Pride Parade Canceled Over Fear of Florida Anti-Drag Law

McKinley Franklin editor Jenna Barbee, a fifth-grade Florida teacher, is under investigation by the Florida Department of Education after showing her class the animated Disney movie “Strange World,” which features an openly gay character. In a video posted to TikTok, Barbee said that she is being investigated for indoctrination after showing the film. “Our students had standardized testing all morning,” Barbee said in the video. “I thought it would be a great time to give them a brain break by showing a movie that related to what we were learning about in school…I chose this movie because it relates to our curriculum.” Prior to showing the film, Barbee acquired signed parent permission slips from students. She was then reported to the Florida Department of Education for indoctrination by Shannon Rodriguez, a board member of the Hernando County School District Board and parent of a student in Barbee’s class. The complaint related to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” legislation that has limited conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. 

Pensacola News Journal.Under the law, which goes into effect on July 1, any medical provider, including doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, pharmacists, mental health professionals, or lab technicians, as well as nursing home workers and hospital administrators, may refuse to provide care to patients if doing so would violate their conscience. Insurance companies also enjoy the right to deny care based on any moral, ethical, or religious objections.Health care professionals are also empowered to refuse to conduct research, update medical records, conduct testing or blood draws, or even make referrals if they believe doing so would enable a patient to make decisions or take actions that violate their provider’s personal moral, ethical, or religious beliefs.The Florida law also allows health care employers to discriminate in hiring and prevents medical boards from disciplining providers who deliberately spread misinformation about certain treatments, procedures, or diseases, such as a doctor who opposes COVID-19 vaccinations or believes that antiretrovirals are ineffective at treating HIV.While the newly signed law says patients can’t be discriminated against or denied care based on a host of personal characteristics, such as race, color, religion or national origin, it contains no such protections for sexual orientation or gender identity.According to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank that focuses on LGBTQ-related policies, prior to the Florida law’s passage, about 1 in 8 LGBTQ Americans lived in a state where they could be denied medical care and are barred from bringing lawsuits against providers who refuse treatment.

The gloves are off, when it comes to the ongoing brouhaha between Disney CEO Bob Iger and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, which has reached a crescendo with Disney suing the governor last month and the governor suing back. “This is about one thing and one thing only and that’s retaliating against us for taking a position about pending legislation. And we believe that in as taking that position, we are merely exercising our right to free speech.

“Does the state want us to invest more, employ more and pay more taxes or not?” Disney CEO Bob Iger rhetorically asked today of the on-going attacks on the Mouse House by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

William Earl Disney CEO Bob Iger criticized Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s political moves in Florida on the company’s May 10 Q2 earnings call. The business-political feud was brought up as a result of a shareholder asking about the parks in Florida while there are political battles with the governor. “Regarding Florida, I got a few things I want to say about that bill,” he said. “First of all, if the case that we filed last month, made our position and the facts very clear, and that’s really that this is about one thing and one thing only and that’s retaliating against us for taking a position about pending legislation. And we believe that in us taking that position we are merely exercising our right to free speech. Also, this is not about special privileges or a level playing field or Disney in any way using its leverage around the state of Florida.

Disney Parks & Experiences generated the bulk of parent profits and about a third of total revenue last quarter with a noteworthy swing in international from Hong Kong to Shanghai to Paris.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The war between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis does not appear to be calming down any time soon — as both sides have traded lawsuits in a struggle for control over the company’s Orlando theme parks. In the latest move, the DeSantis-backed board that oversees Disney World, EPCOT and the other parks will take up a proposal on Wednesday to establish a code enforcement system. According to a staff report, the proposal would allow code enforcement officers to impose civil penalties of up to $500 per infraction per day — the maximum allowed by state law. The board would also appoint a special magistrate who could hear appeals of citations.

The Walt Disney Co. filed an amended lawsuit against Florida governor Ron DeSantis after the state legislature moved to void a 30-year theme park development agreement.

Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday declined to answer a question about his support for mainstream human rights when a reporter asked him about Republicans embracing “extreme” anti-gay politics.“There seems to be a wave of extreme conservatism recently that is totally anti-gay, as evident in social media and even in government with people like Congresswoman [Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene],” the reporter told the Florida governor.“Can you say here today you support more mainstream human rights, like gay marriage and sexual orientation of adults? Yes or no?” the reporter asked.“So there’s a lot in that I don’t know where you’re necessarily going,” DeSantis, seemingly thrown by the reporter’s very basic question, replied. “Like, look, what we’ve done with the schools is, is say, you know, it’s inappropriate to be having these students exposed to curriculum about things like transgender ideology, it’s wrong for teachers to probe their sexuality, but that’s just saying what’s appropriate for, uh, for education and we want to focus on the basics.

Disney’s seemingly successful efforts to outfox Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ power grab to control the area around Disney World are “not even worth the paper they were printed on,” according to a countersuit filed Monday by the GOP presidential aspirant’s replacement board.

“I believe in the First Amendment, and not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it,” joked President Joe Biden tonight at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

The federal judge presiding over Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has recused himself, citing a conflict of interest.

Dwyane Wade will do everything in his hands to protect his family, and that includes moving his family out of Florida. The NBA legend spoke Rachel Nichols for her Showtime series, in which Wade revealed that restrictive laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community — including his 15-year-old transgender daughter, Zaya -- proved to be the deciding factor to leave the state.«That's another reason why I don't live in that state,» said the three-time NBA champion in Thursday's show. «A lot of people don't know that.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed The Walt Disney Co.’s lawsuit over his effort to strip the company of authority over its sprawling Walt Disney World property.

Things aren’t looking so happy for Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who was recently sued by Disney after a year-long feud regarding the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Damn.The complaint, Disney says, is a direct response to DeSantis’ most recent overture to “void” “publicly noted and duly agreed upon contracts,” which Disney outlined in a meeting of the Reedy Creek Improvement District (their name for the governing body that Disney established in 1967) that happened before DeSantis’ takeover. “Disney regrets that it has come to this,” the complaint reads.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday filed a First Amendment lawsuit against Florida Gov.

The war between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just opened up a whole new front in the courts.

< 1 min read Flying in the face of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his “Don’t Say Gay” law, Disneyland Anaheim has announced that it will host its first-ever official Pride Nite. The after-hours ticketed event follows Disney’s public opposition to DeSantis and his anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Disney said today that “affordable and attainable housing” around Walt Disney World, which it first announced a year ago, will be ready to open in 2026. “This type of land contribution is unique and is one of many ways we are making a lasting impact in Central Florida,” according to a post on the Disney Parks Blog. It comes two days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis included a lack affordable housing on his list of reasons to slam the House of Mouse.