The Walt Disney Company on Monday condemned Florida's newly enacted Parental Rights in Education law and vowed to fight it.
"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," Disney said in a statement, according to CNBC. "Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that."
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law earlier Monday. It forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
Opponents nationwide say it marginalizes LGBTQ people.
But DeSantis and other Republicans counter that its purpose is to ensure that parents rather than teachers are able to talk about such issues with younger children.
Disney initially drew fire from its own employees because of its silence on the issue. One of the company's theme parks, Walt Disney World, is located in Orlando and brought in $18.2 billion a year in economic activity and was responsible for more than one of every 50 jobs in the state, according to a company study in 2011.
It regularly contributed to politicians of both parties, normal for large businesses in a state.
But when CEO Bob Chapek didn't speak out when the bill passed the legislature earlier this year, employees were critical of him and staged a walkout. Disney announced it would stop all political contributions in Florida.
“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,” Disney said in Monday's statement.
It also has decided to include a same-sex kiss in the upcoming film "Lightyear," a spinoff of the "Toy Story" franchise, which had been edited out of the final cut. The relationship between the two female characters is clear without the kiss, but it had initially been removed.
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