Gay Days confusion, settle it!

[DVC~OKW~96]

OK. So I used to think I knew what I was talking about (watch it there!!) but now I'm pretty sure I don't!

I've had a couple of conversations about gay day dot com versus gay days dot com, and the different schedules.

I've lost track through the years apparently...

Which is the official (as in original) gay days information site, and which is the original "meet in the MK" day, Saturday or Sunday?

I am SO confused.

 

[OrlandoMike]

I cant even get a gayday dot com site to pull up...

And Saturday will always be at the MK!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Yeah, that's what I said...Saturday at MK was the original.

I don't remember when I lost track of gay day dot com, but it's been at least a year. The others we were talking with were insistent enough to cause me to doubt what I thought I once knew.

Does that make a bit of sense? Anyway, thanks for confirming the important bit, and that is the Saturday date.

I know when the two sites were both going hot and heavy there were opposing schedules and I think that may be where the Sunday at MK thing came into existence.

 

[Sphyrna]

Gayday dot com WAS the original. Gaydays at WDW started in 1991 by Doug Swallow. It started with just him and a small group deciding to go to MK on the first Saturday in June. In 1998 gaydayS dot com started up. Initially they had the same schedule as gayday dot com. I think they were just trying to be more ogranized and better promote Gay Days. It seems that they went for more of the corporate sponsors and parties rather than parks. I don't remember when it was, a few years ago, they tried to organize Saturday at Universal instead of MK. I'm also not sure when it happened but Johnny Chisholm seemed to take over Gay Days, making it One Mighty Weekend. Gayday dot com seemed to advertise the Chisholm events and gaydayS dot com advertised different events and parties. Again, I'm not sure when but gayday dot com seemed to disappear. For a while it redirected visitors to OneMightyWeekend dot com. When I started researching my trip for this year I noticed gayday dot com was active again but just listed Gay Day events at various parks (Disneyland, Cedar Point, etc). Now it seems to just redirect to myspace.

Personally, I'm saddened to see how Gay Days has changed over the years. It used to be about going to he parks and a sense of community. Now it seems like it's all about the parties. The year GayDayS dot com tried to get people to go to Universal on Saturday really annoyed me as I felt they were splitting the community. I think it was 2007 or might have been 2005. I know it was one of those years b/c I went that year. I enjoyed posting on the message boards on gayday dot com. The message boards on gaydayS dot com were heavily censored and it seemed like anything that went against their goals and beliefs was deleted. That's what I know about the whole thing, plus I did a little research to post this.

 

[OrlandoMike]

I dont see much difference in the event, other than it has grown.

If you're into the parties, you will go to the parties.

If you're into the parks, you will go to the parks.

And if you want to hang with friends and meet new ones you get on a site like this ane meet up....



Granted there has been a lot of Drama over who is doing what, and who is saying what, but when it comes down to it....It's just Gay Week at Disney!

Every year bigger and better.....

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Thanks for they recap Sphyrna. You filled in some of the blanks, and confirmed some of what I thought I knew...

I think it's more of what O'Mike is saying. The event has grown and because of that the options for enjoying the weekend/week have grown. If you like parties, you have those options, if you don't, you've got the parks.

We like to go to the parks during that time just to be surrounded by openly gay singles, couples and families. It feels good to have that opportunity, a rare one in this world (unless you live smack in the Village or Castro Street ).

I do remember the push to meet at US on the first Saturday in June several years ago. I didn't quite get the point of that, and clearly it wasn't very successful as we are still gathering at MK on that first Saturday after all these years, eh?

Again, thanks for the historical info and research!

 

[Sphyrna]

You're welcome! I've been thinking quite a bit lately about how Gay Days has changed over the years so I didn't mind doing a little research into it. And I don't mind that there are the parties. Having them brings even more people down for the week. The only thing that bothers me is how the sites are so commercial. All you see are ads for the parties and from sponsors. I just can't help but think that a newbie to Gay Days who has heard about how it's a great gathering at the parks and stuff is going to go to the websites and think it's nothing but a week long circuit party and if they're not into that scene then they'll be turned off. Hopefully anyone doing research on Gay Days will stumble across this board and get a different perspective.

 

[MemoToMe]

Gayday dot com WAS the original. Gaydays at WDW started in 1991 by Doug Swallow. It started with just him and a small group deciding to go to MK on the first Saturday in June. In 1998 gaydayS dot com started up. Initially they had the same schedule as gayday dot com. I think they were just trying to be more ogranized and better promote Gay Days. It seems that they went for more of the corporate sponsors and parties rather than parks. I don't remember when it was, a few years ago, they tried to organize Saturday at Universal instead of MK. I'm also not sure when it happened but Johnny Chisholm seemed to take over Gay Days, making it One Mighty Weekend. Gayday dot com seemed to advertise the Chisholm events and gaydayS dot com advertised different events and parties. Again, I'm not sure when but gayday dot com seemed to disappear. For a while it redirected visitors to OneMightyWeekend dot com. When I started researching my trip for this year I noticed gayday dot com was active again but just listed Gay Day events at various parks (Disneyland, Cedar Point, etc). Now it seems to just redirect to myspace.

Personally, I'm saddened to see how Gay Days has changed over the years. It used to be about going to he parks and a sense of community. Now it seems like it's all about the parties. The year GayDayS dot com tried to get people to go to Universal on Saturday really annoyed me as I felt they were splitting the community. I think it was 2007 or might have been 2005. I know it was one of those years b/c I went that year. I enjoyed posting on the message boards on gayday dot com. The message boards on gaydayS dot com were heavily censored and it seemed like anything that went against their goals and beliefs was deleted. That's what I know about the whole thing, plus I did a little research to post this.

Actually, having been a frequent member of Gay Day dot com, it was Doug who had touted going to Universal ('04 or '05, I can't remember). We had been led to believe that Uni would be "bending over backwards" to welcome us. Many of us went on Gay Day Saturday to Universal, only to find no such thing, and very few "family" members. We promptly turned around and went back to MK. After Gay Days, we expressed our displeasure on the Gay Day dot com forum (which up to that point had been a great way for people to chat, and make plans for GD). The following year, there was no updates for the upcoming GD (the forum still existed, however you had to go to Gay Day dot info to get to it) and the site deteriorated from there.

I agree that there is no more of a sense of community like there was in the past. Everything seems so disjointed, along with the fact that promoters and events seem to change at the drop of a hat.

I will say that I'm grateful that at least this forum exists, because it seems like forums for Gay Disney fans are few and far between.

 

[Sphyrna]

Thanks for correcting me. I just assumed it was GayDayS that tried to get people to go to Universal. I remember having to use the dot info URL to get to the boards. I agree that these promotors and events seem to change frequently. I can only imagine how many people booked their trips and everything in anticipation of One Mighty Weekend only to find out the venues have changed. Hopefully something will come about over the next year or two to reorganize and bring back the community feeling.

 

[SandrA9810]

Well kari's always planned her work weekend around being there for the Bears 1 o clock show. She just so happened to be there her first year working, and has made it her goal to be the one to do the Bears show for the Bears. She got her training coordinator to schedule her for "training" that day so she won't have to be in rotation.


And I don't think many people will stop coming to Disney on Saturday... it just might change what they do for the rest of the weekend. Give them more of a variety of what to choose (whether they're into clubbing or parks). And as many people I've seen at MK... I doubt I'd want to go to a club or a strip of clubs with knowing THAT many people would be there. Places to have maximum occupancy...

 

[SandrA9810]

As more people join up, there's going to be more diversity in the events. What some "older timers" might prefer is not what the new group wants to do... or spend money on.

But as long as not every one goes with the new way, there will still be enough people around to enjoy what you like to do. And from what I've seen there's always way more people than any one person can meet.