Disney Issues Statement As Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill is Signed into Law

For the past several weeks, we’ve carefully followed the developments that have taken place related to Florida’s heavily criticized “Don’t Say Gay” Bill and the responses from the Disney Company.

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The Company issued an initial statement, CEO Bob Chapek later sent a memo on the topic, and since then we’ve seen a more formal stance from the Company, an apology from Chapek, further statements from Chapek, news about Disney walkouts related to the Bill, and more. Now, we’ve got a new development.

According to The Hill, Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, which critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, has officially been signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The law will take effect starting July 1st, 2022.

As The Wall Street Journal had previously noted, the “Florida bill prohibits instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten to third grade and in later grades if not ‘age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.’” As The Hill specifies, as a result of this (now) Law, “classroom instruction related to sexual orientation or gender identity will be restricted in the state’s primary schools. Educators of all grade levels are prohibited from engaging in instruction on those topics in a manner that is not ‘age appropriate or developmentally appropriate’ for children.”

Pride Sign

Specifically, the text of the Bill (now law) says “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

Governor DeSantis signed the Bill into law during a ceremony on March 28th, 2022 at Classical Preparatory School in Spring Hill.

In response to the signing of the Florida legislation, the Walt Disney Company issued an official statement on Twitter and on the Company’s website. In it, they share that “Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.”

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Disney goes on to say “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”

Disney ends by saying “We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.”

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You can read the statement in full below:

We’ll continue to look for more updates about this legislation and Disney’s responses to it. To see more about the Bill and other updates that had been previously shared about this topic, click the links below:

 

 

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