She told families to expect to see "cross-dressing men parading public displays of perversion" during their visit. She encouraged families to re-think visiting Walt Disney World. Janet Porter, president of the Christian organization "Faith 2 Action", is highly critical of the event. The Florida Family Association flew banner planes one year warning families of gay events at Disney that weekend, citing emails from people nationwide who unknowingly booked their vacation during Gay Days. The Southern Baptist Convention boycotted Disney for eight years. While Disney does not sanction Gay Days (and officially tells employees to treat it as any other summer day), conservative Christian groups accuse Disney of not doing anything to stop the event. Gay Days have attracted criticism from religious groups. Ī local Doubletree resort has dubbed itself the "official" hotel for the event, with convention space rented to various businesses (bathroom remodelers, gourmet cooking suppliers, sex toys, etc.) and organizations (free health tests, vaccinations, etc.) pitching to attendees. Growth in attendance also reflects the growing number of LGBT families with children as well as increasing number of LGBT marriages, since Disney World is also a top honeymoon destination. The popularity of the event is seen by some attendees as a way of "reclaiming" normal joys of childhood lost to homophobia in their earlier years.
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As of 2010 approximately 150,000 LGBT people, their families, friends and supporters attended the six-day gathering (including various pool parties, conventions, festivals, a business expo, activities for kids, etc.) with 20,000 to 30,000 going to Disney on the final day. By 1995, the event had grown to 10,000 gays and lesbians traveling for the gay day at Disney. Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff is a popular selfie spot throughout the day.The first documented event, in June 1991, had 3,000 LGBTQ+ people from central Florida going to area theme parks on one day wearing red shirts to make their presence more visible.
#GAY PRIDE WEEK AT WALT DISNEY WORLD PLUS#
The DCA event usually involves more ride takeovers (Grizzly River Run, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Silly Symphony Swings) plus a group photo on Pixar Pier. If you are attending Gay Days at Walt Disney World, there are tons.
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Lunch normally takes place at four Disneyland restaurants: Plaza Inn, Alien Pizza Planet, Rancho del Zocalo and Hungry Bear. Gay Days Orlando is an annual event held as a vacation celebration for the LGBTQ community. The Disneyland event typically features a scavenger hunt, attraction takeovers on the Mark Twain Riverboat and at the Enchanted Tiki Room with a massive group photo in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
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Sunday is reserved for Disney California Adventure. The schedule has not been set yet for Gay Days 2021 - but past years serve as a guide for what to expect.įriday is arrival day. The official Gay Days Anaheim T-shirt in 2019 featured a Star Wars theme with a stormtrooper on the front and the slogan “May the Fierce Be With You.” A little-known event on Mardi Gras is the mini-parade through Disneys Port. The annual Gay Days Anaheim mix-in event brings a sea of red T-shirts every year to Disneyland and DCA. In 2023, the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend will be held January 5-8.