At the time he was promoting state legislation meant to prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity through the third grade, with limits on what teachers could say in front of older students.
In March, Disney became entangled in a heated dispute with the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. This year, another question arose: Would the anti-LGBTQ vitriol that has surrounded Disney in recent months spill over to Gay Days? The goings-on are not sanctioned by Disney but take place, in part, on Disney property? Adult attendees spend much of their time spinning in teacups and waving at Winnie the Pooh like everyone else … and then go carousing at private events that make Grindr look tame? I’m admittedly the uptight-soccer-dad variety of gay man, but the components did not seem to fit together. I had long heard stories about Gay Days, but I was confused about what it was. The planning is handled by private companies like One Magical Weekend, Gay Days Inc., and the lesbian-focused Girls in Wonderland.ĪLSO READ | Pride Month: ‘I was petrified thought I will be disowned’ There isn’t much the company could do anyway: For red shirt days, attendees buy tickets like anyone else. Incredible in a jock strap, $17.)ĭisney has never endorsed Gay Days, a version of which takes place in the fall at Disneyland in California. There is also a decidedly non-Disney-endorsed exposition where attendees can buy artwork depicting male Disney characters in various sexual scenarios. Gay Days soon expanded to other Disney World parks including Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and a number of adult-oriented events sprang up at non-Disney hotels in the area, including pool parties, dance nights and drag competitions. The four days annually that started in 1991 with just a smattering of gay adults took on new significance this year, when Disney was ensnared in a heated cultural debate. Outside a shop next to the Country Bears Jamboree attraction at this year’s gathering of LGBTQ visitors during what is informally known as Gay Days, at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., June 4, 2022. And, of course, ride Space Mountain and pose for photos with Aladdin. The idea was to be unabashedly themselves (safety in numbers) amid the Disney masses and to send the message that they, too, belonged in the realm. It started in 1991, when a smattering of gay adults - Disney obsessives all - used internet message boards to plan a gathering: Let’s buy tickets to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom theme parkon the first Saturday in June and wear red shirts in a display of unity. When using a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo check the safe search settings where you can exclude adult content sites from your search results Īsk your internet service provider if they offer additional filters īe responsible, know what your children are doing online.ALSO READ | LGBTQ Pride Month 2022: Know more about the history, meaning and importance Use family filters of your operating systems and/or browsers Other steps you can take to protect your children are: More information about the RTA Label and compatible services can be found here. Parental tools that are compatible with the RTA label will block access to this site. We use the "Restricted To Adults" (RTA) website label to better enable parental filtering. Protect your children from adult content and block access to this site by using parental controls. PARENTS, PLEASE BE ADVISED: If you are a parent, it is your responsibility to keep any age-restricted content from being displayed to your children or wards. Furthermore, you represent and warrant that you will not allow any minor access to this site or services. This website should only be accessed if you are at least 18 years old or of legal age to view such material in your local jurisdiction, whichever is greater. You are about to enter a website that contains explicit material (pornography).