It administers its own planning and zoning. “Never before or since has such outlandish dominion been given to a private corporation,” Florida writer Carl Hiaasen notes in his book “Team Rodent.” “Disney owns its own utilities. The provisions allowing Disney to govern itself in its special independent district are so extensive that one analyst refers to the so-called Reedy Creek Improvement District as “the Vatican with mouse ears.” Disney’s problem is that it had a glaring vulnerability in the form of an arrangement that can easily be portrayed as a special favor. Republicans have fantasized about exacting revenge on woke corporations before, but to no effect. The Florida legislature decided to convince it that it was wrong. Like so many companies before, Disney calculated the risk/reward of gratuitously taking up a left-wing political and cultural fight and considered it all reward, no risk. This was, shockingly, an iconic American brand making itself into a free-floating weapon of woke cultural politics in response to the social and political influence of a small number of vocal progressives. And it did so, not to serve its shareholders, enhance its profitability, protect its intellectual property, or align itself with its vast and politically diverse customer base. “Classroom instruction,” the law says, “by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”īased on that, Disney went to the mattresses. In fact, the law merely seeks to exclude inappropriate material from being taught to young children in the classroom - an objective that once would have been considered utterly banal.
The company got pushed into its stance based on pressure from a woke segment of its employees and from progressives on the outside.ĭisney’s case against the bill relied on the smear that the legislation somehow threatened gay or trans people. Disney was the aggressor in the battle over the education bill, lied about it, and pledged to work to repeal it.Įven though the bill had nothing to do with Disney whatsoever - nothing to do with its product, its business model, or its employees. There’s a reason this fight escalated to this point, though. This is a sign, we are told, of the advent of an American authoritarianism that brooks no dissent - Disney criticizes a measure supported by the Florida GOP, the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill, and immediately gets targeted. Ron DeSantis, voted to repeal the “special independent district” enjoyed by Disney for half a century. The state legislature, with the support of Gov. The network, which has a large gay audience, has been under fire recently after Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s hit show “Fixer Upper” made headlines last year for their association with a Texas church whose pastor had advocated converting LGBT people into being straight. In 2014 HGTV was forced to cancel “Flip It Forward,” a show starring twins David and Jason Benham, after the brothers told a right-wing site that “homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation.Just like that, tyranny has descended on Florida. While the Gaily Grind went with: “HGTV’s Newest Hosts Are An Adorable Married Gay Couple.”Īlso Read: Benham Brothers Speak Out on HGTV Show Being Canned: We're Committed to Biblical Principles
“ This gay couple is hoping to take HGTV by storm,” proclaimed Queerty in its headline. The news hit the gay blogosphere like thunder on a hot Tennessee summer day. The account at the time was called the ‘Property Lovers,’ and we had a pretty big following on that so it kind of just developed from that.”
The couple told a local TV station that they had “a production company contact us because of a social media account that Thomas and I started. In the meantime, PJ and Thomas have been building up buzz on their Instagram account with a flurry of half-naked pictures along with the hashtag: #HGTVDowntotheStuds. It’s unclear whether the show will get picked up. The network used the June 24th episode as a test run. Together the couple - along with their neighbor and Thomas’ sister - find and then flip houses in their hometown of Chattanooga.Īlso Read: Ellen, 'DWTS' Bromance, 2 Sexiest Men Alive: How HGTV Proves 'Niche' Isn't a Dirty Word
Thomas is the designer and PJ is a realtor. The network recently aired a pilot for “Down to the Studs,” starring husbands PJ and Thomas, who refer to themselves as the “Property Lovers.” HGTV ratings will likely hit the roof as the home improvement network breaks ground on its latest offering - a gay version of its hit show “Property Brothers,” featuring an explosion of six pack abs courtesy of its hosts, a married same-sex couple from Tennessee.