Disney sues Florida governor Ron DeSantis over “retaliation” for ‘Don’t Say Gay’ opposition
Disney has filed a lawsuit against Florida governor Ron DeSantis for allegedly violating its First Amendment rights. Over the last year, the beloved company and Republican governor have been at odds due to the latter’s horrific ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.
Under the harmful legislation, teachers and schools are barred from discussing “sexual orientation or gender identity” across all grade levels “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” While Disney faced backlash for their initial response to the bill, the company went on to publically slam the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation after DeSantis signed it into law in March 2022. “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,” Disney said. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organisations working to achieve that.
After Disney publically condemned the terrifying law, DeSantis accused them of “crossing the line.” The Republican governor and his conservative colleagues also stripped away Disney World’s self-governing privileges by dissolving the theme park’s Reedy Creek Improvement District and replacing it with his own board – the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
However Disney thwarted DeSantis’ takeover in February by essentially stripping the new board members of power – via a last-minute 30-year development agreement.
