Mickey Mouse. Tomorrow Land. Spinning Tea Cups. Expedition Everest. All things are positive and happy in the world. But did you know Disney has been involving itself in a myriad of controversial topics? Let’s take a look at a recently closed Disney Debacle. Starting way back on April 23rd, 2023, Disney Resorts and Studios set out to create a case against Floridian Governor DeSantis over the violation of their First Amendment rights in a political ploy. So, what’s that ploy, you ask? Let me give you the rundown.
The origin
The start of this debacle began with a certain education law being passed by the governor – the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. This initiated the prohibition of any teachings related to or involving sexual orientation or gender identity in lower-level schools: certain elementary grades, in particular. Disney saw this and decided to take charge against this Law as some of their employees had taken a very public stance. With Disney, joining this fight, DeSantis seized this opportunity and expanded the Law to include all grade levels including High school. This fight had just begun.
“Woke Disney”
With this well-known corporate giant taking a stance on a topic unrelated to the entertainment industry, Fox News began to mock this corporation creating the nickname “Woke Disney” as per their history of involving themselves on every so-to-say “woke” topic by retheming their rides or shows and choosing a new narrative of increased inclusivity (i.e. the retheming of Splash Mountain which depicts the Reconstruction Era South).
Timeline
- March 8th: Legislation Passed for the limiting of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Educational Topics
- March 28th: Disney issues a statement saying that the bill should never have been passed into law
- April 19th: DeSantis takes his personal agenda to the stand and cuts long-standing special privileges with Walt Disney and his parks
- April 22nd: The ploy deepens as DeSantis strips Disney’s self-governance privileges
- December 3rd: Lawmakers attempt to restore some privileges that Disney had taken from the State
- February 6th: FL lawmakers file a new bill allowing DeSantis the power to appoint a five-member board of supervisors
- February 8th: Board makers quietly fill out contracts limiting the powers of the new municipal authority
- February 27th: DeSantis’ ploy reveals itself as he overtakes the board members in charge of Disney’s properties
- April 3rd: Disney retaliates saying that businesses have First Amendment rights
- April 26th: Disney sues DeSantis
Case Dismissal
Disney fought against DeSantis for two years and never backed down. Disney has forever had its own special government in place and DeSantis knew he wanted to put an end to it and he was finally able to put that plan into action with a “Woke Disney’s” Statement. With the lawsuit, two stances arise from the attorneys: Disney has no standing in this Lawsuit and these dealings dealt with ordinary regulatory provisions. In this manner, the Judge ultimately resolves to toss the case once and for all. Check out the official News Release Here: https://www.flgov.com/2024/01/31/florida-wins-case-against-disney-in-federal-court
But does this end the Disney and Government feud in full? Only time can tell.