March 11, 2010 02:24 AM UTC

At Least He's Not Your State Legislator (Republicans actually still hate gays edition)

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• by: Jersey Transplant

okay.

okay.

what the fuck.

so it seems that Florida State Rep. Stephen “Huge Douchebag” Precourt has introduced a bill into the Florida state legislature that would ban shows with gay characters from receiving a nice tax credit which most (if not all) of the state’s film production companies currently get.  

Movies and TV shows with gay characters could be ineligible for a “family-friendly” tax credit in Florida under a little-noticed provision tucked into a $75 million incentive package that Republican House leaders hope will attract film and entertainment jobs to the state.

The bill would prohibit productions with “nontraditional family values” from receiving a so-called family-friendly tax credit. But it doesn’t define what “nontraditional family values” are, something the bill’s sponsor had a hard time doing, too.

“Think of it as like Mayberry,” state Rep. Stephen Precourt, R-Orlando, said, referring to The Andy Griffith Show. “That’s when I grew up – the ’60s. That’s what life was like. I want Florida to be known for making those kinds of movies: Disney movies for kids and all that stuff. Like it used to be, you know?”

this is completely fucking nuts.  it took Disney half a century to include any princesses who weren’t white, and now this shit?  give me a fucking break.

Precourt, whose district includes Walt Disney World, said he was not targeting the gay community by including the term “nontraditional family values” in his bill. But when asked if shows with gay characters should get the tax credit, he said, “That would not be the kind of thing I’d say that we want to invest public dollars in.”

The bill (HB 697) is a priority for the Republican House majority, whose leaders have identified tax cuts as the means for achieving their top goal of the 60-day legislative session: job creation.

It was approved unanimously on Wednesday in the first meeting this session of the House Economic Development Policy Committee. If it passes the House Finance and Tax Council, the bill would consume almost all of the $88 million that House Speaker Larry Cretul gave the council to spend on tax cuts this year.

Thoughts?  Opinions?  Guns & Ammo?

How do we feel about balancing the Florida budget on the (broke)backs of gay-friendly, progressive television shows?