Gay Days at WDW

It comes down to your personal choice. If you have a moral problem with the homosexual lifestyle, or if you don't but do not want to have an indepth discussion with your children about homosexuality, then I would take the advise of some of the other posters and change your dates while you can.
 
Unless she is extremely sheltered, your 13 year old knows there are homosexuals in this world. And her classmates probably make out more at the football games than she will see at WDW.

A 3 year old sees nothing wrong in people being loving, and could really care less what other's are doing...they are self-centered little beings.
 
We were there for GayDays 2006 and the parks were the same to us. I would just do a different park due to the crowds.
 

We went on our honeymoon during this time and I think I would stay away from it again. I don't have a problem with people who have that life style but the people that were there were just wild and crazy and I would not want my kids to see that. When we were there people were acting like they were drunk and just not in a way that I would want my kids to see if I can avoid it.
 
Well...my family is going to be at WDW during the Gay Days. We live in the 'Bible Belt' in a small community and homosexuality is not something that is prevelant (or however you spell that!) around our area. But...in the real world (and yes, in the wonderful World of Disney also), homosexuality is a lifestyle that some people choose. Because we are already aware that this event will be taking place while we are there, my DH and I have already discussed with one another how we will answer questions that DD7 may ask. We have not, however, discussed any of this with her b/c we honestly don't think that she'll pay much attention to it. Like someone else said, children think that it's ok for everyone to be affectionate and friendly, so I don't imagine that she'll even notice.

My only concern about Gay Days is this....I don't understand the whole rainbow thing, but I think it's a symbol of homosexuality, right? Well...you know how little girls are! I'm thinking that if there's a rainbow Mickey or something, then she may want it. Is that going to be perceived wrong by anyone b/c I really don't want to have to tell her that she can't have rainbow things if that's the souvenior that she chooses.

OK....enough typing! It's been a long day!
 
I was there for Gay Days back in 2000 with my niece and nephew who were 5 and 7 at the time. We did see some same sex couples holding hands, but that was about it. My niece and nephew never even questioned it. I think we did find out which parks the organized activities were at and went to different parks on that day just to avoid any extra crowds. Personally, I wouldn't reschedule because of it.
 
We've been to WDW twice during this time. We didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Actually, I had forgotten all about it being Gay Days while we were there. There were a lot of high school bands there also during that time. We always avoid MK on Saturdays. That seems to be its busiest day.

My suggestion is to go, enjoy yourself, have fun. But, avoid MK on Saturdays.
 
Gay Days will overlap the last 3 days of our trip, well, 2 full days and the day we leave, but I'm not going to change our dates because I don't want to push our trip any further into June. I'm going to avoid the GD park on Thursday and Friday, the boys are going to do the kids' Pirate Cruise on Saturday (if I can get it, lol), and then we're starting for home.

I have read about some things I wouldn't want my boys to see, most of it at Pleasure Island, where I wouldn't take my kids anyway. I'm mostly wanting to avoid crowds as much as possible, but we won't be wearing red those days.
 
We've been during Gay Days with our sons as well and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. We plan our park days using TourGuidMIke's recommended least crowded park schedule for every trip so this one was no different. Because he factors in things like this, we were not in the "featured park" most of the time. We were in the MK for a few hours on it's day because of the way things worked out when we needed to schedule certain things. It was, quite honestly, no big deal. Our sons were 2 and 4 at the time. I saw nothing that I would have wanted to shield them from. We did see some same sex couples holding hands but honestly, we see same sex couples holding hands on EVERY trip so not going during Gay Days doesn't guarantee your kids won't see that. We saw more FAMILIES with same sex parents than we did just same sex couples during Gay Days. Did my kids notice? They did not comment on the hand holding at all. My 4 year old did ask one question. We were in line for a ride and there was a gay couple in front of us with their daughter. She called one of them Daddy and one Papa. My sons call my FIL Papa so to them Papa is a Grandpa. DS said to me "Mom, she called that man Papa but he's not old enough to be a Papa." I answered that in our family Papa is his Grandfather but in some families kids call their Dads Papa so she probably just meant it like Daddy. DS says "but she called HIM Daddy" and pointed to the other man. I just said "well, she has 2 Dads so she must call them different things so no one gets confused." DS thought about that for a minute and asked the little girl "you have 2 Dads?" and she nodded yes. DS said "that's cool" and they went back to the chit chat and stuff they had been doing. :) We talked about that all families are different, most have a Mom and a Dad but not all do. About how this friend from school lives with just his Mom and doesn't see his Dad and that one has 2 families b/c Mom and Dad are divorced and both remarried. Then about how the kids 2 doors down live with their Mom and their Aunt and just visit Dad twice a year. Those families are all different from ours just like a family with 2 Dads or 2 Moms. Not an uncomfortable conversation at all for me, DH or DS. It's the truth and I don't see a need to hide it. Later on we saw 2 women exchange a quick kiss and DS said "that must be a 2 Mom family."

I agree that I've seen more offensive behavior, and language, from heterosexual teens in the parks than I did during Gay Day, even being in the MK on it's "designated day." I wouldn't take the kids to Pleasure Island, but then I wouldn't take them any other time of year either so no big deal there. I have heard that there are some wild parties around the pool at the host hotel but those are Downtown Disney hotels and not the onsite resorts. As long as you aren't staying at one of those, you're fine as far as resorts go.

There are some web sites out there with photos of stuff that supposedly happened in the parks but many are OBVIOUSLY photoshopped and most that aren't if you look at the setting, they aren't IN the parks, they are at the host hotel or at Pleasure Island at night.


I don't understand the whole rainbow thing, but I think it's a symbol of homosexuality, right? Well...you know how little girls are! I'm thinking that if there's a rainbow Mickey or something, then she may want it. Is that going to be perceived wrong by anyone b/c I really don't want to have to tell her that she can't have rainbow things if that's the souvenior that she chooses.

I don't think that will be an issue. Disney doesn't SPONSOR Gay Days, they just don't keep the group away. Since Disney doesn't sponsor them, they don't manufacture merchandise that caters to Gay Day. You may see something in an offsite shop on I-drive but I think Disney still keeps a close watch on what their characters are put on even if they don't make it so more than likely anything like that will be sold privately and not in a shop if that makes sense. If your DD will be picking souvies in the parks or resorts, you won't have a problem...there won't be merchandise marketed towards Gay Days.
 
bigbabyblues said:
Gay Days will overlap the last 3 days of our trip, well, 2 full days and the day we leave, but I'm not going to change our dates because I don't want to push our trip any further into June. I'm going to avoid the GD park on Thursday and Friday, the boys are going to do the kids' Pirate Cruise on Saturday (if I can get it, lol), and then we're starting for home.

I have read about some things I wouldn't want my boys to see, most of it at Pleasure Island, where I wouldn't take my kids anyway. I'm mostly wanting to avoid crowds as much as possible, but we won't be wearing red those days.
Looks like we'll be there at the same time :cool1: I'm also trying to get the Pirate Cruise for that Saturday - maybe our kids will be on together :)
 
It's definitely a personal choice if you rebook, and I can't say from firsthand experience what gay days is like (hoping to go next year), but I can tell you from what friends have said.

It's just like any other day, except it's more crowded; you'll see the vulgar couples in line, like I found on the train today to work, where a man and woman in their 30s were playing tonsil hockey, with the man's hand up the women's shirt. Just because the parks on that day will be filled with gay people, doesn't mean it's going to be cause for alarm that there will be naked men running around, and wihps and chains galore, etc. But you will also find gay couples who are just like yourself, trying to calm down their screaming child in line, worrying about how much food is costing them, and trying to get a fast pass for soarin' before everyone else.

And if your daughter sees two men holding hands, I don't think it's going to be the end of the world. And frankly, for some in this thread, to lump all gay people into one category and assume sinful acts will be going on in front of your eyes, is not only insulting to me, but it's wrong.

So because that couple on the train today were acting like they were 12, I should assume my train ride everyday will be full of heterosexuals doing the same? I don't think so.

Your post wasn't offensive at all to me, but it was the short-sightedness of some responses that was. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great time!
 
MSSANDRA said:
I am sorry that I can not do a link. Go to the Dis home page and scroll to "Events at WDW". Scroll down to the "Gay Days, why I am not going this year." It is written by Pete, the Dis Web master and a Gay man.

That article was written by one gay man and is not representative of the entire gay population. In fact, I respectfully yet vehemently, feel absolutely strongly the opposite of Pete's observations. My partner and I, and many many MANY friends, all of whom are heterosexual, never noticed a thing. Both Joe and I have been asked if we'd ever been during that time and I always said "No," when much to my surprise, we had indeed been to the parks at that time. I never even noticed or realized. And that is also from a gay man's perspective.
 
We were there over the 1st weekend in June in 2004 for our honeymoon. Frankly, I found the Star Wars folks all dressed up way more disturbing than the same sex couples. IMO, it was a great weekend to be there. Nothing out of the ordinary from our perspective. I would have been quite comfortable having my DD (who was 4 at the time) with me. I would say, though, that we're very open and accepting of different family make ups and she knows gay families at school and church, etc. So, it would be nothing new for her.
 
If I had not read it on the DIS I would have never even known it was happening when we were there this year. I would not be concerned.

Denise in MI
 
WE have been there during that time period three times. Being from a small southern town we did see things we don't see at home but nothing that would keep me from going during that time period again. Just know the Gay Days Schedule and go to a different park on that day. If you would feel uncomfortable seeing same sex couples change your schedule, but I honestly have never seen anything that made me want to run the other way. My son's are 17 and 15 they noticed but mainly because they knew it was Gay Days.
 
Frankly, I found the Star Wars folks all dressed up way more disturbing than the same sex couples.

I will second that! We took DSs to Star Wars Weekend this year as a birthday/kindergarten graduation surprise trip. They had a ball but we did meet one woman in particular who was so over the top in her "star wars obsession" that she was a little scary! By the end of the trip my mother said "I think it's adorable to see the 5-8 year olds here in costume, the 35-38 year olds are a bit much for me!" ;)
 
Go, go, go! Heck, there's always an influx of one large group or another when I have a chance to go to WDW. Some of those groups have already been mentioned--Brazilians, cheerleaders, Star Wars fans, high-school bands, etc. And what about visiting when the parks are filled with those conventioneers or Epcot Food-and-Winers? Oh, the horror. *shudder* And I could go on and on about smokers who don't smoke in designated areas, line-cutters, the people who wear what I consider inappropriate clothing. But none of this stops me from going. Although darn those groups for making my lines longer! :rotfl:

Bottom line: if I had to plan my trips to avoid unpredictability or to avoid what I consider inappropriate behavior, I'd NEVER be able to visit WDW!

On a more serious note, I agree with NotUrsula, glass slipper girl, New Jersey, and RickinNYC, to name a few posters. So just go--it's a great time of year: good weather, the crowds or heat are manageable, etc.
 
Well...I'm going to be there not only for the Gay Days weekend, but I believe that's also a Star Wars weekend. What on earth kind of things will I see?!? :confused3 Anyone care to use your imagination and put the two events together? :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
:darth: :lovestruc :yoda: ?

Really though...I could care less what type of events are going on. The point is...I'll be at WDW!
 


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