Florida Republicans threaten to strip Disney of its privileges if it doesn’t back down from opposing the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
This week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed its “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law, making it illegal for kindergarten through third-grade teachers to teach students about sexual orientation or gender identity. People around the nation have been criticized and pushed back against the law, including Hollywood. Disney employees and the company as a whole have spoken out against the law, with the Walt Disney Company vowing to help repeal the law.
“Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts,” said the company in a statement.
However, if they do, Florida might fire back by revoking the company’s privileges that they’ve had since the 60s. On Wednesday, Florida Rep. Spencer Roach tweeted that officials have met to “discuss a repeal” of the Reedy Creek Improvement District agreement, which “allows Disney to act as its own government” and have control over some government agencies like law enforcement and fire units, The New York Post reports. The arrangement was made official in 1967 after Florida sought to bring Disney to Florida.
“Yesterday was the 2nd meeting in a week w/fellow legislators to discuss a repeal of the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which allows Disney to act as its own government. If Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County,” wrote Roach in his statement.
