Disney v DeSantis: ‘A Strange World’

enerally speaking, I don’t like to label people, but Florida Governor Rick DeSantis seems hell-bent on wanting to be called a homophobe. His “Don’t Say Gay” law, which was enacted in March, hasn’t just angered the LGBTQ community, it has also struck fear into the hearts and minds of teachers who dare not expose their students to words or images which might suggest that humans can be anything other than heterosexual. Much of Righteous Ron’s bombastic dogma of late derives from his war with the Walt Disney Company which dared to oppose his restrictive and discriminatory policies. Given the two adversaries’ battle for the moral

Gsoul of Florida and subsequent fight for who should control Disney World’s tax district, it’s not surprising that the latest controversy involves the showing of a Disney film to fifth-graders in Hernando County.

Though “Don’t Say Gay” only restricts the teaching of sexual orientation or gender identity in grades K-3, Florida collaterally restricts the use of certain books and films in all grades. Enter Jenna Barbee, a teacher at Winding Waters School in Brookville, Florida. Barbee elected to show Disney’s animated Strange World to her class because its environmental message was relevant to her lesson plan. But the film also features a bi-racial gay couple, and, as it happens, one of Barbee’s students is the daughter of school board member Shannon Rodriguez. Not surprisingly, Rodriguez called for a State investigation of Barbee’s Orwellian transgression. Fortunately, public support seems to be with Barbee, but that doesn’t change the laws and lists which continue to hamstring teachers and ban certain educational materials.

The thought occurs to me, however, that DeSantis’s war on Disney hasn’t gone far enough. If the Governor (and wouldbe President) is so concerned about protecting impressionable young minds against harmful messages, then why stop with Strange World? Why not expand his ban to include all subversive Disney films? Here, then is a list of other “dangerous” movies from Uncle Walt’s studio:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) — Two problems here. First, it’s not appropriate for kids to know that Snow White is a virgin, and second, who she sleeps with is her business, even though in this case, size does matter.

Pinocchio (1940) — This film suggests that all Italian boys are liars.

Bambi (1942) — Because of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, hunters had every right to shoot Bambi’s mother. Normally images of murder would be suitable for a 6-year-old, but the film should be banned because it might spur a debate on 2nd Amendment rights.

Song of the South (1946) — In Florida, I guess it’s OK to show a film with a Tar Baby but to have a happy-go-lucky slave like Uncle Remus depicted as being smarter than his White owners is too much for Uncle Ron’s followers to take.

Lady and the Tramp (1955) — This is a horrible film for kids because it suggests that all males are tramps who refer to their lady as the “B” word.

Mary Poppins (1964) — After emerging from dirty chimneys, Bert and the

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Banks children are covered in soot. It’s OK to appear in Black face in Florida, but only if you’re a patriotic legal citizen. The Mary Poppins cast is from England, so they don’t even speak good American.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) — This film is all about witches and Satanism which is OK, but children do not need to know that magic can happen in a bed.

Gus (1976) — In this film, a farm animal is exploited by the local college and made to kick field goals without any financial compensation as was available to Florida State University students at the time.

Beauty and the Beast (1991) — While folks in Florida have no problem with beastiality, this film is banned because the main female character is allowed to read books.

Pocahontas (1995) — The problem with this film is that it depicts a Native American girl falling in love with a White man. Florida legislators probably believe this film is responsible for the bi-racial gay couple who later appears in Strange World. I hope that Governor DeSantis will ban these and all other Disney films from being shown in public schools because children don’t need to be exposed to leftwing concepts like love, tolerance, and open-mindedness. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15) and streaming on WFMY+.