Disney Heir Comes Out Publicly as Transgender, Condemns Anti-LGBTQ Bills

Charlee Corra speaks at a Human Rights Campaign dinner on March 12 in Los Angeles. Randy Shropshire / Getty Images
NBC NEWS: Charlee Corra, a high school science teacher, regrets not having done more to advocate against Florida’s bill limiting LGBTQ classroom discussion.

Charlee Corra, a member of the Disney family, came out publicly as transgender and condemned anti-LGBTQ bills in a recent interview.

Corra, who uses "he" and "they" pronouns, announced that their family would match up to $250,000 in donations to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy group, during the organization's annual gala in Los Angeles last month.

Roy P. Disney, Corra's stepfather and the grandson of Roy O. Disney, a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, upped that amount to $500,000 last week.

“Equality matters deeply to us,” Disney said in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times, “especially because our child, Charlee, is transgender and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Disney also said the family was "heartbroken" when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education Act, which critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay or Trans" bill because it prohibits classroom instruction of sexual orientation or gender identity with students in grades K-3 or in a way deemed developmentally or age inappropriate.

Corra, a high school biology and environmental science teacher, told the L.A. Times that the HRC gala was sort of a public coming out for them, since they had come out privately as trans four years ago. » | Jo Yurcaba | Monday, April 11, 2022

Micky Maus wird zum LGBTQ-Aktivisten

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Ein neues Gesetz in Florida verbietet den Unterricht über Geschlechtsidentitäten bis zur dritten Klasse. Disney hat deshalb die Spenden an die Republikaner eingestellt und will die Vorschrift bekämpfen. Im Internet entlädt sich ein konservativer Shitstorm.

Das symbiotische Verhältnis zwischen den Micky-Maus-Erfindern und der Republikanischen Partei in Florida steht vor eine Zerreissprobe. | Alisha Jucevic / Bloomberg
Die Beziehung zwischen der in Florida dominierenden Republikanischen Partei und der Walt Disney Company gestaltete sich bisher weitgehend harmonisch. Schliesslich ist der Unterhaltungsriese mit seinen Vergnügungsparks einer der grössten Arbeitgeber im Sunshine State und ein Touristenmagnet. Während die Politik den Konzern mit Steuerentlastungen und anderen Privilegien unterstützte, revanchierte sich die Traumfabrik mit grosszügigen Parteispenden. Gemäss dem «Orlando Sentinel» soll Disney seit Jahresbeginn 2021 mindestens 2,2 Millionen Dollar an politische Kandidaten und Komitees in Florida überwiesen haben. Rund 80 Prozent dieser Gelder seien an die Republikaner und konservative Kreise gegangen.

Am Montag jedoch unterzeichnete der republikanische Gouverneur Ron DeSantis ein neues Gesetz, welches das symbiotische Verhältnis zwischen den Micky-Maus-Erfindern und der konservativen Mehrheitspartei in Florida vor eine Zerreissprobe stellt. Offiziell heisst die neue Regelung «Gesetz für elterliche Rechte in der Bildung». Ihre Gegner sprechen jedoch vom «Sag nicht schwul»-Gesetz, weil es den Unterricht über sexuelle Orientierungen und Geschlechtsidentitäten vom Kindergarten bis mindestens zur dritten Klasse verbietet. Hält sich eine Schulbehörde oder ein Lehrer nicht an diese Vorschrift, können Eltern gegen sie klagen. » | Christian Weisflog, Washington | Freitag, 1. April 2022

Disney's opposition to gender identity law angers DeSantis: Florida’s tetchy Republican governor Ron DeSantis is threatening retaliation against the state’s largest private employer Disney after it pledged to work to overturn the state’s controversial new “don’t say gay” law banning gender identity discussions in schools. »

‘We Want People That Are Going to Fight the Left,’ Says the Man Out-Trumping Trump

Damon Winter/The New York Times
GUEST ESSAY : OPINION
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, is giving Donald Trump a run for his money as the most divisive politician in America. “We want people that are going to fight the left, and that’s what we need to do in this country,” DeSantis declared in an interview with Fox News on Feb. 8. “That’s what we’re doing in Florida, standing up for people’s freedoms. We’re opposing wokeness. We’re opposing all these things.”

In a Nov. 5, 2021, article on the liberal Daily Beast website, “Desperate, Deranged DeSantis Devolves Into Dumb Troll,” Ruben Navarrette Jr. wrote that DeSantis “is a terrible governor who is failing his leadership course with flying colors. Driven only by politics and naked ambition, he pursues reckless policies that divide Floridians and may even put them in danger.”

The governor routinely succumbs to right-wing pressure groups, Navarrette continued, “because he apparently has no core beliefs other than the unshakable conviction that he should sit in the Oval Office.” » | Thomas B. Edsall | Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Florida's Controversial "Don't Say Gay" Bill - A Threat to the LGBTQ Youth? | Brendon Wolf Interview

Mar 10, 2022 • Florida lawmakers have passed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which bans discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Governor Ron Desantis, who has emerged as a potential candidate to be the next President of the United States is expected to sign the bill next week. Activist Brandon Wolf sees this as the beginning of a cultural war in the US, which impacts issues regarding race, gender and abortion.

Florida Lawmakers Pass Bill Limiting LGBTQ Discussion in School

REUTERS.COM: March 8 (Reuters) - Florida lawmakers on Tuesday passed a Republican-backed bill that would prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for many young students, rejecting criticism and student protests that characterized the measure as discriminatory and misguided.

The legislation, referred to by its opponents as the "don't say gay" bill, has stirred national controversy amid an increasingly partisan debate over what schools should teach children about race and gender.

Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seeking re-election this year, has indicated his support for what is formally called the "Parental Rights in Education" bill. He and other Republican politicians across the United States say they want to give parents more control over what young children learn in school.

Democrats say such policies will harm the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. The Florida measure bars classroom instruction in public schools on sexual orientation or gender identity for children in kindergarten through third grade, or from about ages 5-9.

It also prohibits such teaching that "is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate" for students in other grades. Under the law, parents would be allowed to sue school districts they believe to be in violation. With video » | Gabriella Borter | Wednesday, March 9, 2022

'Don't Say Gay': White House Denounces New Florida Bill

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BBC: The White House has said a new bill in Florida that would ban discussion of sexual orientation in primary schools is "designed to attack" LGBT students.

Governor Ron DeSantis has signalled his backing for the measure and it appears to have enough support to pass through the state's Republican-led legislature.

Activists have dubbed it the "Don't Say Gay" bill and warn it will stigmatise LGBT people and issues.

But its proponents say the legislation is about protecting parental rights.

The proposal was introduced in the state House of Representatives last month. An identical version advanced in the state Senate on Tuesday.

At a news conference, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: "Every parent hopes that our leaders will ensure their children's safety, protection, and freedom."

"Today, conservative politicians in Florida rejected those basic values by advancing legislation that is designed to target and attack the kids who need support the most." With video » | BBC | Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Nazi Gatherings In Broad Daylight in Florida Spark Alarm

Feb 1, 2022 • Florida State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith talks with Rachel Maddow about the horror his constituents feel at learning about gatherings of Nazis in their area, and where they came from.

LGBTQ+ Rights Activist Found Dead in Florida Landfill

Screengrab via WTVJ
ADVOCATE: Jorge Diaz-Johnston and his husband were one of six couples who successfully challenged Florida's ban on same-sex marriage in 2014.

Authorities in Florida are investigating the death of Jorge Diaz-Johnston, an LGBTQ+ activist who won a landmark court case in Miami-Dade County against the state’s ban on same-sex marriages. He was 54.

Diaz-Johnston vanished from Tallahassee January 3, according to Miami TV station WPLG. Detectives found his remains in a trash pile at a landfill Saturday morning in Jackson County, Fla., which is west of Tallahassee.

Police are treating the case as a homicide.

Investigators said in a release that the trash Diaz-Johnston's remains were found in came from a metal bay at another landfill. They added that any person or company has access to it.

Diaz-Johnston and his husband, Don Johnston, were one of six couples who successfully sued the Miami-Dade County Clerk’s Office after the office denied them marriage licenses in 2014.

The activist leaves behind his husband and his brother, Manny Diaz, who is a former mayor of Miami and is currently the Florida Democratic Party Chair. » | Alex Cooper | Friday, January 14, 2022

As Covid Surges in Florida, DeSantis Refuses to Change Course

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has been unyielding in his approach to the pandemic. Credit...Joe Raedle/Getty Images
THE NEW YORK TIMES: A virus spike connected to the Delta variant has led to a record number of Covid-19 hospitalizations in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis has not altered his approach, for better or worse.

MIAMI — Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida snapped this week at a reporter who asked if masks might help keep children safe in a state that now has more Covid-19 hospitalizations, including for pediatric patients, than anywhere else in the nation.

He blamed President Biden’s purported failure to control the spread of the virus across the border after the president suggested that governors like Mr. DeSantis should either “help” fight the coronavirus or “get out of the way.”

And he touted a new state rule, adopted on Friday, that will counter local school mask mandates by allowing parents to request private school vouchers if they feel that the requirements amount to “harassment.”

Mr. DeSantis has been unyielding in his approach to the pandemic, refusing to change course or impose restrictions despite uncontrolled spread and spiking hospitalizations — an approach that forced him to undertake the biggest risk of his rising political career.

The governor reopened his state’s economy last spring and kept it that way, defying coronavirus surges that filled hospitals, and then celebrated as a statewide vaccination campaign took hold and life in Florida began to look normal.

Now Mr. DeSantis is gambling again. A new virus spike has led to a record number of Covid-19 hospitalizations that have undone some of Florida’s economic and public health gains and again raised the stakes for Mr. DeSantis. » | Patricia Mazzei | Friday, August 6, 2021

Florida May Face Its Worst Wave Ever as Delta Variant Spreads.

A coronavirus testing site in Miami on Thursday. Credit...Marta Lavandier/Associated Press
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The state is about a month away from its peak, according to an epidemiologist who tracks the virus there.

As the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus rips through the unvaccinated population in the United States, Florida is heading toward its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic. The state is still about one month away from its peak, according to an epidemiologist who has been tracking the virus’s reach there. “Short term and long term, the cases are going to explode,” Edwin Michael, a professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida, in Tampa, said in an interview on Monday. “We are predicting that the cases will be peaking the first week of September.” » | Adeel Hassan | Monday, August 2, 2021

Germany Will Offer Vaccine Booster Shots Starting in September »

Miami Mayor: ‘We Are Absolutely Ready’ for Possible Cuban Arrivals

Jul 13, 2021 • ABC News’ Linsey Davis speaks with Miami mayor and child of Cuban refugees, Francis Suarez, as Cuban Americans in South Florida take to the streets in solidarity with the demonstrations in Cuba.

‘Everyone Has a Tipping Point’: Hunger Fuels Cuba’s Protests »

Rescue Mission for Collapsed Florida Building Underway | DW News

Rescue teams are searching for nearly 100 people still missing after part of a 12-storey apartment building near Miami, Florida, collapsed in the middle of the night. US President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency in Florida and authorized federal assistance for the relief effort.

Fmr. Trump Campaign Manager Brad Parscale Hospitalized | Morning Joe | MSNBC

The former top manager of President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, Brad Parscale, was taken to a hospital Sunday after his wife reported that he was armed and threatening to harm himself, authorities said. Aired on 9/28/2020.

Brad Parscale, former Trump campaign manager, hospitalised after self-harm threats »

Trump Flees To Avoid Taxes!

Is Donald Trump leaving New York for Florida to avoid going bankrupt?

'Good Riddance': New Yorkers on Trump's Declaration He's a Floridian

THE GUARDIAN: President’s decision to change his residency, thereby avoiding New York state and city taxes, was met with approval, scorn and indifference

Donald Trump’s decision to declare himself a resident of Florida instead of his native New York, thereby avoiding New York’s high rates of state and city taxes, was greeted by the public in the Big Apple with opinions ranging from anarchy-tinged approval to envy, scorn and indifference.

“Why should I care?” offered New Yorker Mike Mitchell, a construction engineer, as he walked the sunny streets of lower Manhattan in a chilly breeze, a stone’s throw from the Statue of Liberty on Friday morning. » | Edward Helmore in New York | Friday, November 1, 2019

Florida Votes to Allow Teachers to Carry Weapons in the Classroom

THE TELEGRAPH: Florida has voted to allow teachers to carry weapons in the classroom in the latest response to last year's mass shooting at the Parkland high school.

In the aftermath of the massacre, in which 1 7 people were killed, state representatives lifted a ban on arming those who "exclusively perform classroom duties".

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is now expected to sign off a new law that enables teachers who pass a 144-hour training course to carry a gun.

Activists including a gun control group started by survivors of the Parkland shooting, March for Our Lives, are calling on Governor DeSantis to veto the reform, using the hashtag #BooksNotBullets on social media. » | Phoebe Davis | Friday, May 3, 2019

Wilson Responds to John Kelly | Full Interview

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) responds to Chief of Staff John Kelly's criticism of her following President Trump's phone call to the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson.

Trump Allegedly Said Dead Soldier ‘Knew What He Signed Up For’, Says Congresswoman

A Florida congresswoman alleged on Tuesday that Donald Trump told the widow of a soldier who died in combat that he ‘knew what he signed up for’. Representative Frederica Wilson said she was in the car with Myeshia Johnson on the way to Miami airport to receive the body of Johnson's husband, Sgt La David Johnson, when Trump called. Wilson said she heard part of the conversation on speak

Hurricane Irma Batters Florida

Hurricane Irma Heads to Florida Coast after Lashing State's Islands

Hurricane Irma made landfall in the US state of Florida as a Category 4 storm. The Florida Keys on the southern tip of the state was hit first with winds of about 200km per hour.

The storm is expected to remain powerful as it travels near the west coast, which is now bracing for impact.

Irma should move inland and over the northern part of Florida on Monday, before hitting the state of Georgia.

Al Jazeera's Andy Gallacher reports from Miami Beach.