LGBTQ+ people flock to Florida for Gay Days ftival | AP News

Contents:

• GAY FLORIDA TRAVEL GUI
• LGBTQ+ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR GAY DAYS FTIVAL
• LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN
• GAY JACKSONVILLE

GAY FLORIDA TRAVEL GUI

Along wh shops and boutiqu, you’ll fd most of the town’s gay bars along walkable Duval Street, cludg Aqua Nightclub, wh s fun shows, and La Te Da Hotel and Rtrant, which has a poolsi lounge, piano bar and baret room. The cy’s legendary Whe Party Week  November is the natn’s olst and largt HIV/AIDS fundraiser, drawg more than 10, 000 gay and lbian visors for high-energy dance parti hosted by top DJs and performers, edy shows, sports and recreatnal events. Fortunately for film buffs, the Tampa Internatnal Gay and Lbian Film Ftival – one of the untry’s largt and longt-nng pennt gay film ftivals – hosts events and films year-round, but the height of activy happens October, when more than 8, 000 people attend films, parti and awards ceremoni.

What started as a small group of gays and lbians drsg red and spendg the day at Walt Disney World 1991 has grown to one of the largt gay pri events the world, attractg over 150, 000 gay and lbian travelers to Orlando on the first Saturday of every June. Sophistited and artsy, Sarasota has veloped a loyal gay followg, thanks to s cultural diversns, which range om the Sarasota Ballet to Queen Bgo Bonanza at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre historic downtown Sarasota’s East End. South Florida: Head to Miami, Fort Lrdale, Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Vero Beach, Sger Island, or Bo Raton for red-hot nightlife, sophistited dg, upsle shoppg, and high-energy beach — not to mentn some of the swankit gay rorts Florida.

-- 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. 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.

LGBTQ+ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR GAY DAYS FTIVAL

Gay Days is a bon '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.

— recently issued a travel and relotn warng for the state, jog the NAACP, the League of Uned Lat Amerin Cizens, the Florida Immigrant Coaln and Equaly the LGBTQ+ advocy group said wasn’t llg for a boytt of all travel to Florida, said wanted to highlight new laws passed by the Republin-ntrolled Florida Legislature that they said are hostile to the LGBTQ+ muny and rtrict abortn accs, as well as make the state unsafe for many by allowg people to rry ncealed weapons whout a participants the Pri Cup athletic petns at Gay Days cid not to e, forcg the ncellatn of dodgeball and flag football tournaments.

But the multi-sport petn that is held annually at Gay Days will still have beach volleyball, golf, pickleball and before the travel advisori were issued, some regular Florida visors were rensirg their plans. “It’s ls a csa and more like, ‘I’m not gog to spend my money where bad thgs are gog on, ’” Hayn the anizers of Gay Days and their supporters say that Orlando is as gay-iendly a cy as they e, earng a perfect sre on the Human Rights Campaign x, which measur how clive ci are of LGBTQ+ rints and visors.

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

“We live a bubble here Orlando, where even wh the chaos Florida, we feel safe here, ” said Jeremy Williams, edor--chief of Watermark Publishg Group Inc., a Florida-based media pany that is one of the sponsors of Gay 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.

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 Clark, the CEO of the Gay Days bs, had his wish, DeSantis would accept an open vatn to see one of the drag shows durg this year's ftivi.

— 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.

GAY JACKSONVILLE

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. ”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. 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 Month.Insi 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. Along wh days at the theme parks, lol hotels and tablishments hold events to mark the six-day event.What 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 others.Back at the origal gatherg, attendants wore red shirts to make their prence more visible to other members of the muny.Now, 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 kdns.When did the event first start?The first documented event was held June 1991 where roughly 3,000 LGBTQ+ people om central Florida went to the area's theme parks on one day wearg red shirts.

Some reports claim was held even before then wh only a handful of people startg the event.In 1995, the event had grown to over 10,000 gays and lbians travelg for 'Gay Day' at Disney.By the 2010s, the event had reached over 150,000 LGBT people, their fai, iends and supporters attend the six-day gatherg Orlando.When are Gay Days happeng this year?This year, Disney Gay Days is takg place om May 31 to June 4.Gay Days Orlando weekend lendar 2023FridayWalt Disney World's Hollywood Studs - 8:30 a.m. To 5 p.m.See the rt of the lendar and other events here.What n you do durg Gay Days outsi of the parks?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.This year, there will also be a new Beach Ball waterpark party at Aquati Orlando, which is an event sponsor.Do 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 time.Are there preutns this year wh recent anti-LGBTQ legislatn?Dpe the current turmoil between Gov.

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 year.In 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.