Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek allegedly told Ron DeSantis he was feeling “pressure” from the left to weigh in on the Governor’s new education bill restricting gender identity teachings, as DeSantis has claimed.
An excerpt from DeSantis’s new memoir, “The Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for American Revival,” describes his discussion with Chapek in early 2022, when problems with Florida’s education legislation first arose.
For example, “As the controversy over the Parental Rights in Education bill was coming to a head, Chapek called me,” which is the opening line of a chapter that was provided to Fox News Digital. Even though he tried to avoid having Disney take a stand on the measure, he was under intense pressure to do so.
DeSantis quotes Chapek as saying, “We get pressured all the time” in the governor’s memoir. However, things are different now. Nothing like this has ever been seen before.
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner reached out to Florida’s governor on March 9 to discourage him from signing the state’s education law, which has been incorrectly labeled the “Don’t say gay” bill.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, Chapek claimed he voiced his “concern” that the law “could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary, and transgender kids and families” if it were to pass.
Despite his early reluctance to involve Disney, Chapek claimed he was pressured to speak out while still employed there, both from within Disney and from the Democrats.
DeSantis, however, cautioned that Disney would have been foolish to ignore the two days of protest that would follow the bill’s passage in Florida.
After feeling “leftist media and activist pressure,” he claimed Chapek and Disney “ultimately caved to the false narrative and pressed the false narrative against the bill.”
The measure, officially titled the “Parental Rights in Education Act,” forbids “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity” for students in grades K–3.
This law prohibits elementary school educators from “encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The bill, which was approved by the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives on February 24 and the state Senate on March 8, will take affect on July 1 and mandate that all school districts in the state update their plans by June 2023.
Disney was said to be enforcing ideas that were criticized by conservatives, such as gender and sexuality themes in films and television shows.
The leaked chapter includes a statement by DeSantis that while Disney had the right to participate in righteous activism, Florida had no business idolizing the company for doing so.
He insisted that this was the case “when the company’s activism impacted the rights of parents and the well-being of children.”
The Florida governor also expressed his surprise at reading about left-wing advocates supporting this megacorporation.
DeSantis’s radical plan to replace Disney World’s self-governing authority with a state-run board will be debated and voted on by Florida legislators next week.
The session will concentrate on whether or not to undo the prior decision to dissolve the district and Disney’s unique governing privileges, which it has held for the past 55 years.
Disney has been in charge of the community of Reedy Creek since 1967. Some people think the business is getting special treatment from the law and the tax man because of this arrangement.
So, it’s argued, if a state-run commission is put in place, Disney will be compelled to pay off the debt.
After Chapek’s criticism of Florida’s Rights in Education Law, DeSantis began his campaign to undermine Disney’s autonomy.
While on the first stop of his ‘Law and Order’ trip, which he began last week, DeSantis met with local law enforcement officers in Staten Island for breakfast.
The governor of Florida has been touring the northeast, fueling rumors that he is considering a run for president in 2024.
The President’s Day visit came as past president Donald Trump keeps attacking DeSantis, who is rapidly becoming the frontrunner in the race to unseat Trump in the primary.
However, DeSantis has been relatively quiet about his presidential aspirations as of late, stating at a press conference earlier this month, “wouldn’t you like to know?” the question of whether he would run himself after former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley declared her candidacy was posed to him by a reporter.
Two prominent Republicans, Trump and his former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, have so far declared their candidacies for the 2024 presidency.
Former VP Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan are just a few of the dozens who are seriously contemplating or rumored to be considering a run.
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