“A Sexual Festival”: Governor DeSantis Defends Disney World Funding, Condemns Arts

The total defunding of all public art in Florida has been met with public outrage, but Governor Ron DeSantis has a bizarre reason why taxpayer money should be going to massive Disney World projects and not museums, galleries, zoos, orchestras, festivals, and cultural organizations of all kinds. According to the politician, he’d rather the money go to the Mouse than a “sexual festival.”

It is a bewildering claim but not out of character for the far-right politician. Ron DeSantis has been known to make wild accusations in furthering his political agendas, like banning vegan food products from Disney World (and the rest of Florida), claiming he is “fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals.

Related: Illegal at Disney World: DeSantis Bans Balloons, Drinking Water, Vegan Food, and More

DeSantis has been a bill-signing tear in the last several months, authorizing nearly 200 bills as new laws before the end of his final term as governor. These have included new measures to make sure law enforcement has “peace of mind” over police brutality protests, preventing local governments from making sure workers have heat protections and adequate water during searing heat waves, and giving Floridians the right to shoot “crack bears” despite no evidence of significant wildlife attacks in the state.

Also, balloons are now forbidden by Governor DeSantis.

However, Ron DeSantis has not just been signing new bills into law, he has also been vetoing new measures. The most drastic of his veto decisions has been to defund all public arts programs in the state, effective as of July 1, 2024.

The current Florida budget comprises a total of $116.5 billion in state funding. That amount includes which will include funding to expand Disney World, refurbish the I4 highway that leads to it, and reduce gas prices, the governor vetoed nearly $1 billion of expenses, including over 600 art and culture projects and organizations he considered “not appropriate.”

This massive $32 million defunding veto has been met with heated protests from arts organizations and their supporters, particularly since all research shows that every dollar spent on arts funding in Florida produces nine dollars worth of additional spending and future tax revenue. Former Democratic state House member Carlos Guillermo Smith condemned the veto, saying, “The state has an overall nine-to-one return on investment from these grants that generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue and fuel our local economy…This isn’t smart and makes no sense.”

DeSantis deputy press secretary Julia Friedland released a statement in defense of the arts-crushing veto, saying:

“The governor views every bill and appropriation that comes across his desk and uses his authority under Florida Constitution to make veto decisions that are in the best interest of the state of Florida.”

Governor DeSantis has now explained himself further at a recent press conference, targeting a widely acclaimed arts organization as a “sex festival” unworthy of taxpayer funds.

Defending his controversial veto, Governor DeSantis specifically cited the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, the acclaimed and longest-running Fringe in the United States. The politician asserted he cut funding to completely unrelated organizations like the Florida Children’s Museum and ZooTampa at Lowry Park because:

“You have your tax dollars being given in grants to things like the Fringe Festival, which is like a sexual festival where they’re doing all this stuff…It’s like, how many of you think your tax dollars should go to fund that? Not very many people would do that.”

It is unclear what “all this stuff” means or why DeSantis would characterize the Orlando Fringe as a “sexual festival.” The Orlando Sentinel, in reviewing the festival, specifically stated, “Readers with delicate sensibilities, take note. Things can get sexual—but always for a good reason and maximum comic effect.”

Related: DeSantis Announces Support for Increased Drinking at Disney World

Orlando Fringe specifically states its inclusive and largely family-friendly atmosphere, describing itself:

“For 32 years, we’ve hosted our annual international theatre festival. For two weeks each May, we offer loads of live entertainment, unique theatre experiences, visual art displays, kid friendly shows and activities, and free outdoor concerts. It’s a full celebration of independent artists. It is the oldest Fringe Festival in the US and, with its lottery-based selection, offers a variety of experiences you won’t find anywhere else.”

Orlando Fringe Festival producer Tempestt Halstead condemned the governor’s statement, describing the festival as a scapegoat to justify his veto. Halstead said, “What DeSantis said about the Fringe Festival undermines the valuable work done by Orlando Fringe and the more than 200 other Fringe festivals worldwide. It’s clear he has never attended the Orlando Fringe or the three other Fringe festivals rooted in Florida.”

The producer continued, “His mischaracterization damages our reputation as a whole. Without a valid reason to veto all arts funding, he used Fringe as a scapegoat, which is both unjust and absurd.”

Others, like faith-based Baptist News Global‘s Mark Wingfield, cite DeSantis’ obsession with drag queens and moralizing, calling it “a safe bet this also has to do with DeSantis’ unhealthy obsession with drag performers. Among the 170 shows listed for this year’s Fringe Festival, a few involve burlesque…it’s like a father who punishes the entire family because he’s upset with one kid: “None of us will get to do to Disneyland because of what Ronny has done.”

At the same time that Governor DeSantis is trying to justify his unprecedented arts veto, his Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board of supervisors is bending over backward to make sure that Disney gets all the public funding it could need. The arts protests probably just got a lot more heated.

What do you think of DeSantis’ “sexual festival” remarks?