The Florida Legislature moved Thursday to advance a bill that strips the Walt Disney Company of its ‘self-governing powers’ status that would impact Disney World and other properties in the Sunshine State.
Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the legislation by the weekend.
NOW – Florida House votes in favor to strip Disney's self-government. pic.twitter.com/gq9S0po83K
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) April 21, 2022
“What I would say as a matter of first principle is I don’t support special privileges in law just because a company is powerful and they’ve been able to wield a lot of power,” DeSantis said during a press conference last month.”I think what has happened is there’s a lot of these special privileges that are not justifiable, but because Disney had held so much sway, they were able to sustain a lot of special treatment over the years.”
“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,” Disney said. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. 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.”