Disney Donates to Sponsors of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
Disney has donated money to every sponsor of the new “Don’t Say Gay” bill, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The bill, called the Parental Rights in Education bill, prohibits “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in the state’s primary schools.
And now the “Don’t Say Gay” bill is headed to moves to Florida’s Senate floor for a vote after the state Senate Appropriations Committee advanced the bill by a vote of 12 to 8. Last week the House passed the bill in a 69 to 47 vote. Gov. DeSantis (R) has signaled his support for the bill but has not said whether he would sign it if it reached his desk.
And now Disney is in the hot seat for donating money to every sponsor and co-sponsor of the controversial bill. However, Disney has always seemed to be pro-LGBTQ, selling rainbow merchandise every year during Gay Day and adding “inclusion” as the fifth key of their Cast Members’ approach to service.
The Senate sponsor, Ocala Republican Dennis Baxley, has backed anti-gay legislation for years – including laws to prevent couples from adopting kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a family at all. Baxley once compared kids who live with same-sex parents to kids raised by alcoholics and abusers and later said, “I’m not phobic, but I simply can’t affirm homosexuality.”
After that statement, Disney proceeded to cut at least three campaign checks for Baxley. Other companies that tout inclusivity – Comcast, Anheuser-Busch, Publix, and Duke Energy – also funneled big bucks to politicians backing the bill.
Orlando Democrat State Rep. Anna Eskamani said the companies’ priorities are clear, “The business lobby seems more focused on securing tax breaks … than living up to their so-called corporate values of inclusivity.”
Source: The Orlando Sentinel
