Florida: Disney defies Ron DeSantis with plans for largest LGBTQ conference as "bloodbath" of lay-offs come

Hotair ^ | 03/23/2023 | Karen Townsend

[SeekAndFind]

Is the House of Mouse in a full-on war with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis? If not, the organization is at the very least jabbing a finger in the governor’s eye. The Walt Disney Company will host a major summit to promote LGBTQ rights in the workplace. It will be held in Central Florida in September. Executives and professionals from the world’s largest companies will gather “in a defiant display of the limits of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign against diversity training.”

The relationship between Disney and DeSantis has been tense for more than a year. Disney went super-woke and that included weighing in with political opinions. DeSantis signed a law into effect that ended autonomy at the Disney resort. Disney claimed it was punishment for its opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education legislation. It was widely known as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” thanks to the media and Democrats working together to describe it as such, though the word ‘gay’ does not appear in the bill. It stops discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms for students in lower grades than fourth grade. Children as young as kindergarteners are being protected from educators with aggressive political agendas. Gender politics has no place in the classroom with young children.

Out & Equal is the organization behind the event with Disney. Disney has an established relationship with Out & Equal. They will also host the same summit next year – two years in a row at Disney World in Florida. Last year it was held in Las Vegas. Next year’s summit will coincide with the presidential election campaign in 2024. That isn’t a coincidence as DeSantis is expected to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. Progressives really, really don’t want Joe Biden to run against Ron DeSantis. They want to have another Biden versus Trump election.

Dozens of iconic American companies — including Apple, McDonald’s, Uber, Walmart, Hilton, Amazon, Boeing, Cracker Barrel and John Deere — are sponsoring the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, which over 5,000 people are expected to attend. Several agencies, including the State Department and the CIA, are listed as government partners and will have booths at the conference.

The conference comes after DeSantis declared victory over Disney in February when he signed a law that gave him the power to appoint a five-member board overseeing government services at the Disney district near Orlando.

The subsequent legislation left most of Disney’s special powers in place despite the governor’s attempt to dissolve the district. The conservative members the governor appointed to the board hinted at the first meeting of the new board that they would exercise leverage over Disney, such as prohibiting COVID-19 restrictions at Disney World. But legal experts have said that the new board’s authority has no control over Disney content.

Hosting the conference is another demonstration of the limits on the Republican governor’s ability to influence the content and scope of events at Disney.

So, yes, it’s a jab in the eye of the governor.

Going woke for companies, like when Disney decided to get politically active, has consequences. Disney revenues dropped during the company’s kerfuffle with DeSantis. Families canceled memberships. Now there are reports of major layoffs coming, and the word “bloodbath” is being used. Yikes! Cuts are coming to all divisions , including the theme parks. Stock prices still have not risen much despite the streamlining coming.

With Disney’s April 3 shareholder meeting — a virtual affair this year — less than two weeks away, some clarity is emerging about the company’s plans to reduce staff and cut costs.

Insiders tell Deadline that multiple rounds of cuts are being prepared. The first one is being targeted for late March, likely next week, we hear. (March 30 or March 31 have been floated as possible dates, but that has not been confirmed.) According to sources, there will be a big wave in late April, described as “the big one” or a “bloodbath,” when a large portion of the cuts is expected to come.

The cuts are expected to be spread across the company’s three divisions — Entertainment; ESPN; and Parks, Experiences and Products — with marketing and distribution including at the disbanded Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution unit among the business areas ripe for consolidation. Virtually every part of the sprawling Entertainment division is expected to be impacted in a meaningful way. There have been rumors about potential significant cuts at Hulu as well as sister studios ABC Signature and 20th Television both on the business and content side. Despite rampant speculation about the two major TV studios potentially merging operations in some form, that still does not appear to be imminent.

Investors initially cheered Iger’s revelation about streamlining, boosting shares, but the stock has fallen back in recent weeks. It closed Tuesday at $96.54 and has risen about 2% in 2023 to date. Even so, shares now are not much higher than where they crash-landed in March 2020. That was just after Iger passed the CEO baton to Bob Chapek and Covid was beginning to lay siege to almost all of Disney’s operations.

DeSantis didn’t go after the LGBTQ community specifically in a discriminatory way. What he did do was work with the Florida Legislature to put in place legislation that protects school children from an age-inappropriate LGBTQ agenda. Parents responded favorably to that assistance. Progressives and politically active companies decided to misrepresent the legislation and use that as an excuse for their activism when they began to get pushback.

It’s doubtful that the Summit will have any effect on the governor or his primary campaign. Disney and its sponsor can make a big deal of themselves but it won’t change anything. Voters re-elected DeSantis in a landslide. DeSantis turned Florida into a ruby-red state. The legislation is law. DeSantis will run for the Republican nomination. Nothing changes, except Disney may lose some more business. That’s on them, not the governor.

[Bernard]

I'm going to take a wild guess that the I stands for incel (involuntary celibate) and the A stands for autonomous (solo practitioner).

Those two groups would most likely account for the bulk of the membership in the overall movement. But only if stereotypes are true.

[sit-rep]

Well dayum!! That just sent a ripple across my serene dreams of moving there one day!! Lol...

I kiteboard near St Pete 2 or 3 times a year and do find the mid day traffic irritating, most of the time however I'm already at the beach or out fishing on my boat I trailer down as well.

I understand what your saying, but I would still rather be there than have to live with the infestation of my suburb neighborhood with the urban populace of Detroit!! Just sayin...

[Tom Tetroxide]

I encourage Disney to push the level of their woke agenda to maximum in order to effectively go broke quicker.

[moviefan8]

Is Rush pro Homo for having Eltob John play at his wedding?

[Bob434]

Wow! I hope it continues to plummet, and folks panic and sell the stock and get out. Walt Disney didn’t deserve what the wokesters of today have done to his empire

[Bob434]

I hope it’s sooner, much sooner really- just so the kids are protected from the perverts that work there.

[Bob434]

Yep. Years ago when Ford and j c Penney tried to go woke, people all over the nation worked in unison boycotting both companies, and it almost made them go bankrupt. Ford sales dropped off dramatically, and soon enough both companies came groveling back to the public with a lame apology. J.c Penney never did fully recover. And the folks,that boycotted them weren’t even only christians- people all over regardless of religious beleifs or non beleif boycotted because it was the right thing to do to keep evil from prevailing

These days however, not enough people care about morality to effectively hurt companies that pull their woke nonsense. If We had a teaparty-like organization with a powerful and dynamic enough leader, who was great at organizing and inciting boycotts, it could,have a dramatic effect, and the “Holy Restrainer” (ie the church) could real,y be a powerful force that stands up to evil and has a fighting chance of winning. But again, not enough people seem to care anymore.

[Bob434]

Lol- a few more “shows .of force” by Disney and they will be flat out broke lol

[Joe Brower]

"Hosting the conference is another demonstration of the limits on the Republican governor’s ability to influence the content and scope of events at Disney."

Well, as I see it, they are fully in their rights to commit suicide. Which they are.

But this does epitomize the mindset (for lack of a better term) so typical of the left -- any law, any judical ruling they don't agree with, they just summarily ignore, wholly confident in getting away with it, with enough of the "American People" sympathize with them, and knowing full-well that many politicians, bureaucrats and other assorted apparatchiks will look the other way, and the leftmedia will carry every drop of their stained water.

Of course, when laws DO agree with their agendas, then they hammer on the law at every opportunity. But when not, just flagrantly disobey. Look at NY's and NJ's actions after last year's New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen SCOTUS decision.

Playing fields don't get more uneven than this.

Florida Freeper

I'm compiling a list of FReepers interested in Florida-related topics.
If you want to be added, please FReepMail me.

[Bull Man]

Sure what the hell…we love it when you spend your money in FL. We will even put little chocolates on your pillow every night. Don’t forget to tip as you leave!

[1Old Pro]

Several agencies, including the State Department and the CIA, are listed as government partners and will have booths at the conference.

Of course, I'll bet Milley will be the keynote speaker.

[Dick Vomer]

Anyone that takes their kids to a Disney park, watches a streaming Disney product or buys cruises, hotel accomadations or any toys/shirts/shoes from Disney is supporting the grooming of children to become sexual objects for the LGBTQ perverts.

[CodeToad]

I hope DeSantis sends in some law enforcement observers.

[yetidog]

Can’t wait to see all the pictures of the huge protest informing corporate participants of national boycotts and other economic actions against their companies and products.

I won’t hold my breath, tho.....

[ridesthemiles]

JOHN DEERE??

REALLY????

[oldtech]

Disney could probably have avoided all this & maybe could still turn it around somewhat if they wished to. Too bad they can’t understand what it is that the public wants ..and doesn’t want. It’s rather like having GM decide to start building only 2 passenger sports cars....or electrics. Expect to lose customers; possibly lots of them. No reason for them to expect any uneven tax breaks either.

[SharpRightTurn]

I can’t imagine taking a kid to Disney World these days. The perversion they are promoting is sick.

[BatGuano]

I refer to those perverts as. “Out but still ABOMINABLE!”

“Out and equal?.”
I consider them to be out and ABOMINABLE!”
They should be imprisoned, removed from any contact with normal people.

[Kalamata]

>>No reason for them to expect any uneven tax breaks either.

According to this article, DeSantis restored Disney’s special tax breaks:

https://bigleaguepolitics.com/fraud-florida-governor-ron-desantis-folds-to-woke-disney-pushes-bill-to-quietly-restore-special-tax-breaks/

Mr. Kalamata

[fwdude]

...pretty soon disney won’t be anything more than a starving retreat for homosexuals and the few who support them...

It pretty much is now, at least during one week of the year.

I've heard accounts from Disney employees who reported utter filth and debauchery during "gay days" at their parks. The sodomites would jeer at normal families and display leud conduct in an obvious effort to provoke. They'd use the park for a massive orgy in barely out-of-the-way locations to hook up with anonymous partners, leaving used condoms and lube tubes strewn over the grounds. Thoroughly disgusting.