He signed the classroom bill into law, then claimed a pound of flesh, revoking tax privileges the state had granted Disney more than a half century ago. Ron DeSantis, a Republican and would-be presidential contender, doubled down. It worked behind the scenes and refrained from public statements until late in the game, after LGBTQ employees and their allies protested that the bill would further marginalize their community.Īfter Disney spoke up, Florida Gov. chose to lobby quietly against a Florida bill that would ban classroom discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity. Now businesses find themselves squeezed between progressive demands and point-seeking politicians who have the power to cause pain. It was all sunshine and pride parades until employees, customers and investors started demanding proof to back up the promises - and conservatives started pushing back. They embraced racial and ethnic diversity and won plaudits. They touted their environmental bona fides and won plaudits.
In Colorado, a judge made headlines in 20 by ordering people who violated noise ordinances to listen, at high volume, to the music of Barry Manilow, Boy George and “Barney and Friends.” And before his retirement, an Ohio judge repeatedly doled out unusual punishments, such as giving a woman the choice to walk 30 miles or go to jail for 30 days for failing to pay a cab fare.Guests at watch a show in front of the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.ĭISNEY'S MOUSETRAP - For a while, maybe between the 2003 debut of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and a doomed 2016 bathroom law in North Carolina, corporations had a free ride when it came to social issues.Ĭompanies extended benefits to lesbian and gay couples and won plaudits.
A year later, a judge in Missouri ordered a man convicted of taking part in a poaching operation believed to have killed hundreds of deer to watch the 1942 Disney movie “Bambi” once a month for a year.
In 2017, instead of ordering community service, a Virginia judge sentenced five teenagers who defaced a historic Black schoolhouse to read books about the horrors of history, such as slavery and the Holocaust. Judge Suskauer’s order joins a long history of unorthodox orders by American judges who have tried to make defendants reflect on their actions with creative punishments. He added, “It will be interesting to see what the ultimate punishment is.” “I went in there prepared to be disappointed and I came out impressed,” he said about the hearing. Hoch said the essay assignment showed “the judge was taking it seriously and he is using this as a learning opportunity for the defendant.” Jerich for no less than a year, with probation of no less than five years and an order to stay away from the Pride intersection.īut in an interview on Tuesday, Mr. (The state attorney of Palm Beach County said last year that he would not file a hate crime charge because of the terms of Florida’s statute.) Rand Hoch, the president of a local rights group, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, said in court documents that the group was “outraged our community was victimized” by Mr. The mural’s defacing last year drew condemnation in South Florida, and some in the community called it a possible hate crime. Jerich, who the affidavit said was seen at the scene of the mural during a birthday rally for former President Donald J.
The affidavit said the truck’s license plate and an investigation led the authorities to Mr. Three days later, a police officer noticed the painting had been vandalized with “tire skid marks” that were “approximately 15 feet across the painting,” the officer noted in an arrest affidavit.Ī cellphone video submitted to the authorities showed a white pickup truck skidding sideways across the painting. Last June, the city of Delray Beach held a ribbon-cutting event to unveil a painting that covered an intersection with the colors of a Pride flag.
Jerich turned himself in to the police last June and pleaded guilty on March 1 to criminal mischief of over $1,000 and reckless driving causing damage to property.