A judge on Wednesday dismissed a Disney lawsuit against Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis claiming he used his authority to punish the firm over its exercise of free speech.
Read MoreJudge Dismisses Disney Suit Against Ron DeSantis, Oversight Board
Tag: “Don’t Say Gay”
Florida’s Upcoming Legislative Session to Include Long List of GOP-Backed Bills
Florida’s legislative session will reconvene on Tuesday, and several GOP-backed bills are set to make their way to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk ahead of a possible 2024 campaign launch, according to Politico.
The Republican supermajority legislature will propose various conservative bills over the next two months, including legislation relating largely to education, along with other gun rights, immigration and death penalty proposals, Politico reported. These GOP-led efforts come before a likely presidential announcement by the governor to give him more legislative successes to campaign on, according to Politico.
Read MoreDeSantis Signs Bill Ending Disney’s Special Self-Governing Status
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill ending the Walt Disney Company’s special self-governing status.
“Allowing a corporation to control its own government is bad policy, especially when the corporation makes decisions that impact an entire region,” DeSantis said in an announcement about the new law, which came largely in response to Disney’s advocacy against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, called the “Don’t say gay bill” by critics.
Read MoreFederal Judge Tosses Challenge to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a challenge to a Florida law that restricts the discussion of sexuality and gender identity with younger students, and that critics have maligned as an anti-LGBT “Don’t Say Gay” law.
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor determined that the group of Florida students, parents and teachers who brought the challenge failed to prove that they had standing to bring the case to the federal bench.
Read More‘They’re Not Gatekeepers Anymore’: DeSantis Spokeswoman Pushaw Puts Media on the Defense
Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been putting Democrats and the corporate press on defense by refusing to play along with what she says are partisan narratives.
Pushaw has garnered national attention for her active and sometimes aggressive interactions with journalists. Her strategy may serve as a playbook for conservatives who are ready to reject the media’s framing and communicate with the public on their own terms.
Read More‘They’re Not Gatekeepers Anymore’: DeSantis Spokeswoman Pushaw Puts Media on the Defense
Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been putting Democrats and the corporate press on defense by refusing to play along with what she says are partisan narratives.
Pushaw has garnered national attention for her active and sometimes aggressive interactions with journalists. Her strategy may serve as a playbook for conservatives who are ready to reject the media’s framing and communicate with the public on their own terms.
Read MoreFlorida Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Calls DeSantis ‘Creepy’
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D), who is running for governor in 2022 in the Democrat primary, called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his fellow Florida Republicans “creepy” for opposing sexual content being taught in Florida’s public schools.
Read MoreFlorida Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Calls DeSantis ‘Creepy’
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D), who is running for governor in 2022 in the Democrat primary, called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his fellow Florida Republicans “creepy” for opposing sexual content being taught in Florida’s public schools.
Read MoreFlorida Asks Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit Filed Against Parental Rights Bill
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office filed a 60-page motion Monday arguing that U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor should dismiss a case filed by LGBTQ-advocacy groups Equality Florida and Family Equality related to the Parental Rights in Education legislation.
The law (HB 1557) prevents instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade and requires that such instruction be “age-appropriate … in accordance with state academic standards” in older grades.
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office called the provisions of the bill a “modest limitation … neutrally allowing all parents, no matter their views, to introduce those sensitive topics to their children as they see fit.”
Monday’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit raised a series of arguments, including that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing and that the state has the right to set curriculums for public schools. It also took issue with the “Don’t Say Gay” moniker.
Read MoreDeSantis Calls Out So-Called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Moniker and Migrating Californians Staining Red States Blue
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was a featured guest with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and participated in a Q&A segment. In it, DeSantis tells some of the back story behind the recently signed Parental Rights in Education bill as well as deriding Californians for their main export being ideology.
DeSantis specifically pointed out the number of California companies who are moving to states like Texas and Florida and who are bringing their employees with them.
Read MoreNYC Mayor Recruits Floridians, DeSantis Brushes Off New York
In the wake of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signing HB 1557, the Parent Rights in Education Bill, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a set of ads in Florida designed to recruit LGBT Floridians and their businesses to New York.
Adams called the Florida bill “the latest shameful, extremist culture war targeting the LGBTQ+ community.”
Read MoreDeSantis Threatens Disney’s Special Governing District
The latest escalation in the feud between Governor DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company over the Parental Rights in Education bill involves the possibility of repealing a law that gives Disney special governing privileges.
The Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) was formed in 1967 to serve the interests of Disney by a special Act of the Florida Legislature and subsequently validated by the Florida Supreme Court.
The arrangements allow Disney to shape the park environment without government oversight.
Richard Foglesong, a Rollins College professor, told the Washington Post that “It’s legal magic. The Reedy Creek government can regulate land use, provide police and fire services, license the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages, build roads, lay sewer lines, construct waste-treatment plants, carry out flood projects–even build an airport or nuclear plant, all without local or state approval.”
Read MoreFlorida Teacher Says He’s Upset He Can’t Talk to Students About LGBT Relationship Because of Anti-Grooming Law
In an MSNBC interview that went viral on the internet, a gay Florida kindergarten teacher says he is hurt after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law an anti-grooming bill.
“Personally, my kids do have questions,” said Cory Bernaert, a teacher of five-year-olds. “They want to know who my partner is in pictures outside my classroom, and I should be able to speak to that.”
Read MoreEquality Florida Leader Says Parental Rights Bill Will ‘Criminalize Your Existence’
Nadine Smith, the Executive Director of Equality Florida, told a group of Disney executives that Florida’s governor and legislative leaders are seeking to erase and criminalize the existence of gay people through the Parental Rights in Education bill.
The video obtained by a reporter documented comments made during a meeting among Disney officials and activists that was called to address the legislation recently signed by Governor DeSantis.
Referring to the bill, Smith said the actions by the governor and legislative leaders harkened back to the 1950’s and 1960’s. She told the Disney executives that “when they can criminalize your existence and demonize who you are, the next step is to criminalize you and take your kids.”
The comments by the participants in meeting voiced no concerns related to the provisions of bill addressing parental rights and the limitations of gender identity instruction to elementary school students. Instead, the discussion focused on how Disney would promote LGBTQ causes within their programing.
Smith has previously chose to characterize DeSantis as a “coward.”
Read MoreFar-Left PAC Spends Six Figures on Billboards Opposing Anti-Grooming Bill
A far-left Political Action Committee (PAC) is spending six figures on billboards that say “Say Gay,” in response to a Florida bill that bans kindergarten through third grade teachers from talking to students about sex, gender and sexuality.
“Starting Wednesday these will be going up all throughout Florida. Thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially Ron DeSantis for being a terrible person,” left-wing activist Ally Sammarco said on Twitter.
Read MorePoll: Majority of Americans Support Florida’s Anti-Grooming Bill
A major poll shows that most Americans support recent legislation passed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) that keeps teachers from peddling smut and discussing sexuality with 5-through-8-year-olds in Florida’s public schools.
DeSantis caused an uproar when he signed HB 1557 into law, with far-left activists dubbing it a “don’t say gay” law.
Read MoreFlorida’s ‘Tallahassee Democrat’ Newspaper Promoted ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Slogan Six Times More Than ‘Parental Rights in Education’
An analysis of news articles published by journalists in the Tallahassee Democrat between February 9th and March 11th show that reporters repeatedly used the term “Don’t Say Gay” slogan when writing about the Parental Rights in Education bill.
The analysis shows that the “Don’t Say Gay” term was used over 6 times more than the title of the bill, “Parental Rights in Education” in news articles.
The “Don’t Say Gay” slogan was adopted by opponents of the Parental Rights in Education bill. Supporters of the bill have argued the slogan mischaracterizes the legislation.
Read MoreFlorida Reporter Adopts ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Moniker for Parental Rights Bill
Ana Goni-Lessan, a Florida education reporter with the Gannett owned Tallahassee Democrat, has adopted the “Don’t Say Gay” moniker when referencing the Parental Rights in Education bill which is working its way through the Florida Legislature.
Read More