Gay Days questions

[Laugh O. Grams]

I know this is a serious issue, and I know thelionqueen is sharing her genuine feelings and concerns. But I can't help but see the comedy in her post. Manly men and the Magic Kingdom??

A park overseen by Tinkerbelle? Or about the most effeminate mouse you'll ever meet? Don't get me started on Peter Pan. And about that pink ribbon Eeyore wears....

It's a park full of fairies and princesses and about the wussiest collection of male characters you will ever see. The closest thing to a manly man is a duck that walks around with no pants.

It's just not the Manliest Place on Earth...'

"Manliest" is probably not the word you're looking for, as my wife and I are friends with a gay couple who are both more "manly" than most guys I know. I think the phrase should read "It's just not the Butchest Place on Earth!"

That being said, we've been during GayDays on a number of occasions and have never been shocked, but for maybe a couple of extremely short pairs of cutoffs on a couple of extremely hair guys, by anything that happened during those visits.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Lion Queen........where do you live that your children dont normally see gay people? Perhaps your just not "in tune" to these things.

That kinda rough woman who works in the garden department at your local Home Depot......probably gay.

That really nice guy who cuts your hair......probably gay.

That really friendly priest at your catholic church.......probably gay.

My point is I'm sure you know many people who happen to be gay, your just not aware of it yet.

If you are put off by such things, than my all means, the first week of June is probably not for you. But if you have already made plans, simply get on the gayday.com website to check out the schedule. If you do the opposite parks then the ones they have planned you should be OK. I'm sure your kids will hardly even notice. With shows like Will and Grace and Queer as Folk on television these days, most kids dont give this sort of thing a second thought.

 

[bopper]

Also, don't wear red. Those participating in Gay Days will be wearing Red Shirts. My husband found this out accidentally when he just happened to wear his red shirt during Disneyland's Gay Day weekend (we weren't with him).

 

[Jennifer_Jayhawk]

First, I think thelionqueen posted a completely relevant question to this thread...

We were at DW a few years ago during gay days. My children were 6 and 3 at the time. Yes, I expected to see some behavior that my children had not seen before and I didn't think it would be a big deal. But I also expected questions from them--actually from my 6 year old. Yes, there were some public displays of affection. But I have found in DW you are pretty much into what you and your family are doing, not really anyone else. Sometimes your children react to what you do or say more than what strangers are doing anyway.

thelionqueen, if you feel this would be an issue, they gay days is probably not the best time to go. But honestly, it wasn't a big deal for us. You will find that adults have a bigger issue with this than the children.
My husband is a KC Chiefs fan, and he choose not to pack his Chiefs shirts for the trip. We happened to have reservations for the Crystal Palace for breakfast on Saturday and were planning on going over to another park after that. As we were walking out, maybe around 9-10 am, the crowds were coming in. I must say, I have never seen that many people coming through the turnstiles as we did when we were leaving the park.

If you do still plan on going to DW during this week, I would do some additional research where the crowds are expected to be on which day.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

thelionqueen-
I would imagine there will be throngs of same sex couples holding hands. I bet there will be kissing and hugging, too. If your kids are old enough to read there might be some questionable things printed on shirts - the CM's can't catch them all.

If you are going to be uncomfortable you might seriously think about moving your trip a week earlier or later. My DS9 is totally immersed in gay culture all the time because some of our dearest friends are gay. I do extensive volunteer work for AIDS charities and lobby for GLBT rights. Even I was a little concerned that there might be OVERT displays of affection, but it was a chance we were willing to take. The choice you have is to avoid Gay Days or view it as a teachable moment. If there was a week where hard core anti-gay people were at Disney I wouldn't go that week because I would be uncomfortable, whether I witnessed anything overt or not.

None of us can guarantee what will or won't take place at any given time. There was a straight couple at Sam's the other day sharing samples. The guy would put the food in his mouth and the girl would use her mouth to get it out of his. GROSS! I nearly gagged. Absolutely NOT what I thought I would see in Sam's! You take your chances every time you leave the house.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Mich Mouse]

. Keep in mind theres good and bad in all groups of humans. Dont judge the mass by the few.

My post

Well said!

 

[thelionqueen]

for the truly helpful advice! There are a lot of valuable points that you posted, and I feel more confident in our decision.

Our trip is already booked, so moving the vacation is not an option. Honestly, I wouldn't cancel a trip because of gay days anyway.

We will be there 12 days, so we will have more than enough time to skip a park a couple of days, I was just wondering if it would be necessary.

According to many, it is a very busy weekend and best to avoid it for crowds in general, which is what I am planning to do. I appreciate all the comments and truly was not trying to stir up a hornets nest.

We will have a great time, and again, I truly appreciate all the input!!!

 

[Sammie]

You know it would be nice sometimes if questions were answered without any comment about the actual question being asked.

She (thelionqueen) did not ask for opinions on whether it was right or wrong, she did not even say she would be offended, she simply asked since she has never been during this time would there be public displays of affection between same sex couples. Yes she could have worded her question better, but basically that is all she is quilty of. The problem is sometimes we all include too much info in wanting to get info.

The answer to LionQueen's question: yes there will be. Sadly to say and if you don't believe it read Webmaster Pete's comment on this event, some use the event to "shock" those that don't support their lifestyle with very open displays of affection that goes beyond hand holding.

It truly is her choice then to decide whether to go then or not, based on correct information about the situation. And for those that were quick to judge her, well that would be another situation of the pot calling the kettle black and No that is not a racist remark.

 

[Rudegrle]

That kinda rough woman who works in the garden department at your local Home Depot......probably gay.

That really nice guy who cuts your hair......probably gay.

That really friendly priest at your catholic church.......probably gay.

My point is I'm sure you know many people who happen to be gay, your just not aware of it yet.

So true!
I have lots of gay friends and they all would tell you that I would not know if someone was gay even if they were wearing a sign.

But really, if you are worried about anything then just don't go on those days. If you are looking for "inapropriate behavior" or "uncomfortable situations" then you will most likely find them, but if you are focused on having a good time and not what others are doing then I bet you won't have a problem. I bet gay days is a blast!

 

[kgibbler20]

I was there this past June. We had picked our trip dates before we knew about Gay Days. I went on the website and found the schedule of events and then used Fodor's guide to be in the parks on the best day possible. When planning our trip I wanted to be in the parks on the quietest days because I did not know if my mom and I would ever get back and I wanted to see as much as possible. The experiance was wonderful. We walked on with no wait to almost anything we wanted to see and got the very most out of our trip. I do not feel that the events affected us at all. Other than the red shirts the only thing special I saw was 2 cross dressers. All I could think was I wished my legs looked that good in a skirt like that. lol. If you plan your trip around the event schedule I don't think you will have any problems.

 

[Iggipolka]

I guess I'm not so sure what is "shocking" about two people in love, kissing each other or holding hands or even patting each other on the butt. I've seen male/female couples engage in this type of behavior all the time at Disney..and much much more! I think it's wonderful when couples express affection towards each other.

 

[JRJohn]

The only time during our June '04 trip that we notice an increase in crowds was the first saturday on PI (we avoided MK though). Other than that it was fine. My kids did get a kick out of the matching minnie ears on all the guys though.

 

[GammaPro]

You know it would be nice sometimes if questions were answered without any comment about the actual question being asked.

She (thelionqueen) did not ask for opinions on whether it was right or wrong, she did not even say she would be offended, she simply asked since she has never been during this time would there be public displays of affection between same sex couples. Yes she could have worded her question better, but basically that is all she is quilty of. The problem is sometimes we all include too much info in wanting to get info.

The answer to LionQueen's question: yes there will be. Sadly to say and if you don't believe it read Webmaster Pete's comment on this event, some use the event to "shock" those that don't support their choice of lifestyle with very open displays of affection that goes beyond hand holding.

It truly is her choice then to decide whether to go then or not, based on correct information about the situation. And for those that were quick to judge her, well that would be another situation of the pot calling the kettle black and No that is not a racist remark.

Agreed.

I am in a boat of my own. I have many problems with the faith I was raised to believe in (Christianity). However, the family who instilled that faith in me believes every bit of it.

So, quite frequently, I argue with my family about gay rights and ask them how what somebody else does in the comfort of their own home affects others. On the other hand, I also frequently find myself defending my family against the oh so "enlightened" rest of society.

To me, the word "offended" is quickly becoming the most offensive word in the English language.

 

[thelionqueen]

To me, the word "offended" is quickly becoming the most offensive word in the English language.

Amen to that!!

 

[ECurto]

Sadly to say and if you don't believe it read Webmaster Pete's comment on this event, some use the event to "shock" those that don't support their choice of lifestyle with very open displays of affection that goes beyond hand holding.

Its not a choice. We didnt wake up one day and say ill take oatmeal instead of cereal, and men instead of women.

 

[bettyann29]

Thanks for posting this as we will be at WDW at this time and I wasnt aware when it was.. I have no problem with it, but would definitely want to avoid MK on that Saturday if possible.. I wouldnt have thought twice about, but would definitely want to avoid the crowds..

 

[Minnie's Mate]

You know it would be nice sometimes if questions were answered without any comment about the actual question being asked.

She (thelionqueen) did not ask for opinions on whether it was right or wrong, she did not even say she would be offended, ...

Thank you Sammie.

You know every time someone post a question about gay days they are flamed about being intolerant. Yet those who do the flaming are just as intolerant of the poster's views as those they are accusing of being intolerant. She didn't say there was anything wrong with being gay. She just wanted to know if any one could advise her if there would be a lot of PDA's. She explained that this was something that would be foreign to her children and why. I understand that it is a subject that she is not ready to discuss with her children and that she would want to discuss it in a environment other than a crowded public place like a theme park.

Thelionqueen didn't state how old her children are. If they are 14 years old and she is trying to "shelter" them, then perhaps she is being naive. But if her children are 6 years old, then she is simply avoiding a subject that her children are not be mature enough to understand. I know my 8 year old is not old enough to understand about homosexuality. He thinks it is gross when he sees a male/female couple hug or kiss on TV. And BTW, he does not watch Will and Grace. When he is older and if he wants to, he may. Point is, understanding a subject so complex as sexual orientation is related to psychological maturity.

Additionally, thelionqueen was flamed because of her religious beliefs. This was both direct and indirect. This is another example of intolerance. I for one respect her religious beliefs and applaud her for trying to instill morality and Christian principles in her children. Today's society is becoming more and more hostile to Christianity as the comments to her post can attest. I think those who criticized her should look in the mirror before casting the first stone in the future.

 

[tlbwriter]

You know it would be nice sometimes if questions were answered without any comment about the actual question being asked.

I think thelionqueen's post contained so many "comments" itself that it naturally inspired a lot of "comments" in response. I mean, really, you don't go on about how "manly" your men are, about your religious beliefs, and about how your children "never see such things" without expecting some kind of response to all of that. Unless this is your first day on the internet, of course. If she had simply asked "Is there a lot of PDA during Gay Days?" she would have received a simple response.

 

[CheshireVal]

I think thelionqueen's post contained so many "comments" itself that it naturally inspired a lot of "comments" in response. I mean, really, you don't go on about how "manly" your men are, about your religious beliefs, and about how your children "never see such things" without expecting some kind of response to all of that. Unless this is your first day on the internet, of course. If she had simply asked "Is there a lot of PDA during Gay Days?" she would have received a simple response.

Very true. Especially when there's a comment that "I have nothing against gays but don't want my kids exposed to them."

That's bound to illicit a comment or two!!

 

[Minnie's Mate]

If she had simply asked "Is there a lot of PDA during Gay Days?" she would have received a simple response.

Now I think you are being naive. I think she was trying to explain why she wanted to know and was trying to convey that it was not because she personally would be offended but rather she just didn't want to have to expain a lot of things to her children about situations they hadn't been exposed to.