A gay employee for Disney has come out defending the parental rights bill by DeSantis and Republicans in Florida, saying critics are wrong about it and that his company, Disney, does not speak for him.
Courageous essay. Worth a read. You may not agree with everything he says, but his perspective should be heard. “The public was being played, and gay people were being used as pawns.”
I Am a Gay Employee at Walt Disney World. Disney Does Not Speak For Me. https://t.co/KObfjWHxeg— Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) April 1, 2022
Here’s what Gary Lucia says:
So I can understand why many of my fellow gay cast members were upset when they heard that the Florida government had voted for the “Don’t Say Gay Bill”. They looked back on their own childhoods and wondered how things would have been different if someone had told them it was OK to be gay. Or maybe some of them came out as gay in their teens, resulting in them being abused or even thrown out of the house by their parents. These are sad stories and I empathize with the emotions involved, so I understand why there was a visceral reaction to hearing that Florida was enacting a bill that stopped teachers from saying the word ‘gay’.
Except for one thing: it is not true. As most people hopefully know by now, the bill does not mention the word ‘gay’ once.
Here are some statements from Lesbians United on the bill:
“Despite what you may have heard, the Parental Rights in Education Act does not require schools to out gay students to abusive parents; nor does it erase gay people and gay history. Rather, the Parental Rights in Education Act would protect children – including young lesbians and gay boys – from exposure to inappropriate sexual content, and give loving and supportive parents access to the information they need to protect and guide their children.”
“The Parental Rights in Education Act, which major news outlets and homophobic organizations have smeared as a “Don’t Say Gay” bill, isn’t about gay erasure at all.”
“The bill’s prohibition on teaching sexual orientation applies only to children below fourth grade. It does not prohibit age-appropriate discussion of sexual orientation in middle- or high school sex ed, and it does not prohibit the discussion of gay history in classes beyond third grade.
The purposely misleading nickname“Don’t Say Gay” was a Trojan horse. It drew people in and got them all fired up because they thought the bill was attacking gay people. In a headline or quick soundbite, it seemingly told you all you needed to know. This was done intentionally—there has been an outcome of support and acceptance from the public at large since Gay Marriage was made legal, so those fighting the bill knew any attack on gay people would be met with outrage. The detractors of the bill used this to lure you in, but they wanted to hide the gender ideology part of the bill, which is what people should really be concerned about. The public was being played, and gay people were being used as pawns.
Any gay adult man who felt a kinship with that little boy dressed as Tinker Bell should be made aware of this: It is a very different world from the time you grew up—even from the world ten years ago. In today’s culture, that little boy would not be told it is OK to be gay; he would be led to believe he is ‘really a girl’. Across the nation and the world, gender non-conforming boys and girls are being pushed into believing they are trans. THIS is what is at the core of teaching ‘gender identity’, and it is a form of CONVERSION, just as contemptible as those religious groups that attempt to ‘pray the gay away’.
As a gay man and employee of Disney, I support the Parental Rights in Education Act and feel the need to go on record that I do NOT agree with the Disney ‘LGBTQ+’ leaders and groups that purport to speak on my behalf. I also feel the need at this time to make a statement that I do NOT consider myself a member of your ‘LGBTQ+ Community’ and I object to any assumption that I am included. I REJECT this ‘community’ and refuse to participate with or be subjected to any of its declarations.
Pushaw is right that I don’t agree with everything Lucia says, but he’s not wrong about the bill. It’s nothing like what the left is claiming.
As she goes on to say…
This is especially important to understand in light of arguments that "Republicans voted down an amendment that specified the bill would prevent teaching sex ed." Because it's not "sex ed" that's the major issue, it's gender theory and ideology inappropriate for little kids.
— Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) April 1, 2022
Exactly. When I was in grade school, we didn’t get sex-ed classes until the fourth grade. Because it’s just not appropriate any younger.
But I would argue that this gender theory and ideology is never appropriate. If I had children in grade school, I wouldn’t want them subjected to it even in middle or high school. It’s misleading and corrosive, especially to children who don’t feel like they fit in and need something they can use to excuse the pain away or make them more popular in other ways. It’s a dangerous ideology that preys on the weakness of children and then ruins their lives.
I’m glad that Lucia spoke out on this. Notice he used sources that might be more convincing to the LGBT crowd, like Lesbians United. Clearly he’s appealing to those within disney and I appreciate that. Even though it’s likely they’ll just be angry with Lucia for agreeing with the right or something. He’ll probably be shut out too now, just like the facts.