Shoppg Tracy Poarch (left) and his partner Keh Inman shopped for souvenirs at Dollywood while participatg "Gay Day 2004." Photo by Stanley Leary PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (BP)--Add Dollywood to the theme parks across the untry where annual "Gay Days" are beg held. The theme park owned…
Contents:
- ‘GAY DAY’ AT DOLLYWOOD BRGS ‘RED SHIRTS’ TO SMOKY MTNS.
- WHAT DAYS ARE GAY DAYS AT DISNEY WORLD? EVERYTHG TO KNOW ABOUT THE RED SHIRT TRADN.
- DISNEY WORLD WEL THOANDS OF LGBTQ+ PEOPLE TO CELEBRATE GAY DAYS: ‘WE ARE HERE, WE ARE QUEER AND WE AREN’T GOG ANYWHERE’
- GAY DAYS AT DOLLYWOOD - PIGEON FE FOM
- DOLLYWOOD: THE “GAY MEC” TENNSEE’S BACKYARD
‘GAY DAY’ AT DOLLYWOOD BRGS ‘RED SHIRTS’ TO SMOKY MTNS.
(BP)–Add Dollywood to the theme parks across the untry where annual “Gay Days” are beg theme park owned by untry sger Dolly Parton the Smoky Mountas was advertised as the se of “Gay Day at Dollywood” earlier this year. But the May 22 gatherg’s name was changed to “Gay Day 2004” when Dollywood officials asked the sponsor, Tri-Ci Pri, to stop g the Dollywood name and remove the tramarked logo om a webse promotg the event.
WHAT DAYS ARE GAY DAYS AT DISNEY WORLD? EVERYTHG TO KNOW ABOUT THE RED SHIRT TRADN.
A Dollywood spokman said the park was not tryg to stop anyone om attendg but was tryg to prevent tramark Salyer, executive director of the Tri-Ci Pri homosexual group, based Johnson Cy, Tenn., enuraged atten to wear red shirts to intify themselv and to surpass the 1, 300 who attend the gural gatherg last year. ”This year, on a Saturday when Dollywood attendance might range om 15, 000-20, 000, red shirts were ed visible most every directn but the homosexual turnout was far om massive, perhaps rivalg or fallg short of the mark event is patterned after “Gay Day Orlando, ” which began at Disney World 12 years ago and now draws nearly 100, 000 people each year.
DISNEY WORLD WEL THOANDS OF LGBTQ+ PEOPLE TO CELEBRATE GAY DAYS: ‘WE ARE HERE, WE ARE QUEER AND WE AREN’T GOG ANYWHERE’
“The gay muny is everywhere, ” Salyer told Baptist Prs durg the Dollywood event. “You uld be standg le somewhere next to a gay person and not know .
You uld make an anti-gay remark or a hateful remark and they uld be standg right next to you.
GAY DAYS AT DOLLYWOOD - PIGEON FE FOM
” He went on to expla that he hoped that the display of red shirts would help sensize people to the homosexual muny and lsen tolerant ments.
“It is more of a rpect issue, ” he Whe, director of missns for the Sevier County Baptist Associatn Pigeon Fe, Tenn., told Baptist Prs he did not know of any Southern Baptists the muny who protted the Gay Day event at Dollywood.
He noted there is a Southern Baptist chapla on se at Dollywood, and he said he is que sure homosexuals would be wele church the associatn. “I thk most all of our church here — as far as the gay people themselv — I thk they would be willg to tell you that they love people, anybody and everybody, ” he said.
DOLLYWOOD: THE “GAY MEC” TENNSEE’S BACKYARD
One of the lbian participants was asked to turn her shirt si out before g to the park due to s offensive nature, while a man wearg an anti-homosexual statement was asked to change before enterg the park. A Dollywood spokman said the park, acrdg to s missn statement, is operated a manner nsistent wh Christian valu and Dollywood event followed by two weeks another homosexual gatherg east Tennsee, wh about 450 attendg a “Gay Day” Dayton, Tenn., se of the historic Sp Monkey Trial.