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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., is criticizing Disney for being too "woke" for its opposition to a Florida parental rights bill, saying the company should have focused on finding ways to return children to school rather than promoting a "radical, unscientific" agenda.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law this week barring instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Those opposed to the legislation, including Disney, have dubbed it the "Don't Say Gay" bill, saying that the law is hurtful to LGBTQ rights and inclusiveness.
"Rather than finding ways to assist school children who missed out on two valuable years of learning, Disney’s primary focus coming out of the pandemic is to promote this radical, unscientific agenda," Marshall told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., speaks to the media about the U.S. southern border March 30, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib / AP Newsroom)
The Florida law doesn't actually have the word "gay" in it, but states that "classroom instruction 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."
"Keeping inappropriate teaching of sex ideas out of our classrooms should be a goal we all share, and many polls show Americans are largely united against these types of lessons," Marshall said. "Whatever brand loyalty to Disney we all grew up with and shared with our kids and grandkids should be reconsidered as should the way we rate the appropriateness of their programming."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The junior senator from Kansas also blasted other corporations, including Disney, for turning their backs on "core values" and backing liberal ideas.
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"Whether it’s forcing the relocation of the All-Star game, sponsoring the Genocide Games in Beijing, or pushing sexual orientation and gender ideology on our children, corporate America has sadly turned its back on our core values," Marshall told Fox News Digital.
A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York Dec. 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid / Reuters Photos)
Disney this week said it will work to repeal the legislation in Florida because it's dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of the LGBTQ+ community.
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"Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law," Disney said in a statement. "Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that."
FOX Business' Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.