‘exclude’ LGBTQ students”.
For Sabatini this analysis is nonsense.
“This bill is about K through 3rd grade. Let me repeat: K to 3rd: 5, 6 and 7 year olds,” she said. “Disney’s position is that these children need lessons about transgender and sexual orientation. If you need me to explain why that’s wrong, it’s a waste of time, because it’s so obvious”.
“Disney is responding to the radical and leftist wackos in California. They are corporate cowards,” said Sabatini. “Disney is about to lose its entire government status in Florida. The hammer will come down so hard on Disney that they will be in full defense mode. Really bad things are going to happen and they’re freaking out”.
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