We’ve been closely following the situation surrounding Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill (now law) (called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics) and Disney’s responses to the legislation.

Spaceship Earth

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed the heavily criticized “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law. Soon after, Disney released a statement announcing that their goal is “for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts.” Disney also shared that they intend to support national and state organizations that are committed to that goal. Now, DeSantis has responded to Disney’s statement.

According to Forbes, Gov. Ron DeSantis has stated that Disney’s recent comments about working to repeal the law have “crossed a line.” DeSantis said that Disney “didn’t seem to have a problem with [the law] when it was going through [the House]. If this is such an affront, why weren’t they speaking up at the outset?”

©Deadline

Disney has been criticized for not publicly condemning the law earlier on, and some employees have staged walkouts in protest of Disney’s responses to the bill, before it passed in the Florida Senate and House. Disney CEO Bob Chapek has since apologized and committed to future action against the law.

©Ryan Faughnder via Twitter (@RFaughnder) on the walkouts

Now that Disney has taken a more definite stand against the law, Gov. DeSantis is saying that “Disney’s statement was ‘fundamentally dishonest’ and ‘crossed a line,’ adding that Florida is not governed ‘based on the demands of California corporate executives'” (Forbes). A sponsor of the bill has returned campaign donations from Disney in protest of their recent statement.

Pride wall in Disney Springs

Deadline noted that Gov. DeSantis also said that people in Hollywood are “opposed to providing protections for parents and enforcing parents’ rights.” DeSantis stated, “If the people who held up degenerates like Harvey Weinstein as exemplars and as heroes, if those are the types of people and all that that are opposing us on parents’ rights, I wear that like a badge of honor.”

Rainbow Mickey

The Parental Rights in Education law will go into effect on July 1st, 2022. The law states that “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.”

We’ll continue to look for more updates about this legislation and Disney’s responses to it. To see more about the law and other updates that had been previously shared about this topic, click the links below:

• Disney issues statement as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill is signed into law.
• Disney issues statement on “Don’t Say Gay” bill (now law)
• Disney CEO Bob Chapek comments on the Bill (now law)
• Chapek comments on the Company’s stance on the Bill (now law) and actions moving forward
• Chapek issues apology following Disney’s response to Bill (now law)
• Human Rights Campaign rejects Disney’s donation and issues response
• Disney employees plan walkouts in response to Bill (now law)
• California governor addresses Disney following responses to the Bill (now law)
• Same-sex kiss put back into “Lightyear” after criticism of Disney’s response to the Bill (now law)
• Chapek addresses the Florida Bill (now law) and assures further changes during Company meeting
• Supportive LGBTQIA+ statements shared by Disney ahead of planned walkouts
• Learn more about the walkouts
• See more about Disney’s response to the passage of the bill into Law

Keep following DFB for more of the latest Disney news.