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Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was mocked after he made the bizarre claim Disney cartoons would soon feature "Mickey and Pluto going at it."
Cruz's comments were made in defense of Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" law, which Disney announced it would work to help repeal.
Florida’s Republican-sponsored Parental Rights in Education bill, or H.B. 1557, was recently signed into law by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. The law, colloquially known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, aims to “reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children in a specified manner.”
The law wants to prohibit “a school district from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a specified manner” and authorizes parents to “bring an action against a school district to obtain a declaratory judgment that a school district procedure or practice violates certain provisions of law.”
You can hear what Cruz, who referred to critics of the law as "misguided," said in the video below.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) slams Disney for opposing Florida\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d law:\n\n\u201cIn every episode now, they\u2019re gonna have Mickey and Pluto going at it \u2026 You can always shift to Cinemax if you want that.\u201dpic.twitter.com/iZX82OiyC2— The Recount (@The Recount) 1650391919
Speaking on his Verdict with Ted Cruz podcast, Cruz said:
"I think there are people who are misguided, trying to drive Disney stepping in saying, you know, in every episode now they're going to have, you know, Mickey and Pluto going at it."
"But it's just like, come on, guys, these are kids and, you know, you could always shift to Cinemax if you want that!
"Like, I'm a dad, it used to be that you could put your kids on the Disney channel and be like, all right, something innocuous will happen."
Cruz's remarks sparked considerable backlash from critics who said he was backing discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
Why are some of the straights so obsessed with gay people\u2019s sex lives? As if there is some sordid history of Disney cartoon characters having sex on screen. I would call Ted Cruz shameless, but that would indicate he was capable of feeling embarrassed about his stupidity.https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1516479742077280262\u00a0\u2026— Jemele Hill (@Jemele Hill) 1650429067
All comments like this do is tell on the person making them. As the host says, "Thank you for that image, Senator."https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1516479742077280262\u00a0\u2026— James Surowiecki (@James Surowiecki) 1650426294
This man is openly fetishizing childrens\u2019 cartoon characters in public and they\u2019ll still say gay people are the ones telling your kids weird stuffhttps://twitter.com/therecount/status/1516479742077280262\u00a0\u2026— Kat Tenbarge (@Kat Tenbarge) 1650398359
It is crushingly depressing to think, to know, to behold fellow humans speaking of other humans as if they are less than human, and joking and being applauded. This man who so often invokes Jesus\u2014there seems no love in this man\u2019s heart, only the emptiness of self.https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1516479742077280262\u00a0\u2026— \ud835\ude7c\ud835\ude8a\ud835\udea1\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude96\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude95\ud835\ude95\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude97 \ud835\ude7f\ud835\ude98\ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9b (@\ud835\ude7c\ud835\ude8a\ud835\udea1\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude96\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude95\ud835\ude95\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude97 \ud835\ude7f\ud835\ude98\ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9b) 1650400496
That's not being gay, that's just being a zoophilehttps://twitter.com/therecount/status/1516479742077280262\u00a0\u2026— \u2615LoZza\u2615 (@\u2615LoZza\u2615) 1650402861
To recap, Sweaty Teddy concocted a thing that is not happening (sex between Pluto and Mickey) and then claimed it was indicative of how inappropriate Disney has become. \n\nhttps://twitter.com/therecount/status/1516479742077280262?s=21&t=mLYNtn0IildWAjMN0u2feA\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/ojxLwk0iaM— Popehat Name Change Tracker (@Popehat Name Change Tracker) 1650406942
They sexualize everything and it\u2019s honestly disturbing.https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1516479742077280262\u00a0\u2026— Brandon Wolf (@Brandon Wolf) 1650423933
This is where Ted Cruz\u2019s mind goes when he thinks of gay people. Says a lot about him.https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1516479742077280262\u00a0\u2026— Eric Rosswood (@Eric Rosswood) 1650424479
I "love" how he not only said "Mickey and GOOFY will go at it".\n\nNo,\n\nHe went STRAIGHT for Pluto, Mickey's pet dog, because why not just drop all pretense and throw in "zoophile" in the list of disgusting things to compare LGBTQ people with.https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1516479742077280262\u00a0\u2026— \ud83d\udc31\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 Hugo the Pink Cat \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc31 (@\ud83d\udc31\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 Hugo the Pink Cat \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc31) 1650405893
Last month, Disney heir Abigail Disney criticized the corporation amid reports the entertainment company donated to politicians who supported the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
Current Disney Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bob Chapek had not spoken out against the lesgislation, a sharp contrast from former Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger, who retweeted President Joe Biden’s criticism of the “hateful bill.”
Geoff Morrell, a former George W. Bush appointee to the Defense Department who now works as the Disney Corporation's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, defended Chapek's silence, saying he simply desired both to keep his personal political affiliations private and for the Disney Corporation to remain apolitical.
That defense did not satisfy Disney fans or employees, who criticized the company's stance until the backlash forced the company to pivot.