Castle Suite on Gay Day

[mikelan6]

I received an email from WDW yesterday announcing their "Disney Night of a Lifetime Giveaway" exclusively for travel agents. Basically, for every booking a travel agent makes in the month of March, they can enter into a sweepstakes for a WDW vacation, including a night at the castle. Another prize is also a night at the Mickey Mouse suite at the Disneyland Hotel on June 23rd.

What I found interesting when reading the rules was that the night at the castle MUST be take on June 2, 2007. It so happens that June 2nd is Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom!

Coincidence? I don't think so. Are they trying to shield a "regular" family from having to be at the park on Gay Day? Or worse, are they trying to keep a Gay family from staying at the Castle Suite that night in case one of us happens to be a winner that night?

What are your thoughts?

[NewJersey]

I have to disagree. There will be loads of families in Disney and the MK that day, and Disney can't really do anything to prevent that. I don't see this as a swipe at gays or anything..I just think its a neat contest.

[mikelan6]

Personally, I hope that more than one gay family DOES win a night (or more) at the castle suite and that Disney takes advantage of this by publishing this in gay (and straight) magazines and other media.

[LukenDC]

The criteria for awarding the Castle Suite stay throughout the Year of a Million Dreams is very objective. For example, they may decide in advance that they will select the individual sitting in the far left back row of Muppets at 11:33 AM. The sexual orientation of the winners is not a factor at all and would not be known in advance of the selection.

[CanadianGuy]

There is a contest for Canadians where the winner gets a night in the castle and then a night in the Penthouse in CA sometime in July .. so obviously nobody is going to win in either location for those nights either.

And its' worth noting the gay days event goes on all that week at WDW parks.. And so a gay person could just as easily win the castle stay on Tues, Wed, Thurs, Friday or Sunday.

J

[decerbod]

Even though the winner is selected randomly there will not be a night awarded to a guest/family that enters on June 2nd the day when an overwhelmingly number of LGBT guests/familys are congregating in MK or the other parks.

LGBT people give the WDCompany millions of our dollars a year. This is just another crappy thing the WDW Resort has done on GayDays. Similar to years ago when they put up signs at the gate that warned guests "there will be homosexuals in the park today."

This sort of thing makes me totally ashamed for giving them thousands of dollars a year of vacation money.

[mickeyfan1]

No doubt many people can look at this as a conspiracy.

Perhaps the travel agent that wins will be homosexual. Would that make everyone happy?

[DVC~OKW~96]

I'm more than a little lost. I'm not seeing how this is an anti-gay anything? :confused:

[CanadianGuy]

Since many gays are there.. on the days I noted above.. i'd say the odds are remarkably high that a gay will win at least ONE day that week.. does it HAVE to be Saturday?

J

[singingpixie]

I'm wondering if maybe some people are assuming that the winner for the night in the Cinderella suite each day has to be in the MK- s/he doesn't. The randomly selected criteria (such as 10:02AM, Goofy's Barnstormer, 2nd Row, Right Seat) could easily denote a location in any park. I have no idea what days are designated for what parks that week, but lets say that Epcot is the designated park for thursday- on Thursday, the computer may spit out that someone on Maelstrom would win the night in the suite, so that person could very likely be a gay person. I truly doubt that there is any sort of conspiracy, since there's a whole week of prizes to give out, and only one of them is taken up by the contest.

[starbox]

The very first winners of the Castle stay were a gay couple. It was not a big deal and Disney had no problem awarding the prize.

[CanadianGuy]

If the entire WEEK were blocked out for some reason -- that would be suspicious... one day -- I think it's merely coincidence.

J

[Viki]

The very first winners of the Castle stay were a gay couple. It was not a big deal and Disney had no problem awarding the prize.

Is this right? Is there a TR of this or some sort of write up? I'd love to read! :thumbsup2

[Boston5602]

that they will select the individual sitting in the far left back row of Muppets at 11:33 AM. on Thursday May 31st during Gay Days , The sexual orientation of the winners is not a factor at all and would not be known in advance of the selection.


" above quoted and edited "


I volunteer to be the winner at 11:33am enjoying the Muppets.

[starbox]

Is this right? Is there a TR of this or some sort of write up? I'd love to read! :thumbsup2

From what I understand, it was covered in the Castmember newsletter. Here's the quote where I found the information in a comment about an article questioning the potential bias of the Castle Stay selection process.
http://www.thedisneyblog.com/tdb/2007/01/first_night_in_.html#comment-28277690
(the same group and process part refers to the random selection method being used with major YOMD prizes):

"In case you're still doubting, a Cast Member family recently won a large prize as part of the cast "Magic Backstage" program facilitated by the same group using the same process. There was a very nice writeup in Eyes and Ears about the parents and child enjoying their prize. There was no overt emphasis on the fact that both parents were women."

I'm guessing that CM's have access to the full story. I think it's very neat that they awarded a big prize to this family. :goodvibes :thumbsup2

[Tony-NJ]

I'm more than a little lost. I'm not seeing how this is an anti-gay anything? :confused:


ditto...??? :confused3

[ConcKahuna]

Maybe this is to get travel agents to view Gaydays in a better light? I've met people who had travel agents tell them "Oh don't got then, it's Gayday!" Maybe getting a TA to go and see that the park is pretty much normal is Disney trying to give some good PR?

[mickeyfan1]

Maybe this is to get travel agents to view Gaydays in a better light? I've met people who had travel agents tell them "Oh don't got then, it's Gayday!" Maybe getting a TA to go and see that the park is pretty much normal is Disney trying to give some good PR?

Good thinking!

[exDS vet]

Most people don't view as anti-gay or anti anything. I'm living proof that there are many people in positions of power within Disney that are, in fact anti-gay. You can cite many of the things the company has done in the past to prove this. Such as booting a same sex couple from a Tomorrowland dance floor at DL because they were dancing together.

I had a great job as the Store Manage for the Disney Store on Pier 39 in San Francisco. My district manager loved me until she found out that I was gay. It was not anything that I hid from her. She just never bothered to take any interest in me or my life. I thought it was the professional separation that forced her to be this way.

In July of 2001 she gave me a wonderful review and said how much she enjoyed having me on her team. Called me the perfect fit for Disney and said I would go far with the company. A few weeks later, I mentioned my partner at a meeting with her and other managers (one of those "everything said here is confidential" meetings), and everything changed.

I found out from a fellow manager that she was asking them after the meeting if I that meant I was gay. They said yes, because they didn't think it was a big deal.

From that day on, her behavior towards me changed. She made up reasons to write me up, threaten my job, turn her boss against me, and eventually fired me. I got to see the ugly side of her, and the ugly side of Disney. When I lost my job, I was blacklisted. The managers who were my friends would not talk to me out of fear for their jobs. My Cast Members, who I was very close to were also warned not to have contact with me or they would pay a price. Human Resourses sided with her and the regional director for a while.

I was a great manager (she even said so), but the fact that I was gay was something that she could not handle, and she got rid of me because of it.

I was once a Disney cheerleader like thousands of people, many of whom use these boards. But like thousands more, I have personally experienced the dark side of the Walt Disney Company. Even with the perks that came as a Disney manager, I spent thousands of dollars on their product. Today I am a different person. I am a better person because of what happend. I have moved on and hold no grudges against Disney for what they did to me. They are what they are.

But I am now free to be critical of Disney because I have been privy to the inner-working of the company from many different angles. I visit the parks on occasion, and for me, that is where my interest in the company ends.

For those of you who don't see how Disney could be "anti-gay", you're not supposed to see it. They hide it very well, as do most companies with similar views. But all I would ask is that you don't go around singing praises for a company that you know very little about. They don't sing yours.

[ConcKahuna]

I really think basing an opinion of a company on one person is a huge mistake. Disney as a company is very gay-friendly. Does that mean all the employees and managers are? No. They are people, and though it may sound strange, people sometimes have different ideals. Walt Disney himself was against large people working for Disney. Even until the 80's, cast members could not be above a size 10 or so if they were women, and men could not be above a 34" waist. The Disney company refused to stock "costumes" larger than that, since bigger people would ruin the appearance of a "perfect world."

The truth is, the Walt Disney company is very gay-friendly. They even have their own webzine, www.gaywebmonkey.com (run by Hyperion Interactive Media, a Disney subsidary). Yes, you still may encounter homophobic people, but that is bound to happen in a company that employes hundreds of thousands of people.

[CanadianGuy]

I gotta go with Conc on this one.. you had a bad experience.. that doesn't mean everyone does.

But I have personally known 10 or 12 gay people .. who worked at the parks, in imagineering, in graphic design and web development etc for the Disney corp.

I myself worked for them briefly in Burbank in Web Development. And they hired me knowing I was gay. It came up in the interview because of some stuff on my resume. In the end, I didn't stay there very long because my old employer (NBC) really wanted me back and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. But I can't complain at all about how I was treated in my brief employment.

Now.. Yes, I'm gay.. but the gay folks I knew in those other divisions loved it.. they were part of what convinced me to join the company. This is post 1995 mind you. And its worth noting that just because they had good experiences.. that doesn't mean that every gay employee does these days. I'm sure its a mix... just like any large company.

J

[yellowfish78]

AAA travel agents participated in a contest like this one during the month of January (because it's Disney Month with them) and Disney gave away three different nights to three different agents the week after Easter...which is still spring break for many people. I agree with quite a few people here that it's just the date they picked - probably two years ago at that when they were still dreaming this up.

[RickinNYC]

Like others, I fail to see the anti-gay sentiment to the OP's concerns.

As for exDS Vet's situation, I'm sorry you went through that. Homophobic individuals absolutely do exist. It's a sad statement of fact that we're in the 21st century and there are still shallow minded bigots walking this earth. They truly baffle me. I find them very sad little creatures quite frankly.

Nevertheless, I completely agree with Conc on his/her opinion in that Disney the company can't be judged by the actions of one pathetic individual. The same can be said for every progressive, forward thinking mega corporation that willingly and knowingly protects the rights of all employees. There is always going to be one sanctimonious person who will still use his/her authority to wield their "moral police" banner much like your own situation.

As for exDS Vet's mentioning of DL forcing a gay couple from dancing publically, that is indeed true, it happened. But it happened about 20-25 years ago. The couple in question sued and won, Disney the corporation made a public apology and has since moved forward from that mistake. They have grown and matured and are quite the advocate of equality in human rights. I wouldn't spend a dime on them otherwise.

[exDS vet]

I don't mind sharing my story if it sheds light on some of the inner workings at Disney. The company is huge, and who's to say what goes on in other business divisions. I am sure there are areas within the company that are inclusive. What is sad is that the company as a whole does nothing to embrace diversity of any kind. They may talk the talk, but they don't walk the talk.

I have never known the Walt Disney Company to have any real values. Another company that I worked for (before and after Disney) was Starbucks. This is a great company. They embrace diversity not just on a daily basis, but as a way of doing buisness, as it is stated in their Mission Statement. You can see it everyday as a customer or as a partner. Having values is what makes good companies great companies. Unfortunately in this area, Disney has a great deal to learn.

The OP on this thread questioned whether Disney was deliberately not giving away a castle stay on the busiest day during "gay days" because they didn't want to risk awarding the stay to a gay family. I think this is entirely possible. But perhaps Disney also doesn't want to catch grief for not picking a gay family during "gay days". This is a "damned if we do, damned if we don't" situation.

On one side you have the gay community who may react negatively if the average white, hetero family won the castle stay on "gay day". On the other hand you have the religious right, rednecks and other homophobes who would be furious knowing that Tom and Sam or Sherry and Mary and their kids spent a night in Cinderella's Castle. Imagine what Bill O'Reilly would say. So Disney does what is "safest" and decides not to give away the stay on that day, and everyone is happy. Right?

So maybe Disney is not anti-gay or anti-anything. Believe what you wish. I believe that they (Disney) would never select a gay family for this prize on Gay Day or any day. They won't risk the negative PR, which would mean to me that they don't support or recognize our community. I would love to be proven wrong on this. Especially if one of the earlier replies about the first castle stay being awarded to a gay family was true. Somehow I must doubt that though.

[ConcKahuna]

Wow, I had heard working at the Disney Stores was nothing like working for "real Disney," but I wouldn't have thought it would make someone so bitter. Disney does a LOT as a company to be inclusive and celebrate Diversity. At Walt Disney World they have several diversity resource groups that cast can join to meet with people who have similar backgrounds and interests, as well as to help educate other cast members. These groups are PRIDE (the gay group), HOLA (for people of hispanic heritage), PULSE (for people of african-american heritage), COMPASS (Asian-pacific), FAMILIES (for people with families), and CastABLE. Disney fully funds these groups, as well as any events they might have (like the PRIDE float in the Orlando gay pride parade every year), and to have special speakers from throughout the community (including the occasional celebrity) come speak about diversity.

The average day guest might not see any of this, but trust me, diversity is a big part of Disney.

[OrlandoMike]

The average day guest might not see any of this, but trust me, diversity is a big part of Disney.


I couldn't agree more! :thumbsup2

[RickinNYC]

I couldn't agree more! :thumbsup2

Likewise. I have a handful of friends who work(ed) at Disney World, some gay, some not. I asked them about Disney's acceptance issues and they told me time and again that it wasn't any issue at all. I trust their answer.

I don't mean to diminish anyone else's experience at all. Just my own perception.

[exDS vet]

Wow, I had heard working at the Disney Stores was nothing like working for "real Disney," but I wouldn't have thought it would make someone so bitter.

Unfortunately there are two things wrong with this comment. First and foremost, I can't and won't allow Disney to make me bitter. What happened to me happened over 5 years ago. Was I bitter then? Of course. Who wouldn't be? But after my district manager and regional director lost their jobs, I was able to find closure. Fortunately that was six months after I was fired. I am no longer the fan of "all things Disney" I once was for a variety of reasons. I am also outspoken and at times, very critical of the company. This is because I am one of those "Disney purists" so many people like to flame on these boards. I would respectfully ask that you don't label my criticism of the company as bitterness. It is simply not the case.

Secondly, when I worked for TDS, it was the "real Disney". And it didn't get much more "real" than my store, which was only the second TDS built. This was before the stores fell apart and before TCP took them over. Part of my new "outlook" on Disney came from watching the path it began taking while I worked there. You can learn an awful lot about a company when you are in a management position AND you are a big fan (purist).

Finally, my store closed three months after I was let go. I can safely say that had I not been fired, and had I been placed in a different store after the Pier 39 store closed down, I probably would not have lasted another year at the company.

[cindysteve]

Good thinking!

Maybe this is to get travel agents to view Gaydays in a better light? I've met people who had travel agents tell them "Oh don't got then, it's Gayday!" Maybe getting a TA to go and see that the park is pretty much normal is Disney trying to give some good PR?

Let me start by saying I am not a TA, gay or anti-gay (just letting you know for perspective). I have been to WDW during gay-days, and will be there for 2 weeks with my kids again this year overlapping gay-days. The only thing I had an issue with, and may be what has sparked an issue with families and gay-days) was the number of couples that took the freedom of being in a gay-friendly/dominated environment too far and had "PDA's" that were beyond what my kids should be seing in any public environment (for example, you don't put your hands in someone's pants in an amusement park- gay or straight). There was a disportionate amount of "not in front of MY kids" kind of PDA going on. My kids are a bit older now (will be 11 and 12 for this trip) but still to young to be watching that activity from gay or straight couples.
We also had an isolated incident where a guy burned my kids hand (not badly) with a cigarette (walking back to the CR from the MK) and when my husband yelled at him to be careful, his BF went off about all the kids that were there and blamed my son.
I guess I'm trying to say that the problem for some families and TA's may be more complicated than it seems on the surface.

[cindysteve]

sorry, button cliced twice by accident

[bytheblood]

Just a small interjection/reminder to several of the posts here: :) :hug:

Disney does not sponsor gay days. This is not the same as Pop Warner, MVMCP or anything of the like.

This would lead me to believe that Disney isn't intentionally seeking out or not seeking out a homosexual couple to stay in the castle. ;)

[mikelan6]

Just to update everyone, the award night for travel agents has been changed to July 21st, so now everyone in the park will have a chance!

Good luck everyone.

[Viki]

Just to update everyone, the award night for travel agents has been changed to July 21st, so now everyone in the park will have a chance!

Good luck everyone.

Is that right? Wow ...:thumbsup2