The campaign against what Governor Ron DeSantis considers “woke” ideas in Florida has encountered significant obstacles.
The courts have resisted his efforts to change how Floridians think about and teach about race and gender identity.
Opposition to Disney
DeSantis has attempted to portray Disney as a company that sexualizes children and promotes LGBTQ+ causes in its films.
Some Republicans of the far right used this tactic to oppose the company.
“Don’t Say Gay”
However, a lot of right-leaning voters have children who enjoy Disney films like “Frozen,” “Cars,” and “Encanto,” and they also enjoy the Star Wars and Marvel franchises.
DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education Act, which opponents frequently refer to as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, was recently weakened by a court settlement.
Stop WOKE Act
Another important measure that DeSantis proposed in 2021 was stopped by a federal court.
At first, it was called the Stop WOKE Act. This was the beginning of his efforts to change how race and gender identity are taught in schools and workplaces.
Legal Difficulties
The Stop WOKE Act forbade workplace training or instruction that implied a person was privileged or oppressed due to their race, sex, or national origin.
This law, which was later renamed the Individual Freedom Act, helped DeSantis politically by rallying conservatives in Florida and ensuring his reelection in 2022. However, it encountered difficulties legally.
“Positively Dystopian”
Because it restricts people’s speech, the law was described by a federal judge as “positively dystopian.”
An appeals court ruled last year that colleges and universities could not use it.
“Plain Violation”
The same court recently ruled that it could not be enforced against businesses as well.
Shalini Goel Agarwal, an attorney for the businesses that had filed the lawsuit, stated, “The court resoundingly rejected the STOP WOKE Act as applied to employers and said it was in plain violation of the First Amendment”
Wanting to Appeal
Unhappy with the court’s decision, DeSantis is planning to appeal it. However, he could run into some complications if he does this.
Four federal judges, including two appointed by former President Donald Trump, have now blocked the law, so it’s unlikely to happen again.
DeSantis and His War on Woke
Ever since becoming the Governor of Florida, DeSantis’s main priority, and the thing he has become most known for, is his war on woke.
He has referred to himself as the defender of kids and has signed into law many anti-LGBTQ+ measures that affect schools, businesses, and healthcare.
Removing DEI From Teacher Training
As a part of his war on woke, DeSantis has placed a ban on DEI from teacher training programs, denying the existence of systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege in US institutions.
He claims that DEI is changing historical events to fictional instead of factual when being taught in schools, so he plans to reverse this by getting rid of DEI altogether.
What Are DEI Programs?
DEI programs have been in place for decades and have been used as a way to promote the fair treatment of people in underrepresented groups.
However, DeSantis has never been convinced of this. In response, he said, “They call it equity,” and told his supporters that if they hear that word being used, it is a way for supporters of DEI to put their ideological views into the curriculum.
A Ban on Math
In what some might see as a strange turn of events, DeSantis has decided to place a ban on math. He has decided to ban 40% of math textbooks.
This is because he believes that the textbooks he wants to ban contain ideological views that children shouldn’t see, which are a part of his war on woke.
Allowing Armed Teachers in Schools
DeSantis has even gone as far as to allow teachers in schools to be armed as a response to the Parkland shooting.
However, this has got many people’s backs up as not everyone in the US is in favor of guns and doesn’t think they should be allowed in schools.
DeSantis Has Banned Pride Colors
Not content with banning DEI, DeSantis has also banned pride colors by not allowing bridges in Florida to be lit up in these colors.
Instead, he is only allowing the bridges to be lit up in red, white, and blue to show a sense of patriotism instead of pride.
Banning Flags and Pronouns
It appears that anything that could be classed as wanting to make a political statement DeSantis wants to ban. This includes flags and the use of people’s preferred pronouns.
A bill to ban flags from government buildings that represent a “political viewpoint” has stopped. DeSantis has also been working to ban pronouns from being used in the workplace, an issue that hasn’t even made its way to the court yet.
DeSantis’ Failure To Run for President
In May 2023, DeSantis announced that he would run for President as part of the Republican agenda to win back the Presidency.
However, just eight months after he made this bid, he made the announcement that he was pulling out of the race. Had he succeeded, all of the anti-woke laws in Florida could have possibly been applied throughout the rest of the US.
DeSantis’ Policies Are Unpopular
One of the main reasons DeSantis had to withdraw from the US presidential race was that he realized that the policies that had initially won him the governorship in Florida didn’t work throughout the US.
This was mainly due to his reason for winning in Florida and being helped by the COVID-19 pandemic, but as voters no longer see this as a relevant reason to vote for someone, he couldn’t gain much interest.
Disney and DeSantis’ War
Disney and DeSantis have been at war for most of his time as Florida Governor. This is despite Disney contributing $1.1 billion in state and local taxes in one year.
However, DeSantis doesn’t like Disney backing LGBTQ+ rights and other social issues. As a result, Disney sued the Florida Governor for his political efforts, which they allege have hurt their business.
Disney Has Been Going through Some Changes
Businesses often have to evolve with the times to allow their customers to get the most out of their experiences. Disney is no exception and has undergone several changes.
One of these changes is to revert to its operations pre-COVID. Since 2020, Disney World has required social distancing, and its capacity has been smaller to stick to this. However, this finally changed in January 2024, when the old measures were returned to give guests a less restrictive experience.
Firm Stance
DeSantis was surprised to learn that Disney has taken a firm stand on inclusivity.
After being closed for seven months, Walt Disney World’s Country Bear Jamboree reopened on Wednesday, July 17.
Park Changes
However, as part of Disney Parks’ ongoing efforts to be inclusive, the character Liver Lips McGrowl was quietly retired.
Liver Lips, best known for their song “My Woman Ain’t Pretty (But She Don’t Swear None),” had its name changed because it was deemed “insensitive and outdated” and had negative connotations for Black and Jewish communities.
Revamped Attraction
Romeo McGrowl, a new animatronic bear with a blonde mustache, has taken the place of Liver Lips McGrowl in the revamped Country Bear Musical Jamboree alongside previously featured characters.
This change is part of a larger trend at Disney Parks to fix attractions with outdated or offensive features.
Response to DeSantis
Similar modifications have been made by Disney to other attractions like Splash Mountain and the Jungle Cruise, removing stereotypes and offensive portrayals.
These changes are a response to DeSantis’ anti-woke crusade and Disney’s efforts to embrace modern sensibilities while maintaining the charm of its classic attractions.
Disney “Goes Woke”
The conflict that exists between political agendas and business practices is brought to light by Governor DeSantis’ culture war against “woke” ideas.
Even though he wanted to attack diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, many Republicans think that business owners should be able to run their companies however they see fit.
Disney, despite DeSantis’ efforts, continues to “go woke” as a result of this ongoing feud, which demonstrates the complicated landscape of contemporary politics and its impact on businesses and cultural institutions.
