As Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill continues to move toward law, it also continues to draw fire from liberal media, liberal politicians, and liberal corporations. On Wednesday, Republican Governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis took fire from both the White House and Disney.
Christina Pushaw — who serves as press secretary for the governor — told The Daily Wire Wednesday evening that Disney CEO Bob Chapek called DeSantis about the bill. She said this was “the first time we have heard from Disney regarding HB 1557.” She added that “The governor’s position has not changed. No in-person meeting has been scheduled yet.”
And CNN reported that Chapek spoke at a Disney shareholder meeting Wednesday, expressing “disappointment and concern” over the bill, saying that if it becomes law, the Parental Rights in Education bill “could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families.”
And while Pushaw was sure to point out that “no in-person meeting has been scheduled yet,” Chapek told shareholders, “The governor heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss ways to address them.” And in a statement that is clearly more motivated by a political desire to smooth things over with a major company in Florida than any desire to be factually accurate, Pushaw said, “Disney is known as a family-friendly company that creates wholesome entertainment for kids.”
There was, perhaps, a time when that was true, but that time has come and gone. For years now, Disney has been a major mover in the field of pushing society toward a less and less moral position. On the shallow end of that is the simple fact that Disney owns Miramax, which produces much that could not be classified as “wholesome entertainment for kids.” Disney also owns ABC, which has programming that cannot be accused of being “family-friendly.” But even Disney proper has pushed the boundaries where “family-friendly” and “wholesome entertainment for kids” is concerned. As just a short list of examples, see here, here, and here.
After her claim about Disney’s high moral ground, though, Pushaw went on to say, “The same Florida parents who take their families to Disney also support parental rights in education, because they do not want their young children exposed to inappropriate content about sex and gender theory at school. We expect Mr. Chapek will carefully consider their concerns.”
And if that is the theme of the meeting that is going to take place — but has not been scheduled yet, then it appears DeSantis will continue to stand his ground. One can hope.
And there appears room for that hope. As this writer covered in an article published Wednesday, DeSantis has held his ground against both the Biden administration and media. And Pushaw’s statements on Wednesday seem to indicate that DeSantis is unmoved.
For its part, the Biden administration is doubling down on this issue. Judging by the reaction from the White House, anyone would think the Parental Rights in Education bill called for the public flogging of students confused about their sexuality. In actuality, it simply “prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels.” Those grade levels are pre-K through third grade.
But on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the bill “horrific” and said it was “a form of bullying.” In Wednesday’s press conference, Psaki said the bill “discriminate[s] against families, against kids put these kids in the position of not getting the support they need at a time where that’s exactly what they need. It’s discriminatory. It’s a form of bullying. It is horrific.”
In response to a question about then-Senator Biden’s 1994 support of a ban on federal funds from being used for “the promotion of homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative” and how his thinking has evolved over the years, Psaki did what Psaki does and dodged the actual question and spun an answer in an obvious effort to make her boss look good. She said, “I think the most important question now is why are Florida leaders deciding they need to discriminate against kids who are members of the LGBTQI community? What prompts them to do that? Is it meanness? Is it wanting to make kids have more difficult times in school and in their communities? I would pose that question to them and we can talk about it more tomorrow.”
Psaki also referred to the bill pejoratively as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — a favorite dismissive title for the bill used by Democrats.
Pushaw responded via Twitter, writing:
The word “gay” does not appear in the parental rights bill. It has nothing to do with LGBT content specifically; it’s about protecting young children from ALL inappropriate sexual content and gender theory instruction. It is the sole right of the parents to discuss those topics.
Further addressing the dishonesty with which Democrats refer to the bill as if it bans the word “gay,” Pushaw told The Daily Wire, “Governor DeSantis has always been open to hearing from Floridians and having conversations about legislation — as long as those discussions are grounded in facts, not false media narratives,” adding, “Anyone who has questions or concerns about the Parental Rights in Education bill is encouraged to read the bill, rather than the distorted coverage in mainstream media, which regurgitates false partisan talking points.”
The text of the bill is available as a PDF from the Florida Senate’s website.
The Parental Rights in Education bill — which had already passed in the Florida House — passed in the Senate Tuesday. DeSantis is expected to sign it into law. If so, it will take effect on July 1, meaning that in the 2022-2023 school year, students between the ages of five and nine will be spared the danger of classroom indoctrination into LGBTQ+ perversion.
