A Florida public school teacher said she was being investigated by the state for showing a Disney cartoon featuring a gay character to her students.
Jenna Barbee, a teacher at Winding Water School in Hernando County, said on TikTok that she was being investigated by the Florida Department of Education for putting the cartoon in the classroom.
“I am the teacher who is under investigation by the Florida Department of Education for ‘indoctrination,’ for showing a Disney movie,” Barbee said.
The teacher assured that the film material was related to the curriculum and to a lesson on the environment. She said that she had permission from her parents.
But the parent of a student sued her, she said, because the film features a gay character. The school district said the film will not be shown again.
“Yesterday, the Disney movie Strange World was displayed in his son’s classroom,” the school district said. “While not the main plot of the film, parts of the story involve a male character having and expressing feelings for another male character. In the future, this film will not be shown. School administration and the district’s Professional Standards Department are reviewing the matter to see if further corrective action is required.”
This problem is a result of new Florida laws that establish regulations about what can be taught in the classroom regarding sexuality and gender identity.
Disney was one of the companies that criticized the law passed in this regard by the state legislature, called by its opponents “Don’t Say Gay”, and which has sparked a high-profile dispute between the entertainment giant and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“This is the public education system, where students of all backgrounds, cultures and religions are welcome and should be celebrated and represented,” Barbee said. “I am not here, and I never will, to indoctrinate anyone into following my beliefs. However, I will always be a safe person to go to when it comes to spreading the message of kindness, positivity and compassion to all.”
