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Reprinted from San
Francisco Frontiers, April 22, 1998
It's a Small World After All: GAY DAY With Mickey
By Bill Strubbe
Photos from Disney's Gay Day 1997
It's as quintessentially American as the flag, mom and apple pie: When pissed off,
appeal to the pocketbook and call for a boycott. But blacklisting Mickey Mouse! Perhaps no
other image conjures up all that is wholesome, commercial and frivolous about the United
States than Mickey, making the rather unsuccessful Southern Baptist boycott of Disney all
the more ridiculous in the often bizarre American social/political landscape.
One of the things the Southern Baptists object to is Disney allowing "Gay
Days" at its theme parks. One kind deed deserves another: To support the Walt Disney
Co. for not capitulating to the pressure of the Southern Baptists' boycott, an
international call has been sounded for a quarter-million lesbians and gay men to throng
the gates of Orlando's Disney World on Saturday, June 6, 1998, for the eighth annual Gay
Day.
"It's a great opportunity for gay people as adults to go back to Disney World and
have something in common with the majority of the people there," says Babs
Daitch,
owner of Thanks Babs: The Vacation Expert for Women, who has attended the event for two
consecutive years. "On the water ride, I felt like I was 7 years old again. There was
a drag queen trying not to get her wig wet, three guys in their little Speedos, and
lesbians holding onto each other. The feeling was so wonderful."
What began in 1991 as an informal gathering of Orlando-area gays and lesbians, last
year drew about 80,000 people, exceeding the park's capacity, with the overflow spilling
into Epcot Center and MGM Studios.
"Gay Day came about when a group of gay and lesbian computer enthusiasts, who
regularly got together for different kinds of outings, decided to meet at Disney,"
explains 34-year-old Doug Swallow, a virtual-reality arcade-games designer. "Since we
had several months' lead time, we thought to promote Gay Day around the gay community.
Basically we just announced the day and to wear a red shirt. We were surprised when about
1,500 people in red showed up."
Disney was initially concerned that a queer political zap was planned, and indeed some
misinformed gays and lesbians arrived ready for action. Members of Disney's now-defunct
gay employees' association volunteered to station themselves at the entrance to explain
the intended nature of Gay Day to arriving groups that appeared to be itching for a
confrontation.
The first year, Disney posted a warning sign at the entrance so unsuspecting straights
would be aware that a gay and lesbian event was taking place in the Magic Kingdom and that
it was not sponsored by Disney. The second year, the sign mellowed considerably, stating
that the gay and lesbian community was celebrating Gay Pride Month. For the third year, a
small sign was pulled after a couple of hours.
"For straights who arrived wearing red T-shirts and were uncomfortable about it,
Disney handed out these free, God-awful T-shirts dragged out of some warehouse,"
Swallow laughs. "Of course, if we saw someone wearing one, we knew they were the ones
who were afraid of being mistaken as queer."
Gone now are the free shirts; instead extra managers are on hand to deal immediately
with any problems that might arise. Disney also has arranged a shuttle service to the
other theme parks for those irate folks--yelling matches are typical--unable to cope with
the presence of so many gays and lesbians. Word has gotten around about Gay Day, and
people suffering from extreme homophobia usually avoid the park that day.
"Almost everyone in the park on Gay Day is gay; there are some straight
families--who knows, some of them could be those Southern Baptists," Daitch says.
"You might see kids tug their mom or dad to look at a drag queen or two guys holding
hands. But I've never seen anything really negative like someone refusing to share a car
on a ride."
Though certainly happy for the business, Disney still doesn't officially sanction or
promote Gay Day (or any other special gatherings), and Gay Day promotion materials still
cannot use the words gay and Disney World together.
As Gay Day in Orlando has grown by leaps and bounds, a number of tour promoters have
cashed in by organizing an exhausting array of auxiliary events. On Friday evening, the
nearby Sea World theme park is opened just for queers. After a brief respite, it's off to
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon for the "Wet 'n Wild Beach Ball." Then from 10 pm till
dawn is the official kick-off party at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
All this, and the main event of Gay Day in Disney World is yet to come on Saturday.
After a day of Mickey and Minnie and Pirates of the Caribbean, Saturday night offers
Disney's MGM Studios for dancing on the Sunset Boulevard lot. Last year, on Sunday,
Universal Studios opened its gates for its first ever Gay & Lesbian Day.
Gay Day co-chair Doug Swallow says that for 1998 they're hoping for a giant turnout
from the local, national and international gay and lesbian community. "Special
outreach will be done to gay and lesbian parents and their children so that there will be
a display of 'family values.'"
"Many corporations are openly supporting the gay and lesbian struggle for full
equality and civil rights by granting domestic partnership, job protection, group support
and so forth," says Robin Tyler, the other co-chair of Gay Day. "The increase
from 80,000 to a quarter of a million [attendees] will show that this community will put
their financial strength and support behind those corporations that support us."
For more on Gay Day 1998 at Disney World, check out www.gayday.com.
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