What makes Disney gay/lesbian friendly?

[theAdviserMe]

I know there are no gay marriages held on Disney but what makes Disney resorts friendly to the gay/lesbian community? Basing on your experiences...

 

[rpmdfw]

I know there are no gay marriages held on Disney but what makes Disney resorts friendly to the gay/lesbian community? Basing on your experiences...

There may not be LEGAL gay marriages held at Disney World, but two weeks ago my partner and I had a commitment ceremony for 100 guests at WDW. And they are now doing legal gay and lesbian weddings at Disneyland in California. The Disney Fairy Tale Weddings team went out of their way to make sure that our day was as special and magical as it could be.

I'm sure other folks will chime in with other reasons, but since I'm still in the afterglow of "Our Big Fat Gay Disney Wedding", I had to chime in.

 

[spacemermaid]

Because they don't treat a f/f (or m/m, for that matter) couple like second-class citizens when they want to have a romantic dinner at the Blue Bayou. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

Seriously. I have nothing but good things to say about treatment from CM's whilst at the Park.

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

No matter when we have gone to WDW, with the exception of our last trip together, we have always had a king bed. Never once has anyone assumed that it was a mistake for two women to be in a room with a king bed, even when it was just a request at a Value resort instead of a secured room amenity at a Moderate.

We have always been treated well by the CM's. Never once have we encountered any prejudice. In some cases, CM's have gone totally overboard in spreading pixie dust upon us. We were upgraded at the Poly last year, which was such an amazing gift.

We are not the overly PDA types. Yes, we hold hands in public at WDW and never once felt out of place. We do occasionally steal a quick kiss in out of the way spots away from the eyes of others. But, this is the full extent of what we would feel comfortable doing anywhere in public. I don't want to see straight people doing anything more, so I can only assume they don't want to see the two of us oversharing in public either.

If you are looking for reassurances that you will feel welcome and comfortable at WDW, you should know that a WDW vacation is the only vacation that I really look forward to anymore because it's always such a great experience for us.

 

[Disney_Villain]

WDW will do marriages for gays/lesbians, even if they aren't legally recognized in the state of Florida. There have been many postings here with wedding photos to prove it.

We love the Disney parks (DL, WDW and DLP) for so many reasons - but the key one that made us promise to go for a long Disney vacation 2X a year minimum is that all these parks are very gay-friendly. After our wedding in Canada and our WDW honeymoon (2006), we even bought into the Disney Vacation Club as we feel so "at home" in WDW.

 

[NikkiPants]

Because in certain states we aren't treated as second class citizens...ie: same sex marriage is legal and we are therefore treated as equals in the eyes of the state! We get the same type of experience in WDW.
We've never gotten a weird look, or treated differently or anything like that. I think that basically you don't feel like a second class citizen.

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

Because in certain states we aren't treated as second class citizens...ie: same sex marriage is legal and we are therefore treated as equals in the eyes of the state! We get the same type of experience in WDW.
We've never gotten a weird look, or treated differently or anything like that. I think that basically you don't feel like a second class citizen.

****Warning**** momentary thread hijacking about to take place... WHAT an adorable lil puppy face, Nikki!!!!!!! new fur-baby, I'm guessing???

 

[gmi3804]

No matter when we have gone to WDW, with the exception of our last trip together, we have always had a king bed.

I'd like to know where you find King Beds at Disney resorts!

 

[mickeyfan1]

I'd like to know where you find King Beds at Disney resorts!

I think every resort has some king bed rooms, You need to request it when you make your reservation.

 

[unfreshdiva1]

If anything, I always feel safe at WDW (good for either gay or straight people!).

 

[gmi3804]

I think every resort has some king bed rooms, You need to request it when you make your reservation.

Thanks. I'll be there alone, would much rather have a king than two doubles.

Ironically, when my partner's with me, we like the two doubles. I snore and breach in the middle of the night. Hey, after 17 years....

 

[zulemara]

here we go again...all my anger for the company gets completely washed away when I talk about this subject.


The company has a history of accepting diversity. Eisner hired a guy in the late 80's and specifically said "just because he's gay certainly doesn't mean we shouldn't hire him" and later when that guy was dying from AIDS, Eisner moved the entire production team of Little mermaid to NY rather than stressing the guy as he was dying and making him fly to CA. This guy was part of a team responsible for the Little Mermaid, Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast music.

Fast forward to today and not only is Disney extremely accepting of LGBT guests, but of its cast members as well. Quite frankly this corporation realizes some of the most talented people belong to the LGBT community and because of that, they fully embrace the community rather than push them away.

For guests, CMs are told to treat everyone equal. Gay, straight, muslim, black, white, asian, it doesn't matter. When you enter Disney there should be no prejudice because you're taking out of the real world and put in the "bubble" That's the core belief as I see it and one that I look forward to putting into practice on Jan 21st.

As for my experience, we were once again treated with the highest class on my PI last weekend trip. DBF and I got our anniversary buttons again(this time we weren't 3 months late) and received many congrats. In fact the CM at buzz lightyear remembered us from last December!!!! We must be easily recognizable or something.

Now if we could just shoot that darn Jesus plane out of the sky, I'd be a happy camper. I don't even care that it's religious, I care that when you're at WDW you shouldn't be exposed to that kind of thing. I know he is just above Orlando, but he is obviously targeting WDW.
/rant

Ok I'm done now.

 

[ConcKahuna]

I think every resort has some king bed rooms, You need to request it when you make your reservation.

Except the Polynesian. The only king beds there are in the suites.

 

[PghLybrt]

Except the Polynesian. The only king beds there are in the suites.

That actually makes me happy. Sad isn't it? I didn't book a suite, so no king bed for us! (I might actually get some sleep! That really should no be as exciting as it is )