Why Florida's governor wants to punish Disney

"The entertainment company is caught between the political fronts. Florida's governor calls Disney "woke" and wants to punish Disney.

Like hardly any other company, Walt Disney stands for a world in which everything is still fine. The entertainment giant tells stories that usually have a happy ending. But the harmony has been severely disturbed these days. Disney's fairytale kingdom of princesses and princes, cute animals and superheroes has become a political target. CEO Bob Chapek has been caught between the fronts because of a controversial law in Florida. First he faced heavy criticism from his own workforce, who accused him of not protesting the law loudly enough. After this moved him to take a clear position, he immediately became the enemy of conservative circles. Politicians from the Republican Party attacked him, as did commentators from the far-right Fox News channel.

These disputes have now escalated further: On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called on the state parliament to abolish a law that had previously given Disney special privileges here. It allows the company to largely regulate itself on the huge area near Orlando, where it operates the Disney World amusement park. For example, Disney can control approval procedures for construction sites and provide Disney's own public services such as fire brigades.

 The scheme also has tax privileges.

There are quite a number of such self-governing zones in Florida. For many observers, however, it is clear that the governor does not want to fundamentally fight against such privileges with his maneuver, but is specifically aimed at Disney. He said he wanted to eliminate all such zones created before 1968, and the rule for Disney has been in effect since 1967. Republican politicians promptly followed the governor's request and introduced legislation to that effect the same day.

"Don't Say Gay"

The law that sparked the Disney dispute is called the Parental Rights in Education Act, or HB 1557, and DeSantis signed it into law in March. It prohibits teachers from addressing sexual orientation or gender identity in school lessons from the first to third grades and in kindergarten. However, it is very vague and prohibits the discussion of such topics, regardless of the school class, if it is not "appropriate for the age". The law would allow parents to sue a school district if they suspect a violation of these rules.

Critics have dubbed the law "Don't Say Gay," suggesting that teachers in Florida may not even be allowed to use a word like "gay." They argue that the vague wording of the law makes many things a possible starting point for a lawsuit, for example if a lesbian teacher talks about her spouse.

In the weeks leading up to the law, many Disney employees urged management to take a stand against it. Disney is in a very influential position in Florida. The group is one of the largest private employers here and employs almost 80,000 people, the various amusement parks on the more than 100 square kilometer Disney World area are among the most visited tourist attractions in America.

Criticism from many employees

But CEO Chapek was initially reluctant to get involved in the debate. In a message to staff, he argued that commenting on such an issue could be counterproductive because it could be used to further fuel sentiment. Disney prefers to have its statements expressed in its films and television series that reflect diversity. However, Chapek's words were felt by many employees to be insufficient, and a strike even broke out. Workers were also concerned that Disney has supported DeSantis and other advocates of the law with donations for their political campaigns.

The Disney boss finally felt compelled to backtrack. In another message to his colleagues, he apologized and wrote that he had realized that it was not enough to tell stories with diversity, but that it was also important to stand up for rights openly. "You needed me as a stronger ally in the fight for equality, and I failed you. I'm sorry about that.” He also announced that he would suspend all political donations in Florida. On the day DeSantis signed the law into law, Disney said it would fight to have it repealed.

All of this may have brought peace back to the workforce, but Chapek drew the wrath of Republicans, who not only control the governorship in Florida, but also both houses of parliament. DeSantis called Disney "woke" and said the company had "lost all moral authority."

Influential Fox host Tucker Carlson accused Disney of pursuing a "sexual agenda for six-year-olds." Now, with efforts to strip Disney of its self-government privileges, the dispute is heating up even further. Randy Fine, a Republican representative in the Florida House of Representatives, tweeted, "Disney is a guest in Florida. Today we reminded them of that.”"