Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new book — a possible prelude to a 2024 presidential bid — includes a chapter highlighting his efforts over the past year to pass a parental rights bill that would have opposed the “say no to gay” law. has, amid opposition from The Walt Disney Co.
Fox News Digital obtained the chapter of the book – titled Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Resurgence, which will be released Tuesday — and reported on the DeSantis account. The governor wrote that then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek called him and told him about the pressure he was under to speak out against the legislation as controversy raged over the proposed legislation.
“When the controversy surrounding the Education Act came to a head, Chapek called me. He didn’t want Disney to get involved, but he was put under a lot of pressure to break the law,” DeSantis wrote.
According to the book, Chapek told the governor: “We are under pressure all the time. But this time it is different. I have never seen anything like this.”
When the bill made its way through the state legislature last March, many Disney employees were upset that the company did not oppose it. Chapek finally turned around and did, revealing that he had spoken to DeSantis. Chapek told shareholders he was calling “to express our disappointment and concern that the legislation could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender children and families.”
DeSantis said he warned Chapek over the phone that if the company got involved, “people like me are going to be like, ‘Gosh, why didn’t Disney ever say anything about China, where they’re making a fortune?’ He said he said. Chapek that although the company would get “48 hours of exclamation” if the law was passed and he then put it into effect, the excitement would subside.
After DeSantis signed the law into law, Disney sent a statement saying, “Our goal as a company is to have this law repealed by the Legislature or overturned by the courts, and we remain committed to federal and support state laws.” “Organizations working on it.”
In his book, DeSantis said Chapek “lobbied” for the “leftist media” and pressure from activists, and accused Disney of escalating the situation by vowing to fight in court. At this point, DeSantis pushed for legislation to eliminate a special district that would have allowed Disney to control land use and other infrastructure decisions at its Florida theme parks. On Monday, DeSantis signed legislation that preserves the district but puts it under state control and gives the governor the power to appoint members of the board.
Supporters of the Parental Rights Act complained that the text did not mention the word “gay”. The law addresses sexual orientation, and opponents say it’s an attempt to target the LGBTQ community to raise DeSantis’ national profile. The law states that “teaching by school personnel or third parties about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through grade 3 is
In the wake of the controversy, Geoff Morrell, Disney’s chief corporate affairs officer, resigned. The company’s board renewed Chapek’s contract in June, but then replaced him with former CEO Bob Iger in November.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
