Gay Days. An interesting topic that can often cause interesting discussion.
Note that I'm one person. So my views are my own, and this is a subject that will create a thousand variations on each opinion. A lot of this has to do with how your raise your kids, what can and can't cause you discomfort, and the curiosity of your kids.
I find Gay Days to have no affect on me accept to cause me to avoid MK on Saturdays, something I normally do. But to answer the "tough questions," yes there will be people of the same sex expressing affection for each other, yes PI will turn into an alternative lifestyle convention Friday and Saturday night, and yes, your children will probably see a thing or two (but not much more) you may have to explain.
Personally, I couldn't give a darn who's holding hands. I've never seen any couple of hetero or homosexual nature going "too far" in the parks. I'd be just as offended by a straight couple carrying on in Ariel's Grotto as a gay couple. But you don't see it. Yes, people hold hands, smooch, whatever. It doesn't phase me, and I hope if I smooch my wife it doesn't phase them. It may phase you. It may phase your kids. It may not. That's your call, and I don't judge it either way. But honestly, that's about the extent of what you'll have to "deal with."
PI on Friday and Saturday night is a different story. I'd just say, simply, don't take your kids there while Gay Days are in play. People are drinking, dancing, and hooking up. 'Nuff said.
All in all, my main opinion of Gay Days and how it affects the parks is that most of the participants seem younger. That, more than any sexual affiliation, seems to affect things. People in their twenties are loud and less aware of their affect on others. I've been during a "spring break" week and it was somewhat the same affect.
Tips: avoid MK on Saturday at all costs, but also look on
www.gaydays.com and see their schedule. Simply avoid the specified park on a given day. The majority of the participants will head to this park, as the whole event is a chance for them to be with people they perceive as like-minded. I've found Epcot on Saturday during Gay Days to be a joy, the crowds can get so light.
Also, don't wear red. Right or wrong, wearing a red shirt is a person's way of declaring themselves a Gay Day participant. FYI, I wear the shirt I had laid out that day, I don't care how I'm perceived. But you may want to keep that in mind.
Finally, if you decide to go, relax! I think of it this way. When I go to the parks any other time, 10% of the crowd is Gay. That percentage just bumps up during Gay Days. The parks can, and will, put the squash on anyone getting "out of hand," just like they'd do to me if I got ridiculous with my wife in the middle of the park, or got loaded in Epcot and started annoying people. All that said, only you can decide if there are issues you'd rather not raise with your children.
An afterthought: if I were you, I'd go. But if you decided to wait until September, what a great time to be in Disney....
I hope that helps. There are a lot of 'opinions' about Gay Days, I'm trying to stay away from that and simply regurgitate what I've seen.
Pat
