Florida teacher ‘accused of indoctrination after screening of Disney movie with gay character’ | outside

The umbrella school district of Hernando County confirmed to US media that an investigation had been launched with a teacher following a complaint from a parent, who is said to be a member of the school board. This mother believes that Barbie students are too young to shoot the computer-animated movie Strange World.

Strange World is a 2022 Disney science fiction film about the Clades family, consisting of explorers searching for an unknown world. Disney also introduced an openly gay character for the first time. Ethan Clyde is actually in love with another male character, also voiced by Jabuki Young White, an American comedian who loves men.

Barbie, who teaches at Winding Waters K-8, says she chose the movie because it would fit with the geography and ecosystems. The teacher also requested pre-signed permission forms from parents to show her students films that required parental explanation – similar to our 12 plus or 16 plus warning labels.

All the fuss is about a hotly contested education bill that Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law in March of last year. The Don’t Call Gay Act – as opponents renamed it – initially prohibited the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity to students under the age of 10 from now on. Recently, the controversial law has been expanded even further to cover all age groups, including those with secondary education. Including 11-12-year-olds taught by Barbie, but the teacher said she didn’t know. Teachers who break the law can be suspended and even lose their teaching license.

“I’m not going to indoctrinate anyone into enforcing my own beliefs,” Barbie said in the six-minute video on TikTok. “However, I will always be someone you can trust and spread a message of kindness, positivity, and compassion to everyone.”

The school district has announced that it will no longer show the animated film at school in the future. CNN was able to access a letter to parents indicating that the school district is “investigating the matter to see if further corrective action is necessary.” According to Barbie, the children were taken out of class and questioned about the movie. “Any idea what kind of shock this will cause for some of the students?” says Barbie on TikTok.

Disney itself strongly opposed Ron DeSantis’ decision, which led to a bitter battle between the governor and Florida’s largest employer. Disney brought Ron DeSantis to court last month, after which DeSantis did the same with the US entertainment giant.