WASHINGTON (LifeSiteNews) — Amid the ongoing dispute between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the notoriously pro-LGBT company Disney, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has thrown some criticism towards the Republican governor’s for
In February, the governor enacted a law that removed the company’s special self-governing status, ensuring that “Disney is no longer given preferential treatment” and that the corporation’s “municipal debt will be paid by Disney, not Florida taxpayers.”
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Last week, the entertainment giant filed a lawsuit against DeSantis and the state of Florida for allegedly punishing the company for its opposition to pro-family and anti-grooming legislation.
Presuming that the removal of its self-governing status was made as a direct result of Disney’s condemnation of the state’s Parental Rights in Education law passed last year—which prohibits the discussion of gender and sexuality ideology from kindergarten through third grade in schools—the left-wing company sued state leadership. While the current law restricts these topics from being taught in older grades, the Florida education department recently approved additional guidance to prohibit such content in all grade levels.
During an interview with CNBC last week, McCarthy criticized DeSantis’ handling of the situation, wondering, “Why wouldn’t you sit down and negotiate and talk?”
“If there’s [sic] differences, you can always find ways that you can solve this problem. If you think the only action is to go to court, I believe that’s wrong,” he said. “This [Disney] is a big employer inside Florida. I think the governor should sit down with them. I don’t think the idea of building a prison next to a place that you bring your families is the best idea. I think it would be much better if you sat down and solved the problem.”
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However, McCarthy continued his thoughts on the lawsuit, turning his criticism to Disney as well. He added that “if you’re going to be a large employer inside this state, you should also abide by the rules and run your business. [I] don’t think you should get into politics.”
“If you’re elected to run a business, that’s what your shareholders want you to do,” he concluded, returning to his message that both parties should “sit down and find your differences and solve them.”
McCarthy’s comments come days after Nikki Haley sided with Disney in the dispute. As previously reported by LifeSiteNews, the 2024 presidential candidate and former governor of South Carolina told the company that “my home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida.” She also said South Carolina is “not woke” while simultaneously inviting a pro-LGBT organization to the state.
In recent years, Disney has noticeably caved to the LGBT agenda. Despite major box office flops and stock plummets, the corporation has infused themes of gender ideology and homosexuality into its films. The business has also hired drag queens for its content, endorsed Democrats’ radical same sex “marriage” bill, the “Respect for Marriage Act,” and produced a TV series that explicitly promotes Satanism.