Chris Hayes Notes Fox News Mentioned ‘Disney’ 252 Times in Two Days, Accuses Conservatives of Waging ‘War Against Gay People’
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes accused critics of Disney’s decision to oppose Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill of waging a “war against gay people.”
The law forbids teachers from speaking about sexual orientation or gender identity to students from kindergarten to third grade. Critics have labelled it the “Don’t Say Gay” law, arguing it marginalizes gay and transgender families.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed it into law this week, and quickly drew a rebuke form Disney, which has significant holdings in Florida.
“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,” the company said in a statement on Monday. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”
Statement from The Walt Disney Company on signing of Florida legislation: pic.twitter.com/UVI7Ko3aKS
— Walt Disney Company (@WaltDisneyCo) March 28, 2022
Disney’s decision to enter into the conversation garnered a predictable backlash. Some are calling for a boycott of the company.
Fox News, as Hayes noted, mentioned Disney more than 250 times times in two days. The MSNBC host said on All In that the blowback is rooted in a desire to spark a war against the gay community:
The right has declared war on Disney. Just since yesterday morning, Fox News mentioned the company more than 252 times. Their crusade is based on that new law signed by Ron Desantis of Florida prohibiting instruction about sexual orientation and gender and early elementary school classrooms. Under the guise of protecting children from being sexualized, the law essentially bans the discussion of gay-ness.
Hayes noted that Disney had waded into the discussion, and said the network and others are declaring a war on not transgender, but “gay people.”
“The most unhinged faction of the right, as you heard on Fox News, is now vilifying Disney as a creepy, QAnon-adjacent of sexual deviance,” he said.
Citing a recent “seismic change” in American politics, Hayes concluded, “The conservative movement restarting its war against gay people.”
Hayes’ statements came just hours after Fox News announced Caitlyn Jenner had been hired by the network as a contributing commentator.
Watch above, via MSNBC.
