{"id":1988808,"date":"2023-08-02T14:43:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T18:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-appointed-disney-board-axes-illegal-and-unamerican-dei-initiatives\/"},"modified":"2023-08-02T14:46:15","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T18:46:15","slug":"desantis-appointed-disney-board-axes-illegal-and-unamerican-dei-initiatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-appointed-disney-board-axes-illegal-and-unamerican-dei-initiatives\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis-appointed Disney board scraps &#8216;illegal&#8217; and &#8216;unamerican&#8217; DEI efforts."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdesantis-appointed-disney-board-axes-illegal-and-unamerican-dei-initiatives%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1988808&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<div>\n<figure>\n    <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Governing Board \u200dAnnounces Plans to Overhaul DEI Programs at \u2063Walt \u2062Disney World<\/h2>\n<p>The governing\u200d board appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tasked with overseeing Walt Disney World and its affiliated properties announced \u200bplans on\u2062 Tuesday to gut the district\u2019s use of\u2062 DEI programs.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe \u200bso-called diversity, equity,\u2063 and inclusion initiatives were \u2063advanced during\u200c the\u200d tenure of the previous board \u2064and they were illegal and simply unamerican,\u201d Glenton Gilzean, director \u2062of the Central Florida\u2062 Tourism Oversight\u2062 District, said in a \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcid.org\/pr-dei\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. \u201cOur district\u2063 will no longer participate in \u200dany attempt to divide us by race or \u2063advance the notion that we are not\u2064 created equal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Rejecting \u200bDivisive Ideology<\/h3>\n<p>For context, DEI \u2014 which stands for diversity,\u2062 equity, and inclusion \u2014 is \u200da divisive and poisonous ideology that dismisses merit to discriminate \u200bbased \u200bon characteristics such as\u200d skin color and sexual preference. Individuals who\u2062 qualify for a \u2064certain \u2062position due to their merits but \u2064don\u2019t meet the \u2063discriminating entity\u2019s goal \u2062of being more \u201cdiverse\u201d are passed\u2062 over in \u200dfavor of those who meet the \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-cant-believe-i-fought-for-this-bullsh-t-navy-seal-who-killed-bin-laden-blasts-pentagon-for-drag-queen-gimmick\/\" title=\"Navy SEAL who killed Bin Laden criticizes Pentagon for drag queen performance.\">preferred identitarian standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2062 its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcid.org\/pr-dei\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tuesday announcement<\/a>, \u2062the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fb-board-to-open-public-comments-on-ban-of-president-trump\/\" title=\"FB board to open public comments on ban of President Trump\">oversight board<\/a> further revealed an internal investigation \u200cinto the policies of its predecessor \u2014 \u200dthe Disney-appointed Reedy Creek Improvement District\u2064 \u2014 found that the district\u2062 \u201croutinely awarded\u2064 contracts based on racially and gender driven goals to businesses on the basis of their owners\u2019 race and gender\u201d and implemented quotas based on these\u2064 factors \u201cto ensure that contractors met \u2064a certain\u200c threshold of diversity.\u201d The use of\u200b such policies and\u200c the district\u2019s DEI committee\u2062 will now be terminated, according to the board.<\/p>\n<h3>Dispute Between DeSantis and Disney<\/h3>\n<p>The ongoing\u200d dispute between DeSantis and Disney started last year after the latter\u200d launched a \u200dgrossly dishonest attack against state Republicans \u2064for passing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/Session\/Bill\/2022\/1557\/?Tab=Analyses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">parental rights bill<\/a> \u200bthat prevents educators from instructing children in kindergarten through third grade on topics such as sexual \u200borientation\u2063 and so-called \u201cgender identity.\u201d Bending the knee to leftists \u2014\u200d who maliciously labeled the measure as the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d bill \u2014 then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2022\/03\/disney-bob-chapek-dont-say-gay-florida-1234974584\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">parroted<\/a> \u200d Democrats\u2019\u2062 lie\u2064 that the law \u201ccould be\u200b used\u2063 to target [LGBT] kids and families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He \u200bfurthermore claimed the company would be \u201creassessing [its] approach\u2064 to advocacy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-ceo-bob-chapek-claims-company-is-a-force-for-inclusion-but-doesnt-want-it-become-a-political-football\/\" title=\"Disney CEO Bob Chapek Claims Company Is \u201cA Force for Inclusion\u201d but Doesn\u2019t Want It Become a \u201cPolitical Football\u201d\">including political giving<\/a> in Florida and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>DeSantis Takes Action<\/h3>\n<p>In response, DeSantis and Florida Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/desantis-signs-bill-stripping-disney-self-governing-status\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">passed<\/a> legislation stripping\u2064 Disney of its self-governing authority within the \u200dReedy Creek Improvement District. DeSantis later\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clickorlando.com\/news\/local\/2023\/02\/27\/florida-governor-appoints-5-new-members-for-board-of-former-reedy-creek-district\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> five new\u200d appointees \u200dto\u2063 the district\u2019s\u2064 board in February, shortly\u2064 after lawmakers advanced legislation renaming the jurisdiction to \u200cthe Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.<\/p>\n<p>As The Federalist\u2019s Tristan Justice \u2064previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/16\/exclusive-disneys-11th-hour-move-to-evade-desantis-oversight-is-legally-void-per-source\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>,\u2064 the now-former supervisors running the then-Reedy Creek Improvement District \u200d\u201csigned an 11th-hour resolution \u200b [in February] to hand Disney maximum authority over the company\u2019s 27,000 acres in\u2064 central Florida,\u201d effectively leaving\u200d \u201cthe DeSantis-appointed \u2064successors\u200b on the Central Florida Tourism\u200d Oversight District board \u2026 powerless\u2063 to govern Disney in their own state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to a source\u200c who previously\u2064 spoke with The \u2063Federalist, \u200dhowever, Disney\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-appointed-disney-board-axes-illegal-and-unamerican-dei-initiatives\/\" title=\"DeSantis-appointed Disney board scraps 'illegal' and 'unamerican' DEI efforts.\">attempted runaround \u201cskipped key steps<\/a> when amending its developmental agreement, \u2063rendering the resolution null\u200b and void.\u201d This \u2062prompted DeSantis to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/business-news\/desantis-disney-investigation-reedy-creek-florida-tourism-district-rcna77937\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">order<\/a> an investigation into the matter in April.<\/p>\n<p>Several \u2064weeks \u2063after DeSantis\u2019 order,\u200d Disney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/business-news\/disney-sues-ron-desantis-over-reedy-creek-control-rcna81587\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed<\/a> a lawsuit in\u200c federal court against\u200b the governor and state officials, alleging a \u201ctargeted campaign \u200cof government retaliation\u201d against the company \u200bfor its opposition to \u2064the\u200d Parental\u200c Rights in Education bill. Meanwhile, the \u2062DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District \u201cvoted unanimously\u201d to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/oversight-board-votes-sue-disney-fight-ron-desantis-rcna82232\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">countersue<\/a> in state court a few days later.<\/p>\n<p>A state-level judge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/07\/28\/disney-loses-bid-to-dismiss-or-pause-desantis-boards-state-case.html?irclickid=2JUUj5ynvxyNTqV3C8VbuWy5UkF12HSONwSxzQ0&#038;irgwc=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denied<\/a> Disney\u2019s motion to\u200d dismiss\u200d the board\u2019s suit on Friday.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Shawn Fleetwood is a\u2062 staff writer for\u2063 The Federalist and\u2064 a graduate of the University of \u2064Mary \u200cWashington. He\u200b previously\u2063 served as a state content writer for \u200cConvention of States Action and his work has been featured\u200d in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow \u200bhim on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Florida governor-appointed board overseeing Walt Disney World intends to dismantle DEI programs, calling them illegal and unamerican. These initiatives were implemented by the previous board and will now be removed, according to the governing body responsible for the district.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":1988809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1988808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1988808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1988808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1988808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1988809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1988808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1988808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1988808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}