Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that Disney’s “wokeness” will “destroy this country” and suggested it should stop receiving “special treatment.”
The governor hinted Thursday at his support of stripping Disney of its self-governing “privileges” amid the company’s vocal opposition to Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill. He said Friday that he thinks the legislature will review the company’s privileges and noted he does not believe in “special treatment” for any corporation.
“Over many, many decades they have gotten incredible treatment from the Florida legislature and they are treated on a pedestal,” DeSantis told “Fox & Friends.” “This one corporation is treated differently than everybody else and so that’s not something I’ve ever supported, but now in the legislature you see a movement to reevaluate those special privileges. So, at the end of the day, I think Disney has gotten over its skis on this.”
“When you are trying to impose a woke ideology on our state, we view that as a significant threat. This wokeness will destroy this country if we let it run unabated. So in Florida, we take a very big stand against that and I think the legislature is going to look at that and six months ago it would’ve been unthinkable that they would be willing to reevaluate those special privileges. I think they’re going to do that now, and that’s gonna represent a major shift for our state.”
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He added that he doesn’t “believe in special treatment for any corporation.” The governor has previously said the company “crossed the line” by releasing a public statement condemning the state’s newly passed parental rights legislation, which opponents have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. (RELATED: Gov. DeSantis Calls Out Disney Supporting ‘Sexualizing Kindergarteners’ And ‘Lining Their Pockets’ Off The CCP)
“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,” the statement read. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”
“We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country,” Disney’s statement concluded.
DeSantis referred to the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which created a “special taxing district” for landowners of the Reedy Creek district, primarily Disney. This act gives the company the equal amount of responsibility and authority as a county government. If repealed, Disney World would be regulated by the Orange and Osceola counties.
Disney will no longer use gendered language such as “boy” and “girl” to address the people at the company’s parks, according to Diversity and Inclusion manager Vivian Ware, who announced the move during a call obtained by Christopher F. Rufo and recently posted on Twitter. Disney President Karey Burke, a mother of transgender and pansexual children, said in a leaked video that the company should include more “queer leads” in its content.