Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has not met with Disney CEO Bob Chapek to discuss the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, despite a premature announcement by Chapek that the two would meet. A report from Bloomberg states that the two haven’t met because DeSantis only agreed to meet “if they keep the discussion to facts about what’s actually in the legislation – not false partisan narratives”.
Yesterday, DeSantis signed the controversial bill and Disney issued a strong response, in part saying that the bill “never should have passed and never should have been signed into law”.
Now, DeSantis continues to face off with Florida’s largest employer by saying “This state is governed by the interests of the people of the state of Florida. It is not based on the demands of California corporate executives. They do not run this state. They do not control this state.”
The statement attacks Disney executives who will actually be moving to Central Florida as Disney relocates its Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products division to Lake Nona. The relocation, which Disney appears to be moving forward with, will put those “California corporate executives” into the Florida voting booths in the coming years.
DeSantis continued his criticism of Disney by saying “If this was such an affront, why weren’t they speaking up at the outset?” – an opinion perhaps shared by a considerable amount of Disney employees, but for different reasons than DeSantis.
Disney employees created WhereIsChapek.com in an effort to create change within The Walt Disney Company, and prompt more action in support of LGBTQIA+ communities. Chapek’s initial reaction was to stay politically neutral and not denounce the bill. In an email published by BlogMickey.com, Chapek cited said that public statements by companies could be “counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change”. Of course, Chapek would eventually change tune and issue an apology in a subsequent email, also published by BlogMickey.com.
Now, Disney and DeSantis find themselves at odds during a critical moment in the Disney Parks’ history as Disney moves an entire division across the country, and across the proverbial aisle.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!