Lauren Moye, FISM News
Mega-corporation Disney has entrenched itself in battle against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the “Parental Rights in Educations” bill – which is perhaps more recognizable by the erroneous liberal slogan of “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” Despite the companies attempt to turn up the heat, DeSantis and other conservative Florida lawmakers remain undeterred.
Last Wednesday, Disneyworld employees began staging walkout protests in 15-minute increments, after Disney CEO Bob Chapek had said that the company would not make an official statement on the controversial bill. Even though Chapek succumbed to pressure, and publicly opposed the bill, employees plan to stage a full-day walkout on March 22 according to their Twitter profile.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the Disney-owned ESPN observed a “moment of silence” in response to the bill. ESPN broadcasters Carolyn Peck and Courtney Lyle paused their Friday broadcast of the women’s NCAA tournament for two minutes of dead air time in response to the legislation.
“There are bigger things than basketball,” Lyle said.
Elle Duncan, another broadcaster from the Disney-owned channel group, did the same thing on Saturday.
These are just the latest examples in the battle between the parent company which has so far failed to make conservative lawmakers and the Republican Florida governor kowtow to their wishes. They have also failed to successfully influence voters against the legislation.
Despite the “Don’t Say Gay” slander from news media, a recent Rasmussen report found that 62% of U.S. voters support the law, including 61% of black and 64% of other minorities. One reason there is such a discrepancy is that there has been a gross misrepresentation among liberals and the mainstream media about the actual content of the bill.
As FISM previously reported:
There is no language contained within the bill that forbids the use of the term ‘gay,’ nor does it prohibit informal discussions on LGBTQ issues. It does, however, bar formal classroom instruction on ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ topics with kids in the third grade or younger, or ‘in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.’
The bill also requires that parents be notified of changes regarding their children’s overall wellbeing, including emotional or identity concerns. In simpler terms, the bill preserves a parent’s right to educate their children on gender and sexuality during the formative years.
The liberal catchphrase for the bill has exasperated DeSantis, who has previously pleaded for opponents to “just read the bill.”
Not all feedback for the bill has been negative. In fact, the legislation has garnered praise for enabling parents to do their job. Meanwhile, others have pushed back against the notion that 8-year-olds need formal education on this matter.
Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union’s CPAC, applauded the act on March 8th for ensuring “that parents, rather than government employees,” lead these conversations. He added, “Instead of being force-fed the left’s points on gender and sex, young students in Florida can focus on learning how to read and write.”
Blaze Media’s Jason Whitlock tweeted the ESPN moment of silence clip with a derisive plea for people to think about the actual words of the commentators:
Opposition to "parental rights in education bill in the state of Florida." Think that through. Opposition to the rights of parents. The government should not have more jurisdiction over kids than parents. This is crazy. Disney is all the way out the closet. https://t.co/LPfa5ioaRW
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) March 19, 2022
HBO’s “Real Time” Bill Maher also recently rejected the woke liberalism that has portrayed the bill in a false light, saying, “It’s not like there’s no kernel of truth in that – maybe kids that young shouldn’t be thinking about sex at all.”