ICYMI

Disney pulls out of Brightline expansion deal, a local R. Kelly victim praises the singer’s long-overdue prison sentence, OCPS names a new superintendent and other news you may have missed.

» Orlando-area victim of R. Kelly celebrates his prison sentence on social media

Azriel Clary celebrated the sentencing of disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly on Twitter last Wednesday. “A piece of me was happy because I felt like this person no longer has control over me, you know?” Clary said of her ability to finally speak out against Kelly. “You don’t tell me what to do and what to wear and where to go and how long to be in a room anymore.” At times, that freedom was hard-won. One of Kelly’s former associates set a fire outside Clary’s Polk County home in 2019. Michael Williams, who was related to Kelly’s ex-publicist, confessed to burning a car in the driveway of Clary’s home in 2020.

The 55-year-old Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for crimes of racketeering and sex trafficking. “You were a person who had great advantages — worldwide fame and celebrity and untold money,” U.S. District Court Judge Ann Donnelly said before handing down the sentence. “You took advantage of their hopes and dreams, holding teenagers in your house trapped. You were at the top of your organization and you raped and beat them, separated them from their families and forced them to do unspeakable things.”

After the news broke, Clary celebrated by posting “The devil don’t play fair, but God do!” Clary was one of the many women that Kelly pulled into his decades-long operation of sexual abuse and manipulation. At the time of the bombshell documentary Surviving R. Kelly, Clary was living with Kelly and defended the singer from mounting accusations. She eventually realized that she was being manipulated by the singer. She testified at trial about the abuse she and other women suffered from Kelly, sharing in interviews afterward that she was coached by the singer to respond to the media.

» ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law is not forcing Orange County teachers to remove photos of same-sex partners

A viral meme is misrepresenting the effects of Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, focusing in on some particularly nasty dictates that are allegedly happening in Orange County. The law, which went into effect last Friday, bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender ideology before fourth grade and allows school districts to ban such lessons in further school years. But a meme circulating on Instagram grossly exaggerates the provisions of an already fairly terrible law. The image says that LGBTQ teachers are being forced to remove photos of their spouses from the classroom and not speak of them. It adds that rainbow-patterned clothing has been banned from OCPS and that teachers must out students to their parents if they come to them and tell them they are queer.

None of this is true. The meme appears to have spawned from a series of school board meetings and teachers’ union clarifications to members in Orange County. While the Orange County CTA did warn its members to be cautious around the subject for fear of litigation (the job of a union is to protect its members, after all), an outright ban is not in effect. “All teachers are encouraged to keep pictures of their families in the classroom; however, in K-3, it was cautioned against specific discussions in the event those discussions could be deemed classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity,” the CTA shared. Even the state admits that there is no ban of photos in effect, in their recent motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed against them by Equality Florida.

“There is no merit, for example, to the suggestion that the statute restricts gay and transgender teachers from ‘put[ting] a family photo on their desk’ or “refer[ring] to themselves and their spouse (and their own children),” they wrote. “Those actions are not ‘instruction,’ which is “the action, practice, or profession of teaching.” And while a Florida legislator did try and add language to the “Don’t Say Gay” law that would force teachers to out students, that is not in the passed legislation.

» Winter Park woman sues police department after being shot in her home

Disney announced that Splash Mountain will be turned into a Princess & The Frog-themed ride called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure by 2024. While the shift in focus from its long-running Song of the South-inspired Br’er Rabbit theme has been known for some time, details about the new ride have been scarce. That changed last week with an announcement that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will replace Splash Mountain at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Disney VP Carmen Smith said they took time to get the representation of New Orleans and South Louisiana right for the ride. “From exploring the French Market and the bayou, to consulting with academics, chefs, musicians and cultural institutions, Imagineers have received inspiration from all over the region and learned from local experts along the way,” Smith said. The story at the heart of Princess & The Frog is based on real-life New Orleans icon Leah Chase. The chef converted a stand owned by her husband’s family into a sit-down restaurant called Dooky Chase’s that has been a staple of New Orleans dining for well over half a century. Chase passed away in 2019 at the age of 96.

The new ride turns the page on a chapter of their history Disney would just as soon forget. Song of the South has featured prominently in Disney’s history thanks to its iconic song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” but the film depicts Lost Cause imagery of a pre-Civil War South, pushing the false idea that slaves were happy to live on plantations. (It’s a motif carried over in the state song of Florida, though the lyrics were revised in 2008 to remove offending passages.) Disney stopped releasing the movie for home video decades ago and has refused to add it to their streaming platform Disney+.

» Disney pulls out of Sunrail/Brightline expansion following route change

The Walt Disney Company has pulled out of its plans to facilitate the extension of a Sunrail/Brightline train line from Orlando International Airport to Tampa. Disney joined in the ambitious rail project at a time that the route plan included a possible stop at Disney Springs, with the rail line crossing Walt Disney World Resort property. That Disney Springs stop and routing has been removed from the most recent plans for the project.

“As many people who are involved in this project are aware, the new route configuration does not support a Disney Springs station and as a result, we don’t anticipate being part of this project,” shared Disney spokesperson Avery Maehrer. The new plan routes the train through the tourist corridor along International Drive, bypassing the resort.

» Orange County Public Schools names Dr. Maria Vazquez as new superintendent

Orange County Public Schools last Tuesday announced their next superintendent, Dr. Maria Vazquez. Currently the deputy superintendent of OCPS, Vazquez was unanimously voted in by the Board after an extensive candidate search. Vazquez will succeed outgoing superintendent Dr. Barbara Jenkins, who is retiring in December after 10 years as superintendent.

“During her tenure at OCPS, Dr. Vazquez has developed a proven track record of leadership for educational equity,” the board wrote in a statement announcing Vazquez’s selection. “She has expanded access to advanced coursework for historically underserved students, recruited great teachers to the most vulnerable schools, and reprioritized the district’s budget to support teaching and learning.”

Vazquez has more than 20 years of experience in public education in the district, serving over the years as an elementary school teacher, vice principal, principal and chief academic officer. She has served as the deputy superintendent of OCPS since 2018. Orange County Public Schools is the ninth-largest school district in the U.S., with more than 200,000 students. Vazquez will be the school district’s first Hispanic superintendent.

‘HEY, IT’S JUST KETCHUP’ BY CLAY JONES