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Honest question about Gay Day

disneymom72

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
We are planning a trip to DW the last week of May-first few days of June. Has anyone been to DW during Gay Day/Week? We will be bringing our children and are wondering what they will be exposed to. I have heard everything from mild to extreme and am just looking for an honest opinion from someone that has been there during this time.
 
I have been several times on Gay Day and we didn't see anything wrong. If you are concerned just don't go to MK that day. The other parks are just fine.
 
disneymom72 said:
We are planning a trip to DW the last week of May-first few days of June. Has anyone been to DW during Gay Day/Week? We will be bringing our children and are wondering what they will be exposed to. I have heard everything from mild to extreme and am just looking for an honest opinion from someone that has been there during this time.


Well honestly I think it would be fine. However, I think Pete (the site's webmaster) said it best, with his heart-felt write-up that he did maybe nearly a year ago (I dont remember when and wish I could find it for linking).

He mentioned how it generally is very safe for the family but that some take it to the extreme. So while it's family-safe, dont be surprised to see some things that may be "foriegn" to you or your family.

Pete is gay and I felt it was probably one of the most heart-felt and honest write-ups I've ever read. I gained alot of respect for him through it, even though I dont even know him.

Does anyone have a link to the story? I dont even know if it still exists.
 


I too appreciate (and agree with) what Pete wrote. I also think people of every sort would find a lot more tolerance if they avoided the "in your face" behavior that is sometimes displayed in public. I do not care what people do in their own homes etc but don't want my kids watching anyone making out in public (straight or gay) and especially not in Disney World. It kind of tarnishes the magic of the place if you know what I mean.

To the original poster, we will also be in WDW during that time this year and just plan to stay out of the parks specified as the parks for the Gay Day crowd. I think by doing that you probably will not have a problem.
Enjoy your vacation. :thumbsup2
 
I will preface this by saying that we have taught our children tolerance since they were itty bitty and they would not bat an eye if they saw a gay couple. However, we are going the first week in June and will be avoiding the designated Gay Day park of the day. This is soley to avoid more crowds.

I agree with Pete though, I don't appreciate *any huge, dramatic public showing of affection from any combination of gender. A quick, loving kiss...fine...groping and tongues...not so much!
 
We have been there during Gay Days and I didn't notice anything but that it was MUCH more crowded. I was aware what days were "official" days at each park so we avoided those parks because the crowds were significantly larger.

I don't personally remember any behavior that bothered me and I completely DETEST PDA....Public displays of affection.....I don't even like when the groom kisses the bride for longer than 3 seconds at a wedding, so I believe I would have noticed anything over the top, and I didn't.

Have Fun
 


I've been there during Gay Pride Week every year for years and years and never once saw anything my children wouldn't see at the local mall. Actually, much LESS than what they'd see at the mall.

Pleasure Island is a different story, later in the evening. But I would assume you're not taking children there anyway.

Go. Have fun. Avoid MK on Saturday because it will be crowded. And if you see something that upsets you, just look the other way. The children are probably going to be too interested in everything else to worry about things that might get their folks worked up. ;)
 
I have also been to the WDW parks during Gay Days and saw nothing objectionable. I do avoid MK on the rally day just because the crowd is huge there that day. I took my DD when she was young and she never noticed a thing.
 
I have also been there during GD's and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I think that the early days were bad but it has gotten undercontrol. Yes, we saw many gay couples but they were acting no different than any of the rest of us.
 
We were there a few days ago during this time and like others, we simply avoided the specified park of the day, primarily to avoid the crowds. On the MK day, we were in Epcot and it was obvious that some who were there for the special occasion decided to go to Epcot as well, probably for the same reasons, to avoid the crowds.

We saw/heard nothing inappropriate with the exception of some foul language when we were passing a small group.

If you are avoiding the park of the day and Pleasure Island, I doubt you'll notice anything different at all 99% of the time.
 
We went a few years ago and had no idea it was during gay day. Did not see anything out of the ordinary at the parks or at the hotel. If it wasn't for the news coverage of the protests and the planes flying over with banners offering cures for homosexuality we probably would not have really noticed.
 
jpolak said:
We went a few years ago and had no idea it was during gay day. Did not see anything out of the ordinary at the parks or at the hotel. If it wasn't for the news coverage of the protests and the planes flying over with banners offering cures for homosexuality we probably would not have really noticed.

:rotfl2:

I agree - the event as an entity of its own is nothing to be worried about. But just with any mass gathering of humans, there will be a few sour grapes that will do everything in their will to make their sexual orientation painfully obvious. I'm gay but (fortunately, IMHO) not one of these people. I don't appreciate objectionable sexual activity in public, hetero or homosexual.

I should be fair though and point out that many people see 'flaunting' their sexuality as a rite of passage and a progression towards civil rights. The common perception of a gay flamer is skewed slightly because some things that some homosexuals see as heterosexual flaming (like wedding rings) are commonly accepted.

I don't like to spend time with people of that um, variety - but that's because I personally think they counteract the fight for equality. This is just me, though, and others will disagree.

Basically, don't be surprised if you see some fondling that may not be child-friendly. (Of course, you'll see this among heterosexuals too, gay days or not). But as a whole, gay days is fine.

And keep in mind that exposing children to diversity at a young age can be very beneficial to promoting tolerance throughout their growth and adulthood. A tasteful amount of PDA every once in a while may not be a bad thing.
 
Thanks for all the info! I am looking forward to our trip more than ever now! I know this is a touchy subject (no pun intended) for some people and I am so glad my concerns were not misunderstood. In reality, the kids will probably be so enthralled an asteroid could land nearby and they wouldn't notice. :)
 
If you look for it, you will find it- even when it is not "Gay Days". Disney is a very popular place for GLBT couples to visit because of the percieved tolerance- and of course a significant proportion of CMs are gay. DH and I saw just as many same-sex couples in January as we saw the first week of June. The difference was mainly age- older couples and families with kids in January, younger couples in June. We never saw anything beyond hand-holding at any time. Teenaged hetero couples are far worse with the PDA's IMO! ;)
 
Took DS11 & DS8 for Star Wars Weekend the 1st weekend of June.

The only question I had to answer was "Why are so many people wearing red shirts?" & "Hey look! There's the red shirt group again"
 
I have been there several times during Gay Days. I never really saw anything out of the ordinary--except a couple at Epcot--rather "frisky!" Way too much PDA!! :blush: BUT--they were not gay! It was a hetero couple. I couldn't get away from them fast enough! :moped:


I would not hesitate to return during this timeframe.
 
Alls I can say is:

Don't where a red shirt on a "Gay Day".

That is the unofficial designation that you are gay. My husband was out at DL one day while on a business trip, and just happened to wear a red shirt. He got some "inquiries"...and then quickly bought a new shirt!
 
I was there two years ago during Gay Days and didn't notice anything objectionable. I also didn't think the crowds were too bad, either. The only time I noticed anything was at Pleasure Island at nights where there were a lot of groping and PDA's, and just in general a lot of in-your-face 'friskiness'.
 
Anybody know where a list can be found on which park is the featured park during this time period? We will be in the world May 30-June 2.
 

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