Disney is notoriously with R-Fla. Governor Ron DeSantis, who claims it is a “no gay” bill, now plans to create a new theme park in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a Middle Eastern country that will commit gay crimes.
The entertainment company announced on Wednesday that it will open its seventh park in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.
“This is an exciting time for our company as we announce plans to build an exciting Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi, whose culture enriches art and creativity,” said Bob Iger, CEO of Disney.
However, the UAE has a history of human rights violations, including criminalizing “same-sexual behavior between adults”.
Disney will open the Seventh Park in Abu Dhabi. (AP/John Raoux)
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According to a 2023 State Department report, individual penalties for “consensus sodomy with men” include at least six months in prison. Men dressed as women or entered women's spaces are punished up to one year, with a fine of about $2,700.
The UAE even banned the Disney pixel animation feature “Lightyear” from being screened in cinemas in 2022, after reports that the film included a kiss between two female characters.
The decision to work with the country is in stark contrast to Disney’s past position on the LGBTQ issue.
In 2022, then Disney CEO Bob Chapek opposed DeSantis's parental rights in the Education Act, which aims to “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade during the company's annual general meeting. He also promised $5 million to the LGBTQ organization.
Walt Disney Company issued a statement condemning parental rights in the Education Act of 2022. (Alisha Jucevic/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I called DeSantis this morning to express our disappointment and fear that if legislation becomes law it can be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary, trans children and families,” Chapke said at the meeting.
Walt Disney Company also issued a statement condemning the legislation and mistakenly labeled the bill as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“Florida's HB 1557, also known as, “Don't say the homosexuality bill, should never be passed, nor should it be signed into law,” the statement said. “Our goal as a company is that the law is repealed by the legislature or removed in court, and we remain committed to supporting national and state organizations committed to achieving this.”
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This time the opposition began a multi-year litigation battle between Disney and Destantis, as the latter dissolved Walt Disneyland’s autonomous tax zone, the Reedy Creek improvement zone, in response.
Disney has previously supported LGBTQ reasons. ((Alexander pohl/nrphoto via Getty Picture Photo))
In the annual report of the annual SEC (SEC) in 2023, the company seems to acknowledge that in the Cultural War, after a series of films failed, it has caused too much damage in the Cultural War.
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Fox News Digital contacted Disney for comment.
Fox Business'Aislinn Murphy contributed to the report.
