A big amen to Pete Werner!

[WebmasterPete]

Actually, I attended the year before last (and vowed it would be my last time), and last year, I was at the host hotel for another event. If the hotel was blocked to all but gay days participants, there were some in that hotel last year that missed the memo. I saw several families that were clearly not part of the 'festivities', one of whom was at the front desk demanding they be moved to another hotel.

Whatever I wrote or mentioned in the article, I witnessed myself. My personal opinion is this: If you need to make a spectacle of being gay in the Magic Kingdom, you have other issues. A gay pride parade is one thing, gay pride itself is one thing, but there is room for pride and respect to co-exist, and I'm sorry, but I don't see much evidence of that thinking in gay days. For any of us to look at only our side of this issue is narrow minded. This is NOT the same thing as a gay pride parade down 5th avenue in New York ( a parade that I marched in for many years). As a matter of fact this event, in my opinion, has nothing to do with Gay Pride.

This all begs the question, why Disney? Why not Universal - a resort that has positioned itself as a more adult-oriented destination? Universal pushes the boundaries of theme park entertainment regularly (anyone been to Haloween Horror Nights?) Why? It's not quite as shocking - it's not quite as 'in your face' as having the event at Disney, and that's where they lose my support.

In the coming weeks we will be giving equal time on the site to a representative from GayDays.com, something I honestly should have done last year in an effort to be more fair. I'll be sure to let everyone know when that interview goes up.

Pete

 

[SeattleRedBear]

In the coming weeks we will be giving equal time on the site to a representative from GayDays.com, something I honestly should have done last year in an effort to be more fair. I'll be sure to let everyone know when that interview goes up.Pete

Pete -- Thanks much for your message and for providing an opportunity for a gaydays representative to provide information. I haven't been to either event (WDW or DL so I know, I shouldn't be talking) but from my understanding the DL event is more low-key and not as 'in your face' as you've experienced. You might consider heading to California in October if you're still interested in attending a gay disney event.

It's a shame that so often the media chooses the most extreme images of a community to present. You could have a 100-unit pride parade with only one float with drag queens on it, but guess which float they'll show on the local news?!

(Edited to add: And I'm not dissing drag queens! I love drag queens! Some of my best friends....uh, never mind! My only point is that the media reinforces existing stereotypes of most minorities. BTW, has anyone seen Carlos Mencia? I think he's absolutely hysterical and pretty much spot on, only occasionally going to far).