Disney announces ‘Pride Nite’ hours after DeSantis warning

News

By Isabelle Keane

April 18, 2023 | 8:15 a.m.

Disneyland has announced its first-ever “Pride Nite” at its California theme park – just hours after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took another photo of the Sunshine State entertainment conglomerate.

The presumptive 2024 presidential candidate and Disney have been at odds since the corporate giant publicly condemned DeSantis-backed legislation that banned discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through ninth grade. year.

The feud then escalated. DeSantis, 44, has created a new board to oversee Disney World, ending the House of Mouse’s longstanding autonomy.

But the DeSantis-appointed board was rendered powerless after its predecessors quietly passed a restrictive development agreement just before the switch.

The clash escalated further on Monday — hours before Disney announced its California Pride Month event — when DeSantis vowed to halt Disney’s efforts to circumvent state surveillance.

“You’re not going to let Disney have their own government in Central Florida,” DeSantis said.

“You will live under the same laws as everyone else.”

The Sunshine State governor ousted the five Disney-backed members of the panel that oversaw the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Disney’s Special Self-Governing District, and handpicked their replacements to limit corporate powers.

However, before the outgoing members were replaced, they passed special measures that returned most of the panel’s powers to the entertainment giant.

“Disney made special deals to bypass this whole process,” DeSantis said.

“They controlled the council. It was basically a legal fiction where they negotiated with themselves to give themselves self-governing status. This is a direct challenge to the will of the people of Florida.

The move gave the parent company full development authority over the 27,000-acre property and barred the board from any use of the Disney brand — a move DeSantis said the state legislature would stop. .

Seemingly in response to the Governor’s latest attack on the entertainment empire, Disney’s California theme park Disneyland has announced its festive after-hours special event titled “Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite,” a few just hours after DeSantis’ remarks.

The event was billed as “a separately ticketed event that celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community and allies, and will be held June 13-15, 2023, inside Disneyland Park.”

Those attending the Pride Month event after hours will feature themed entertainment, Disney characters, photo ops, specialty menu items, merchandise and more, according to Disney Parks Blog.

The separately ticketed event will begin with a three-hour pre-party before the private party runs until 1:00 a.m. PT.

During this time, participants can ride popular attractions after regular park hours.