(TheRedWire.com) – The tension between Florida’s legislature and The Walt Disney Company grew following an education bill that liberal activists dubbed the “Don’t say gay bill.” At the time, then-CEO of Disney, Bob Chapek called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to complain about the “pressure” that the bill had caused him to face.
In his new memoir “The Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for American Revival,” set to be released Tuesday by publisher HarperCollins, DeSantis shared about the call with Chapek following the increased tension this past spring over the educational law.
DeSantis writes as the tension was rising, Chapek called DeSantis to tell him that he did not want Disney involved in this, but that he was receiving a lot of pressure to speak up against the bill. Chapek pointed out that pressure was nothing new, but that “this time is different. I haven’t seen anything like this before.”
Chapek shared with shareholders that he had called DeSantis on March 9 and had pushed for him not to sign the bill that would block any teaching on gender and sexuality to children below third grade. The bill has widely been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill despite those words not being mentioned in the legislation.
Chapek had reportedly claimed that he has informed DeSantis about their concerns regarding this bill and how it could be used to target and discriminate against “gay, lesbian, non-binary, and transgender kids and families.”
A report from the New York Post however disclosed how Chapek had been hesitant to involve Disney in the political issues in Florida. However, as Florida is the home of Disney World there was a large push for Disney to make a statement against the law.
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