Disney blatantly lies about Florida bill protecting parents' rights — and the backlash is swift

After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law the Parental Rights in Education bill, Walt Disney Co. spread blatantly false claims about the legislation and vowed to fight for its repeal.

Democrats, progressive activists, and the media have falsely labeled the law as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. While mainly reinforcing parental rights, the bill prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3. The statute neither uses the word "gay," nor does it prevent anyone from saying the word.

What did Disney say?

The company released a statement Monday afternoon recycling the blatant lie about the bill and vowed to fight against 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," the statement began.

"Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that," the statement added. "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 was abruptly condemned on social media, both for repeating false claims about the law and for opposing a law meant to protect children.

• "Isn’t Disney supposed to be a family friendly company? Why do they want to teach K-3 grade children about sex and gender theory and hide it from parents?" Christina Pushaw, spokeswoman for DeSantis, responded.
• "Your goal as a company should be to preserve the innocence of children, not fight against it on behalf of a small, radical group of employees who need the validation of having their choices validated by kindergarteners," Ben Shapiro responded. "It's honestly incredible how a couple hundred pissed off employees can take hostage a company with 200,000 employees and hundreds of millions of consumers. Incredible and unconscionable. Cowards."
• "1) Is Disney opposed to the part that bars sexual/gender identity instruction for K-3 students? Or another part of the bill? 2) Has Disney put out a statement this forceful on the genocide in China, where they eagerly do business? Trying to pinpoint their ‘corporate values,'" Fox News radio host Guy Benson said.
• "The bill is about Parental Rights in Education (literally the name) so again, why is a theme park of quasi-furries hell bent on teaching 4-8 year-olds about getting it on without parental consent? Is that the new 'family-friendly' Disney?" conservative radio host Dana Loesch said.
• "What sort of creepy company is this invested in *4 to 7 year olds* being exposed to issues incl sexual orientation & transgenderism in kindergarten to grade 3," writer Rita Panahi questioned.
• "You mispelled Parents Rights In Education bill," another person noted.
• "Kinda weird y’all want kindergartners to receive sex-ed," one person observed.
• "There is no such thing as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. It’s 1557 and refers to Parental Rights in Education," another person explained.
• "I support the Florida anti-grooming bill. 3rd grade children shouldn’t be talking about sex. Businesses who think 3rd grade children should be talking about sex shouldn’t be getting our business," one person blasted.

Disney's decision to cater to the woke mob puts them at odds with multiple polls showing that a majority of Americans support the Florida bill. Even a majority of Democratic primary voters from the Sunshine State support the bill.