LGBTQ+ muny flocks to Disney and Florida for Gay Days | Fortune

Contents:

• WHAT DAYS ARE GAY DAYS AT DISNEY WORLD? EVERYTHG TO KNOW ABOUT THE RED SHIRT TRADN.
• WHY ARE LGBTQ+ PEOPLE HEADG TO ORLANDO THIS WEEKEND? EVERYTHG TO KNOW ABOUT GAY DAYS
• “MOST SHOCKG GAY DAY EVENT EVER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD”
• LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN
• GAY DAYS AT DISNEY – CELEBRATE PRI & LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH
• GAY DAYS 2023 AT DISNEYLAND RORT CONFIRMED, DAT REVEALED - INSI THE MAGIC
• GAY DAYS RETURNS TO WALT DISNEY WORLD AFTER 2-YEAR HIAT
• DETAILS ON GAY DAYS DISNEY WORLD THIS YEAR
• GAY DAYS AT DISNEY WORLD AFTER TWO YEARS HIAT
• DISNEY WORLD WEL THOANDS OF LGBTQ+ PEOPLE TO CELEBRATE GAY DAYS: ‘WE ARE HERE, WE ARE QUEER AND WE AREN’T GOG ANYWHERE’
• DISNEY GAY DAYS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
• GAY TRAVELERS GATHER AT DISNEY WORLD TO VATN AND MAKE A STATEMENT
• AFTER A POLIL STORM, GAY DAYS RETURN TO DISNEY
• GAY DAYS RETURNS TO DISNEY WORLD AMID ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ NTROVERSY

WHAT DAYS ARE GAY DAYS AT DISNEY WORLD? EVERYTHG TO KNOW ABOUT THE RED SHIRT TRADN.

'We have to be on guard a lot':Why safety first for so many LGBTQ travelers'I jt want to see more of ':The importance of seeg people like you while travelgHow did Gay Days get started?

WHY ARE LGBTQ+ PEOPLE HEADG TO ORLANDO THIS WEEKEND? EVERYTHG TO KNOW ABOUT GAY DAYS

It has sce ballooned to an annual, multiday event, which draws upwards of 180, 000 people to the Orlando area om across the Fai:LGBTQ people need of stand- parents at weddgs, holidays fd 'fay' Facebook groupWhen are Gay Days 2023? Arguably the most proment part of Gay Days, red shirt daysare when participants wear red shirts to specific parks to celebrate their inty or support others.

“MOST SHOCKG GAY DAY EVENT EVER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD”

For stance, June 1 is a red shirt day at Disney's Animal Kgdom and SeaWorld Orlando and June 2 is a red shirt day at Disney's Hollywood Studs and Universal Islands of attends Gay Days?

Many Gay Days atten vis theme parks, but there are a host of other activi cludg popular pool parti, Drag Bgo, expos and more at the event's host hotel Orlando. Some events are adults-only, but most are open to all ag, cludg the Miss GayDays pageant, which this year will be hosted by CoCo Montre, who peted on "RuPl's Drag Race, " and Miss GayDays 2019 Twila actually par the event to a fay rnn, specifilly "the fay that gets along rnn.

LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN

Given the polil climate the state and last year's enactment of what crics ll Florida'sDon't Say Gay law rtrictg discsns of sexual orientatn and genr inty primary schools, Clark said some people have asked him if this year's event would still happen.

Ron DeSantis after they spoke out agast the state's 'Don't Say Gay' bill last year, atten om across the globe are headg to the theme parks to kick off Pri sop on Gay Days om CEO:What days are Gay Days at Disney World? Disney fd sparks onle morsHere's what to know about the annual LGBTQ+ gatherg Orlando:What are 'Gay Days' at Disney World?

Gay Days Orlando is where lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) dividuals, their fai, iends, and supporters go to Walt Disney World.

GAY DAYS AT DISNEY – CELEBRATE PRI & LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH

Along wh days at the theme parks, lol hotels and tablishments hold events to mark the six-day is the signifince of the red shirt durg Gay Days? Arguably the most proment part of Gay Days, participants wear red shirts to specific parks to celebrate their inty or support at the origal gatherg, attendants wore red shirts to make their prence more visible to other members of the, the red shirt self has bee a movement, wh LGBTQ nonprof Kdred Pri Foundatn g as a symbol for s missn to spread diversy and did the event first start? Some reports claim was held even before then wh only a handful of people startg the 1995, the event had grown to over 10, 000 gays and lbians travelg for 'Gay Day' at the 2010s, the event had reached over 150, 000 LGBT people, their fai, iends and supporters attend the six-day gatherg are Gay Days happeng this year?

This year, Disney Gay Days is takg place om May 31 to June Days Orlando weekend lendar 2023FridayWalt Disney World's Hollywood Studs - 8:30 a. Many Gay Days atten vis theme parks, but there are a host of other activi cludg popular pool parti, Drag Bgo, expos, and more at the event's host hotel year, there will also be a new Beach Ball waterpark party at Aquati Orlando, which is an event Disney sponsor Gay Days? Disney do not sponsor or promote Gay Days, however, s Parks & Rorts divisn celebrat Pri Month by lnchg a themed llectn ahead of there preutns this year wh recent anti-LGBTQ legislatn?

Ron DeSantis, Disney, and recent legislatn passed, the event is still gog on and many regular Gay Day atten have ma the trek to Orlando this April, the natn's largt LGBTQ advocy group Equaly Florida issued a travel advisory for the LGBTQ+ muny warng members not to e to the state.

GAY DAYS 2023 AT DISNEYLAND RORT CONFIRMED, DAT REVEALED - INSI THE MAGIC

Florida HB 1521 - requir people to e bathrooms that le up wh their sex assigned at special merch do Gay Days have this year? For the past few years, Disneyland has hosted “Gay Day, ” a nference for the LGBTQ muny the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. This year’s “Gay Day” dat at Disneyland were announced last year, but more recently, the dat for Out & Equal’s workplace summ have been announced, and the Walt Disney World Rort is hostg.

The Summ is takg place after Disney’s bacle wh Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who took over the Reedy Creek district and regaed ntrol of the pany’s self-erned powers as retaliatn for Disney’s disagreement wh the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Note that you mt have a valid park ticket, as well as a park pass rervatn to attend any of the Gay Day celebratns the parks.

GAY DAYS RETURNS TO WALT DISNEY WORLD AFTER 2-YEAR HIAT

Orlando – “This was the most shockg Gay Day event ever, ” Mart Mawyer, print of Christian Actn Network, said of his experience durg the annual Gay Day at Walt Disney World. The homosexual celebratn, which ran om June 3rd to June 8th, featured topls homosexuals engaged huggg, kissg and public fondlg at a Disney theme park. When asked why he uldn’t film, Disney officials told him that they were protectg the “private activi” of the homosexuals, even though Mannequs is a public dance club.

“They were hopg to timidate me so I would stop filmg this damng evince agast Disney World and their sponsorship of Gay Days.

DETAILS ON GAY DAYS DISNEY WORLD THIS YEAR

Not only did we see men kissg men, but the shirtls homosexuals were twistg the nippl of each other and fondlg the butts and gros of their ‘lovers’. But to threaten to have me arrted for takg pictur—somethg clearly legal at Disney World—while allowg homosexuals to publicly fondle one another jt go to show how warped the mds of Disney officials have bee, ” said Mr. — Tens of thoands of LGBTQ people are flockg to central Florida this weekend to go on theme park ris, mgle wh stumed performers, dance at all-night parti and lounge poolsi at hotels durg Gay Days, a s-long though Gov.

Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers have champned a slew of anti-LGBTQ laws — spurrg the most proment gay rights group the U. And other civil rights anizatns to issue warngs the Sunshe State may no longer be safe — Gay Days anizers are still enuragg visors om around the world to e to one of Florida’s largt gay and lbian say a large turnout will send a msage that LGBTQ people are not gog away Florida, which is ntually one of the most popular stat for tourists to vis.

If the hoped-for 150, 000 or more visors e to the half-week of pool parti, drag bgo and thrill ris at Orlando’s theme parks and hotels, then “that’s the pot, ” said Joseph Clark, CEO of Gay Days Inc.

GAY DAYS AT DISNEY WORLD AFTER TWO YEARS HIAT

”It’s not lost on the anizers that the highlight of the weekend will be a Saturday meetup of LGBTQ visors at the Magic Kgdom at Walt Disney World, where the first Gay Days started as a sgle-day celebratn 1991.

Currently, Disney is embroiled a legal fight wh DeSantis over the ernor and Republin lawmakers’ takeover of Disney World’s erng district — after Disney officials publicly opposed legislatn that crics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay. “It’s ls a csa and more like, ‘I’m not gog to spend my money where bad thgs are gog on, ’” Hayn Days has survived past challeng, cludg the early years when Disney posted signs at the Magic Kgdom’s entrance warng visors there was a large gatherg of gays and lbians and offerg pass to other parks for guts who might be offend.

DISNEY WORLD WEL THOANDS OF LGBTQ+ PEOPLE TO CELEBRATE GAY DAYS: ‘WE ARE HERE, WE ARE QUEER AND WE AREN’T GOG ANYWHERE’

Over the last three s, though, the theme parks and rorts have thrown down the wele mats as Gay Days has bee a profable bounce between the sprg break and out-of-school summer crowds. Durg Gay Days the 1990s, hundreds of anti-abortn activists wh Operatn Rcue protted outsi Walt Disney World, and the Southern Baptist Conventn ced the gatherg llg for a boytt of all thgs Disney. Some Christian groups tried to buy air time durg Gay Days the late 1990s to prsure people to renounce their sexual orientatn, but mastream TV statns Orlando rejected the ads.

DISNEY GAY DAYS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Way before the teemg Red Shirt-wearg mass began scendg upon the Disney Parks for Gay Days, queer people have long had a love affair wh Disney.

GAY TRAVELERS GATHER AT DISNEY WORLD TO VATN AND MAKE A STATEMENT

From the eedom to jt be yourself at the place Where Dreams Come Te to Disney characters like Ursula and Gaston who have bee gay ins, magic happens when Disney and the LGBT+ muny une. From the st members that make magic for guts every day to the Imageers that work behd the scen to dream up beloved experienc, you’d be hard-prsed to turn the rner a Disney theme park whout g face-to-face wh somethg or someone that hasn’t been touched by or isn’t a part of the gay muny.

A gifted dtrial signer, Bob, then a closeted gay man, was ved to jo Walt Disney Imageerg – lled WED Enterpris at the time – by Walt himself. Although, Disneyland Paris did host the first-ever Disney-sponsored gay pri event, the Magil Pri Party, 2019 and, for 2023, Disneyland Rort is offerg s very first Disneyland After Dark: Pri Ne. Each year (except for 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19), lbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and other queer people – along wh their fay, iends, and LGBTQ+ alli – make the annual pilgrimage to Central Florida to celebrate Pri Month wh Gay Days at Disney World and other area theme parks, cludg Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and Disvery Cove.

AFTER A POLIL STORM, GAY DAYS RETURN TO DISNEY

What started as a sgle-day event June 1991 wh around 3, 000 members of the lol LGBT muny at Disney’s Magic Kgdom, Gay Days has sce expand to a massive near-weeklong, cywi extravaganza wh over 180, 000 atten om around the world. Origally anized by the Gay, Lbian, and Bisexual Communy Center of Orlando (GLBCC), today the celebratn is a team effort wh parti, special events, and the GayDays Expo thrown by a number of different queer anizatns at GayDays Host Hotels and other lotns throughout Orlando.

While the unofficial uniform of Gay Days was origally jt a practil suggtn, makg easier to fd each other among the crowds, the sea of red is now a way of sayg to the world, “We’re here, we’re queer, get ed to . There’s even the Gay Biz Expo wh exhibors toutg everythg om fashn, travel, and weddgs to fancial planng servic, healthre, and home renovatns. Girls jt want to have fun, and for over 20 years, Girls Wonrland has been helpg queer women do jt that durg Gay Days Orlando.

GAY DAYS RETURNS TO DISNEY WORLD AMID ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ NTROVERSY

Lunchtime get-togethers and ri meetups for gay fai and different LGBTQ muni, like lunch at Hungry Bear Rtrant or a plunge down Grizzly River Run for the bears, let atten spend some qualy time wh their tribe. In the 1990s, the gural Gay Days h Disneyland and Walt Disney World Rort – thoands of members of the LGBTQIA+ muny held an unofficial meetup at Magic Kgdom and Disneyland Park.

In the 1990s, before the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage natnwi, The Walt Disney Company offered gay and lbian employe surance for their partners. Other nservative Republin policians like Senator Josh Hawley and Senator Mar Rub publicly attacked Disney for s stance on the law and refal to censor a gay kiss Pixar’s Lightyear (2022). Acrdg to the event webse, the LGBTQ+ celebratn is prised of multiple events staged at world-famo attractns, gay & lbian nightclubs, and unique venu secured for the purpose of creatg an clive LGBTQ atmosphere.