In March 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that disallowed children from kindergarten to the third grade to have LGBTQ+ discussions banned in the classroom. Older children were allowed to have these discussions, but they had to be age-appropriate.
This has been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law. However, the result caused Disney to challenge the governor on this matter due to its impact on its employees and their families. While it has been a long battle, it has finally reached its conclusion.
DEI Removed From Florida Teacher Training
There is a trend throughout the U.S. with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives being removed from schools, colleges and universities. DeSantis has also pushed through a measure to remove this from teacher training.
This means the banning of any curriculum that suggests there is systemic racism, sexism, oppression and privilege in U.S. institutions. DeSantis hopes this will remove an “ideological agenda” from schools.
The Parental Rights in Education Bill
The Don’t Say Gay law is formerly known as the Parental Rights in Education Bill. This new law will restrict the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
The law also enables parents to sue schools if they feel that their child has been inappropriately taught about LGBTQ+ issues. However, the bill is unclear on what would be considered inappropriate.
DeSantis Revokes Disney’s Tax Status
Due to Disney’s issue with DeSantis’ don’t say gay law, the Florida Governor asked legislators to remove Disney’s special tax status that allowed them to operate as the de facto municipal government within the 39 square miles that the park covers.
Within 48 hours, the legislature had done just that, and the Governor had signed the bill. However, due to how quickly this all went through, no one could genuinely assess the pros and cons of this new bill.
Disney Sued DeSantis
In retaliation, Disney decided to sue DeSantis. In the lawsuit, the company claimed that DeSantis was interfering with the company’s right to free speech.
A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, which resulted in Disney appealing the decision. Both parties tried to come to some sort of agreement that could benefit both of them.
Plaintiffs Can’t Challenge Free Speech
The judge who initially threw the case out did so because he claimed that the plaintiff could not “bring a free speech challenge by claiming that the lawmakers who passed it acted with a constitutionally impermissible purpose.”
Unimpressed with this statement and the result of the lawsuit, Disney decided to appeal so that a decision could be made that would actually work somewhat in their favor.
Disney Had Some Rights Revoked
A year after its special tax status was revoked, other rights that Disney once had have been revoked. However, they aren’t necessarily bothered about these rights.
The new law only revoked some privileges for Disney, including the right to build a nuclear power plant or an airport, which the company had no intention of doing anyway.
DeSantis’ Win Over Disney
DeSantis’ victory over Disney is set to complicate Disney’s ability to run the park with the freedom it has enjoyed for over fifty years. This is all to do with the board at Disney.
DeSantis can now appoint all five members of the district’s board of directors. This disappoints Disney and its allies, who were hoping that he would only be able to appoint two at most.
DeSantis’ Drive for Homeschooling
Regarding education, DeSantis has a particular drive for homeschooling, which has left Florida’s public schools struggling as fewer children are coming through their doors, with parents choosing to keep them at home instead.
This decreases school funds, with around 53,000 students leaving school in recent years in favor of homeschooling. This has also caused changes to the educational structure in Florida, which will change the delivery of education and impact future children’s education.
Ron DeSantis Hit With Legal Trouble
This isn’t the first time DeSantis has been hit with legal trouble, as it seems to keep happening to the Florida Governor. The latest one comes from a former employee of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) based on wrongful termination.
The former employee is claiming he was treated poorly, held to a different standard and had different terms and conditions of employment. The lawsuit also claims that he was asked to engage in practices that he believes to be illegal, and there are questions about how DeSantis has handled the entire situation.
Ron DeSantis’ Laws Against the LGBTQ+ Community
DeSantis has signed several other bills that are set to limit the rights of those in the LGBTQ+ community. One is that trans people will be barred from using public facilities that align with their gender identities.
Another is that adult performances will be restricted when in front of minors. This is regarding drag performances, which no one underage can watch.
Wanting to Move Forward
DeSantis has made it clear that now the lawsuit is over, both parties just want to move forward and not bring any more attention to the lawsuit or disagreement.
Both parties believe that the agreement can help them get along. After all, with the money and tourism that Disney brings to Florida every year, Disney and the Florida Governor getting along could work out well for both of them.
