Letter: Judge Attempting to Lure Disney and Its 'Diverse Fans' to His State
The leader of a county near Houston is trying to convince Disney’s CEO that Texas is where his company belongs.
Fort Bend County Judge KP George last week sent Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek a letter saying that his county would welcome a Disney theme park.
The Democrat also wrote to Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal seeking to have the social media giant move to his county.
George shared both letters in a tweet on Thursday.
Disney is under fire in Florida for vigorously opposing parental rights legislation designed to keep discussions about sexuality and gender identity out of the primary grades.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state legislators struck back by ending a special exemption in Florida law that largely allowed the megacorporation to make its own rules at its properties in the state.
With that in mind, George said his county would be much more welcoming to Disney.
“From Timone & Pumba to Tinker Bell, Disney characters are as diverse as Fort Bend County families. I welcome @Disney to visit Fort Bend County as your next destination while you face attacks from the modern day political extremists like @RonDeSantisFL,” he tweeted.
From Timone & Pumba to Tinker Bell, Disney characters are as diverse as Fort Bend County families. I welcome @Disney to visit Fort Bend County as your next destination while you face attacks from the modern day political extremists like @RonDeSantisFL. pic.twitter.com/UMtvN4Cudj
— County Judge KP George (@JudgeKPGeorge) April 21, 2022
In his letter to Chapek, George said Disney had suffered.
“While you, your company, employees, and diverse fans face authoritarian, anti-business, and culture war attacks from extremists in Florida, we in Fort Bend are more than ready to welcome the Disney family,” he wrote.
While @Disney & @Twitter employees and fans face authoritarian, anti-business, and culture war attacks from extremists in Florida, we in Fort Bend are more than ready to welcome the Disney family with thousands of good paying jobs and billions of dollars of investments. pic.twitter.com/X6rCdqDqLl
— County Judge KP George (@JudgeKPGeorge) April 22, 2022
Republican state Rep. Gary Gates took another approach, according to The Texan.
Gates sent a letter to DeSantis praising the governor and expressing his unhappiness with the once-beloved company.
“Disney’s conduct disregards me as a parent and feels like a betrayal,” he wrote.
It’s not the first time George has tried to use news events as a way to attract employers.
In 2020, he wrote to Elon Musk when Tesla was going through a spat with California, according to KTRK-TV.
If Disney were to decide to build its next theme park in Texas, it might find a similar stance there on teaching young children about gender and sexuality.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, in a campaign email titled “I AM DONE WITH DISNEY!” says the 2023 #txlege session will feature Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill, known to opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“I will make this law a top priority in the next session,” he says.— Chuck Lindell (@chucklindell) April 4, 2022
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called for a parental rights bill in the Lone Star State similar to the one that prompted the company’s Florida fight, according to Newsweek.
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