Dear Editor,
Disney World, in Orlando, is the largest taxpayer in the state of Florida. It employs approximately 75,000 people, with plans to expand, creating even more jobs in the next few years.
It is a happy place, whose main goal is to entertain. Last year, then-CEO Bob Capek made a comment that ruffled some feathers, concerning a Florida law dubbed, “Don’t Say Gay.” The measure bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, as well as, lessons deemed not age appropriate.
In what appears to be retaliation, Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, picked five supervisors for the governing board of Disney World, something Disney has always done itself, (for the past 55 years). If I lived in Florida, I would be very afraid.
You may ask, how does this affect us, living thousands of miles away from Florida?
The theme song of Disneyland is “It’s a Small World After All.” What happens in Florida filters across the miles, through social media, until it eventually lands on our doorstep. Mickey and Minnie represent a world that was created by Walt Disney to bring joy to people everywhere. Apparently, they are a threat to the powers that be in Florida.
Although you may pay more taxes than any other business in the state, your constitutional right to free speech can be retold (Disneyworld).
As I mentioned, what happens in Florida affects even those of us living far away from the pearly gates of Disney World.
Perhaps it’s not too late to keep the world safe for Mickey and Minnie and the happiness they represent. I sincerely hope so.
D. Ruth Jewell
Three Hills, AB
