Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has a new tactic in his year-long fight with Disney, and so today I have news from that front. Namely, this: Goofy is gay. Or he might be.
I know that it’s impolite to “out” somebody who doesn’t want to be open about their sexual orientation, but Goofy, of course, is no more real than the Easter bunny — who might also be gay, I think — and wouldn’t it be just neat if the homophobes of Florida found out that Mickey Mouse’s sidekick, like a lot of men of his generation, has all along been faking his just-one-of-the-guys act? I’d call that sweet justice.
This whole notion is only in my imagination, and it arises, of course, from the effort by Florida’s second-most-popular presidential candidate to have the state take over land-use decisions from a private company – because that company, Disney, had the temerity to criticize that candidate, Ron DeSantis.
You’ll recall that DeSantis and his compliant state legislature have decided that conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity are too upsetting for youngsters of single-digit age to even allow mention in public schools – and that just using the wrong words in addressing sex and gender with any age of student can get a teacher or a school district sued by a parent. You can only conclude that the Republican politicians of Florida think that sex and gender are more appalling than other topics that they haven’t banned from classrooms — like, say, homicide, rape and cynical political opportunism.
Okay, I just threw in that last one there to be clever, because no teacher is going to try to teach schoolchildren why politicians are turning democracy into a sideshow, though that’s clearly an upsetting reality that kids ought to learn to cope with by the time they become adults. Otherwise, they might grow up to emulate Ron DeSantis, a brilliant guy — a top student at Yale and at Harvard Law — who is demonstrating that ambition unmoored from ethical standards can lead even smart people to stoop to destructive behavior.
The latest in Florida’s campaign against gay Americans arises from the back-and-forth after Disney, which employs 80,000 Floridians (many of them avowedly gay), issued statements last year opposing Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. DeSantis retaliated against Disney’s exercise of free speech by creating a new state board aimed at taking away Disney’s control over the land around its theme parks and other properties. That slap by the state quickly shaved more than a billion dollars off Disney’s stock value, which is a hefty fine for ticking off an American politician. Kind of puts you in mind of Vladimir Putin, doesn’t it?
The details of the fight can get off into the weeds at this point, but let’s not lose sight of what should really concern us here. It’s this: While what’s at issue for Disney is probably mainly money, and for DeSantis it is his bid to wrest control of the Republican party from Donald Trump, the stakes are much bigger for the children of Florida, and for so many more Americans: This fight is about whether we are truly willing to meet our neighbors on each other’s turf, and honor who they are.
People have always been afraid of other folks who seem unlike themselves, although the DNA of all humans alive is 99.9 percent identical. Yet religions and power-eager leaders over the millennia have used those miniscule differences – like race and gender and sexuality – to try to elevate one group over another. Some American politicians still want to do that.
Take, for example, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, an Upstate New York Republican who is fourth in House leadership. She has said that, in her words, “You’re either born a biological man or a biological woman.” Science reveals that to be flatly untrue. Four genetic variants lead to people being born in neither specific gender. Stefanik is a Harvard graduate, too, so her turn away from science has got to be a chosen stance for ignorance – one that will hurt gender-fluid and non-binary people.
As to homosexuality, a lot of research confirms that genetics play a role in whether a person is drawn to same-sex partners. The scientist who headed the most recent and far-reaching studies of the topic concluded that same-sex attraction is, in his words, “a natural part of our diversity as a species.”
How is society offended by allowing schoolchildren to talk about something natural? Which talk, by the way, could be about moms and dads. Perhaps nine million Americans have a gay or lesbian parent. Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Law surely will lead some of those children to question whether they should be ashamed of their folks – because even talking about why some kids in the class have two mommys or two daddys could violate the DeSantis law.
I’m old enough to recall the old black-and-white Mickey Mouse Club on TV, which beamed out its wholesome entertainment to all children, not just to straight white kids like Ron DeSantis and me. Yes, in those days, there was lots of homophobia, and a lot we didn’t yet know about gender identity, but we’ve grown up to understand that people don’t deserve to be ridiculed, or hated, or viewed with suspicion because of who they are and how they’re born.
Or most of us have, anyway. I don’t care if Goofy is gay or not, but I like the message of a more recent Disney character – Elsa, in “Frozen,” a princess who never sought to win a handsome prince. Here’s what Elsa sang: “Here I stand, and here I stay – let the storm rage on.”
And it does. But that determination and pride is a fine lesson for all children now – a better lesson, anyway, than the cynicism of some politicians who are fueling their ambitions by inciting a fear of others.
Rex Smith, the co-host of The Media Project on WAMC, is the former editor of the Times Union of Albany and The Record in Troy. His weekly digital report, The Upstate American, is published by Substack.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.