Governor Gavin Newsom is undoubtedly an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, when as mayor as San Francisco in 2004, he issued marriage licenses, which could only be said to be the beginning of marriage equality eventually becoming national law. Fast forward to 2016, in which Republicans have become increasingly more hateful (or embracing hate), GOP controlled states have prioritized voter suppression, reproductive policing, and undermining LGBTQ+ people’s rights.
While several states had already passed similar laws, Florida is about join the the hate train of erasing LGBTQ+ people’s existence in every capacity in elementary schools (the law is worded in such a way it may as well apply to high schools), based on LGBTQ+’s “age appropriateness”. This also prevents students that identify as LGBTQ+ from even being able to acknowledge their status or talk to teachers (around other people that would otherwise attempt to enforce the draconian law)… Newsom ain’t having none of it of course.
Meanwhile, there’s Disney. As you may know, Disneyworld, which is a much larger and lucrative Disneyland, is in Florida. Disney was initially silent with the bill’s passage (in Florida’s house and senate; awaiting their Gov to approve, who has expressed interest in doing so); the company barely spoke out against the bill recently, but not after angering the LGBTQ+ community, and providing a petty excuse that essentially states Disney stayed silent because they thought their statement would be used as a weapon… Just so you know, Disney’s current CEO is Chapek, who had caused even more anger when he made donations to “sponsors and co-sponsors of the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.”