Adorable feature image via Flickr
Anti-gay group and general all-around haters, The Florida Family Association (FFA) is spending thousands and thousands of dollars to “warn” Disney patrons about Gay Days at Disney World. During Gay Day at Magic Kingdom, celebrated the first Saturday in June, LGBT singles, couples and families meet at the Magic Kingdom in red shirts to enjoy a gay ol’ time in the most magical place on earth. Though Gay Day is not officially recognized by Disney Parks, Gay Days organizers set up a huge Wednesday-Thursday event. Additionally, Disney works with private promoters for ticketed, after hour parties, such as RipTide at Typhoon Lagoon or Drink Around the World at Epcot. FFA is highly concerned that the gays will converge on unsuspecting families forcing them to watch “same-sex couples holding hands, hugging, kissing and wearing tee-shirts.” This of course is in stark contrast to what one normally finds at Disney World– all sorts of folks hugging, kissing and wearing ridiculous costumes. Thus, FFA has decided to run an airplane message across Magic Kingdom on June 1st and June 2nd (Gay Day).
FFA'S 2011 BANNER
Now, let’s get one thing clear, I love Disney World. Love it. Yes, it’s hot and crowded, filled with screaming kids and a total promotion of capitalism, but I don’t care and I love it. And I don’t want any hate filled haters spewing hate onto the least hateful place in the world. Regardless, FFA already managed to raise $4,100 towards their Gay Days warning. That’ll buy the group 10 hours of airtime, but the FFA is attempting to double that for a full 20 hours of flying hate.
From the FFA’s site:
LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender) activists converge on the Magic Kingdom the first Saturday of every June for an event called Gay Day at Disney…Our team has estimated in several years past years that as many as ten thousand (10,000) people entered the Magic Kingdom only to promptly exit before 1:00 pm after witnessing Gay Day patrons. One Gay Day patron’s comments best describes their goal “We need to be seen in the heart of America’s playground.” It appears from the behavior of Gay Day patrons that they were more intent on being seen rather than seeing Disney World. Just like activists’ attempts to gain access to youthful minds through LGBT characters in video games they also want to impact a captured audience of tens of thousands of children during the first Saturday of Summer Break.
THIS IS AN ACTUAL PICTURE FROM THE FFA'S WEBSITE SHOWING THE SORT OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR THEY WANT TO KEEP KIDS SAFE FROM
FFA claims that the strategic gayness of gay people has decreased Magic Kingdom attendance by “mainstream families” by 50-60% last Gay Day. Though FFA’s numbers are unsubstantiated, those within the LGBT community agree that the park was not particularly busy in 2011. By contrast, in 2000 Disney was forced to close the Magic Kingdom gates on Gay Day due to attendance north of 80,000. I don’t doubt there are families who avoid Gay Days for homophobic reasons, but if there was indeed a decrease in families at the Magic Kingdom, I wonder if it’s actually in relation to those numbers. Why bring your child to Disney on a seemingly random day in June when you hear it will be outrageously busy?
ANOTHER IMAGE FROM FFA OF IMMORAL BEHAVIOR TO KEEP KIDS SAFE FROM.
Last year’s decrease in attendance may also have to do with LGBT participants. While party promoters capitalize on the rising numbers at Gay Days, Disney remains neutral as ever. Last year drew around 150,000 people overall, yet without marketing specifically to the LGBT community, Disney seems unable to draw folks away from parties and into the parks. Said GayDayS.com’s Chris Manley, “Back in the beginning, the Magic Kingdom was the only identified event. People who’ve been there, done that may prefer to pass, or to take in some of the other events.”
Regardless of attendance numbers, one thing is for certain: some sort of message will be overhead warning folks against the presence of gays. FFA insists they are running the banner to protect families and children, but I’m worried about a different group of families and children. The ones who can’t even spend a day at Disney with families like their own without being reminded that some don’t want them there.
YOU MEAN FLORIDA FAMILY ASSOCIATION DOESN'T WANT THIS DISNEY LOVING KID AT DISNEY?!
Gay people wearing t-shirts! The horror!
It must be because they wish we’d all stick to our rainbowy-glittered-leather-vest Pride uniforms so they can more easily pick us out when we’re trying to infiltrate their PTA meetings and Girl Scout leadership positions.
I am not a fan of parks like Disney World, but I find it maddening that bigoted assholes can turn a place that is supposed to be happy into a place where families a little different from their own no longer feel welcome. *Sad face*
But with that being said, I would totally donate to an air banner that read “Hooray Gay Day at Disney 6/2”. Someone get on this, please.
I’ll take off my t shirt if it makes them feel better.
I could use a tan anyway.
That first picture cracks me up.
“Sometimes on gay day, two possibly gay men stand a few feet away from each other in front of a mailbox and look at their cameras. They even put sunglasses on their head. The horror! Keep your holy children away from this devious behavior at all costs.” -possible caption for their website.
What you don’t know is that these possibly gay men are on grindr.
I wonder if their stunt will back fire and numbers will actually go up as thousands of people look up and see “Warning Gay Day..” and think thanks for the warning I almost missed it.
Exactly! If someone flew a banner over my head saying “WARNNING GAY DAY AT __________” then I’d just be like “hot damn, I need to find me a carpool!”
But seriously, I really hope this backfires and Gay Day attendance explodes.
I was thinking this exact same thing when I saw the picture of the banner. Warning: you might miss gay day if you don’t get over here now.
Precisely!! I have an awful memory, so I sometimes need an airborne banner overhead reminding me where the gay things are happening!!
Seriously, that banner is rad. I want one. I can use it for all the big gay parties that I throw*.
*Number of big gay parties I’ve thrown to date: 0
It’s because you don’t have a banner!!
I wish all homophobes everywhere limited themselves to stupid (and oddly hilarious) stunts like this.
So my family accidentally bought park tickets the same time gay days was going on. It was my family’s third or fourth trip to Disney.
Y’all it was amazing. Normally, moms rent strollers and then they run them into your ankles because they need to see the little mermaid or something. The parents are grouchy and yell at their kids.
Gay days was fantastic, people seemed nicer and more laid back. people seemed genuinely excited to be there.
My sister and I watched a fireworks show one night next to the best couple that did jazz hands in time to the music while singing.
No one ran us over with their stupid stroller and it was great.
Also the shocked looks on a couple of the families who had never seen so many gays in was place was awesome.
If I ever go again it will only be during gay days.
I don’t understand how this will work in the FFA’s minds. As a person who does not live in Florida, a trip to Disney would be planned faaaar in advance, so regardless of my feelings on gay day (which are pro!) if I show up and see that warning, I’m already at Disney, where else am I going to go? Like, maybe some advanced notice would be more useful than a banner on the day.
Would they rather us go shirtless?
I’m guessing that could be arranged.
1) Embrace the banner. Make Tongue in cheek “WARNING GAY DAY!” red + rainbow t-shirts.
2) Fly own banner or stage other pro-LGBT stunts. (IDEAS?)
The “Surrender Dorothy”-esque banner was a nice touch for the Friends of Dorothy.
When I saw this banner fly over Orlando last year, I thought, “oh yeah! I forgot all about it! Thanks for the reminder, and I love the sarcasm, btw, you wonderful folks of GayDays!” Obviously, I didn’t realize it was an anti-gay group that funded this banner and that they were really warning people until later on.
In all the years (just a measly 3, actually) that I’ve attended it, I’ve seen maybe only one or two questionable behaviors, which is unfortunate, but I’ve seen questionable behavior from heterosexual people, too!
Also, there have been various reports from Cast Members who said that the crowd for Night of Joy (a Christian concert series that is officially sponsored and supported by Disney) is a lot worse and harder to deal with than the crowd for Gay Days. Hah! (I can personally testify to this as well.)
Can’t wait to go this year! =)
“without marketing specifically to the LGBT community”
HA.
Yeah, I was working in shops in Hollywood Studios for Gay Days last year, and every store brings out all of the rainbow shit and sets up special stands and everything. There may not be commercials played or flyers sent out, but there’s definitely internal marketing going on.
Wow. So some people don’t realise how gay Disney is every day…
The FFA is a bunch of idiots. I’m starting to think they took trolling lessons from 9gag. (Which is to say: not good ones, and poorly copied from Reddit.)
I had no clue when Gay Day at Disney was. (I tend to prefer to go during Gay Day or, in King’s Dominion in VA, its equivalent, as the people tend to be nice.)
Thanks to FFA, I now know and could plan accordingly.
There NEEDS to be a banner that follows with HURRY YOU MIGHT MISS IT!