Gay Days returns to Walt Disney World after 2-year hiat

Contents:

• LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN
• DAT ANNOUNCED FOR GAY DAYS DISNEY WORLD
• GAY DAYS RETURNS TO WALT DISNEY WORLD AFTER 2-YEAR HIAT
• GAY DAYS IS RETURNG TO DISNEYLAND & CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

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

Joseph Clark will never fet his first Gay Days."Jt gettg off the (monorail) and seeg the sea of red shirts, to this day  giv me goosebumps," he relled of the annual Pri event at Walt Disney World and other Orlando-area venu, which is neher sponsored by nor exclive to Disney.Back 2008, Clark was a regular attene who ma his own red shirt wh iends.

"There was no 'Oh my God, they're gay.' Like yep, most of were, or we had iends and alli wh that weren't, who were jt welg to the muny.

It was life-changg for me."Here's what to know about the annual LGBTQ+ gatherg Florida.'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?Gay Days Orlando started three s ago wh a group of iends who cid to meet up at Disney World red shirts. It has sce ballooned to an annual, multiday event, which draws upwards of 180,000 people to the Orlando area om across the world.Stand Fai:LGBTQ people need of stand- parents at weddgs, holidays fd 'fay' Facebook groupWhen are Gay Days 2023?Gay Days Orlando ns om May 31 through June 4 this year.

DAT ANNOUNCED FOR GAY DAYS DISNEY WORLD

What day is red shirt day?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.

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

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 Adventure.Who attends Gay Days?Gay Days are open to everyone unr the LGBTQ+ umbrella as well as alli. Addnal events and tails n be found on Gay Days Orlando's lendar.What is there to do at 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.

"There's plenty to do for everybody."Are Gay Days fay-iendly?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 Holiday.Clark actually par the event to a fay rnn, specifilly "the fay that gets along rnn." Are there any ncerns about havg Gay Days  Florida this year?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."My msage back to them is 'Y, of urse we're still gog on.' One thg we n't do is go back the closet and hi om everythg," he said.

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 DAYS IS RETURNG TO DISNEYLAND & CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

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.

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. 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. For the past few years, Disneyland has hosted “Gay Day, ” a nference for the LGBTQ muny the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.