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Proceeds from ticket sales help support housing programs for people with AIDS and scholarships for students studying LGBTQ issues. The park also plans for the first time to sell T-shirts and other merchandise emblazoned with the “Love Is Universal” logo during the event. Universal Studios Hollywood’s online park calendar doesn’t mention the Pride Is Universal event but for the first time this year the theme park posted a Twitter announcement about the event. The debate over gay events hosted by theme parks is complicated by the fact that some parks play a bigger role in promoting, supporting and advertising the celebrations than others. “For a major family-oriented entertainment corporation to embrace the LGBTQ participation in the theme park is nothing to sneeze at in this current political climate,” Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN, an organization that supports LGBTQ students from kindergarten through high school.
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When Disneyland Paris announced on Twitter in January that it was taking over its gay pride event, many followers applauded the move, although others suggested the park could take a bolder stride toward promoting the LGBTQ community by creating a gay or lesbian character for Disney theme parks or movies.ĭisney defenders say the company has introduced gay and bisexual characters on its television shows, including the Disney Channel series “Andi Mack” and the ABC series “Once Upon a Time.” “Disney does help and provide some support on some level with the Gay Days events, but I do believe it will only be a matter of time before they fully embrace it as they have in France,” said Aaron Goldberg, author of several books about Disney. The gay-themed events are still debated today but much of the discussion focuses on whether the theme parks should play a bigger role in supporting and promoting them. When Disney parks began to allow gay events, the company became the target of boycotts and scorn from conservative religious groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention, the Assemblies of God and the American Family Assn. The events reflect a gigantic leap for Disney, which until the mid-1980s prohibited same-sex couples from dancing at the theme parks. Gay pride celebrations also have taken hold at Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland, which are operated under licenses from Walt Disney Co. Gay Days drew about 30,000 visitors last year to Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort. Gay Days launched at Walt Disney World in Florida in 1991, and the event is expected this year to attract more than 180,000 visitors over six days in August. Organizers expect to draw about 5,000 people to the event. But Disney parks haven’t advertised, promoted or organized the in-park events - until now.Īmong major theme parks across the U.S., gay pride events have become annual celebrations that draw thousands of park-goers who ride the attractions during the day and stay after the parks close to the general public for dance parties and musical performances.Īt Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, the 12th annual Out on the Mountain is scheduled for Sept. parks’ stores and restaurants stock rainbow-themed merchandise, symbolic of LGBTQ pride. Walt Disney Co.’s parks in the U.S., Japan and China allow independent groups to stage gay-themed events, and the U.S.
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The move by Disneyland Paris marks a dramatic shift for the world’s biggest theme park operator.
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“This will help the general population see LGBTQ people as they see everyone else - normal,” said Nathan Tunnah, a founder of the event and a consultant at Greatdays Travel Group of Manchester, England. This year’s celebration, featuring musical performances by Boy George and Years & Years, appears on the park’s online calendar alongside its annual jazz event and the Lion King & Jungle Festival. The party became so popular, attracting about 300 people last year, that the European theme park is officially sponsoring Saturday’s event, known as Magical Pride. Only four years ago, a British travel agency launched a gathering at Disneyland Paris where gay and lesbian theme park fans could meet for happy hour drinks.