Ron DeSantis Mocked ‘Woke’ Disney For Opposing His Controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Proposal

Ron DeSantis doesn’t want you being woke in his state. The Florida governor does, however, want to push through a controversial bill that would prohibit teachers in the Sunshine State from discussing either sexual orientation or gender identity at any time between kindergarten and third grade.

Understandably, the proposal—which has been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill—has been met with swift backlash, not just from Florida residents, but all around the world, including at the Happiest Place on Earth, Walt Disney World, which wields considerable political power. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Disney has a $75.2 billion economic impact on Central Florida each year, represents about 463,000 members of the state’s job force, and puts an additional $5.8 billion into the state tax revenue’s coffers. In other words: You don’t want to piss off Mickey.

Yet, as The Wrap reports, DeSantis is tempting fate—not to mention his chances at re-election—by taunting Disney executives, who have openly stated that they disapprove of the bill. As Dessi Gomez writes for The Wrap:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed the Walt Disney Company as “woke” at a Thursday rally in Boca Raton, after Disney expressed disapproval of the Parental Rights in Education bill during the company’s shareholders meeting on Wednesday…

DeSantis’ swipe against Disney comes just a day after Disney CEO <a href=”https://uproxx.com/viral/disney-responds-florida-dont-say-gay-bill/” target=”_blank”>Bob Chapek</a> said that he will be meeting with the Florida Gov. in order to discuss the bill, which prohibits Florida school faculty from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten to third grade. The bill passed the state Senate Tuesday after passing the House last month. DeSantis’ spokesperson, Christina Pushaw, confirmed on Wednesday that the two spoke but said “The governor’s position has not changed.”

DeSantis, however, seems more intent on keeping issues related to LGBTQ+ kids—or students with LGBTQ+ parents—out of his schools than maintaining the state’s financial health.

“The chance that I am going to back down from my commitment to students and back down from my commitment to parents’ rights simply because of fraudulent media narratives or pressure from woke corporations—the chances of that are zero,” DeSantis said.

(Via The Wrap)