Homophobes Try to Blockade Disney World, Partially Block Nearby Shopping Center

Wren Graves
·3 min read

The post Homophobes Try to Blockade Disney World, Partially Block Nearby Shopping Center appeared first on Consequence.

Over the weekend, a group of people who can’t tell the difference between gay love and sex crimes proved that they also can’t tell the difference between blockading an amusement park and partially blocking a nearby shopping center. Supporters of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill descended on Disney World on Saturday with the plan to prevent all visitors from gaining entry, but instead only managed to temporarily stop up one of several entrances to the Disney Springs outdoor mall.

The group called itself the Patriot Convoy, presumably because “Nazi” was already taken. They’re targeting Disney after the House of Mouse spoke out against the passage of House Bill 1557 — officially called the “Parental Rights in Education” bill — which prohibits discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in some elementary school grades. Supporters say that it prevents teachers from “grooming” children, or “indoctrinating” them into the LGBTQ community, while opponents point out that “discussion of sexual orientation” is woefully broad, and teachers could get in trouble for something as minor as acknowledging that they have a same sex spouse.

In a statement, Disney said, “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.”

In response, this Patriot Convoy vandalized one of the park entrances, taping up a poster that read “Pedo World.” Meanwhile, a “MAGA Mouse” mascot help up signs supporting Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis. One organizer posted a picture of a mildly busy parking lot on social media, alongside the words, “Patriot Convoy just did a BLOCKADE @ the Entrance of Disney. Car Trouble. No one visiting Disney can get in.”

This is almost as big of a lie as the idea that supporting gay rights makes you a pedophile. To start, Disney World has a total of eight entrances, and they only managed to stop up one. Second, road signage indicated that they were parked outside the rear entry to the nearby shopping center Disney Springs, and not Disney World itself. These people will do anything to block access to a back door.

Besides that, Disney Springs has several additional entrances, so the “convoy” didn’t do anything more than mildly inconvenience people trying to buy overpriced T-shirts. And finally, blocking traffic is a felony according to a law signed by DeSantis in 2021, and if this so-called blockade extended for any length of time, the people responsible could face jail time — though in practice it’s only been enforced for Black Lives Matter protestors.

The incident serves as a reminder that the country’s most hateful people are not only dumb as rocks, they are also mobilizing to take away LGBTQ rights with the help of high-ranking elected officials. The same impulse inspired Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to call three of her Republican colleagues “pro-pedophile,” sparking a feud with Jimmy Kimmel. Last week, filmmaker David Mamet claimed that teachers are “inclined” to “pedophilia.”

Homophobes Try to Blockade Disney World, Partially Block Nearby Shopping Center
Wren Graves

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