How should Disney acknowledge Gay Days in its parks?

My question is, why must there be 'Gay Days' at all? Gay people are (rightly) welcomed at Disney every day of the year, so what is the necessity for this event? What does it actually achieve?

I agree with 80sMan. Why do they celebrate 'Gay Days'? Could you imagine how offended the LGBT community would be if Disney, or any other company celebrated 'Straight Days'? I am just saying that I would be able to see more clearly with the LGBT community if they did not try to shove these type of events down my throat.

@80sman Fair question. From my perspective, the event is a fun way for Disney fans in the gay community to mingle with other fans along with their friends and family. During the event, there are expo-like booths, speaking events, celebrity participation, dance parties, and other activities. These are hosted by the organizers in various convention facilities, sometimes including Disney properties. Also, many of the cast members are part of the LGBTQ community, so I’d imagine there is an even more magical, inclusive vibe that weekend in the parks.

As a gay man, I still have fears when it comes to holding my husband’s in public. Simple things that couples do whils spending a day together at the park, often taken for granted by many straight couples. During the Gay Days weekend I feel like there is a safety net around me and feel more comfortable doing these things - not 100% but more than on a regular day.

In a weird way I think it's more respectful to the gay community that Disney doesn't take ownership of this day. It disgusts me to see large corporations over the last couple of years plaster rainbows over their logos and share meaningless social media hashtags for a month. It's nice for a company to simply cater to a minority group without just marketing/pandering to them.

You can't normalize something without treating it as normal. Disney should run everything as normal and not plaster meaningless LGBT symbols over their merchandise. Welcoming and inviting the LGBT community in social media, or even in park banners should be welcomed. Embrace without monetizing is the best way to ensure acceptance.

@ Darth Vader, we could go beyond that and say, if there are Gay Days, then can that throw the door open for things like 'Black Days', 'Transgender Days', 'Little Person Days'? Why not even 'Redhead Days'? The list could go on and on to the point where every day is catered to a specific group of people. Where is the line? Is there a line??
I guess I'm just wanting to live in a world, where people are simply accepted, regardless of skin colour or sexual orientation.

@ M M, thanks for your response and also thanks for not taking my comment in the wrong way. I thought that it could have been misconstrued as dismissive or sarcastic. I appreciate the explanation of what happens during the event, and I'm glad that you can enjoy it. I do, however, also agree with what Court E said. To me, being truly accepted means being treated just as fairly as any other decent person. I just wonder if having these seperate events (not just at Disney) could do more harm than good, in the long run. I genuinely feel sad that you have fear in holding your husband's hand in public. It shouldn't be like that and I do hope that one day, you won't feel the need to have a safety net around you.

Gay pride Mickey Mouse ears ($20 btw) just shows our society we never miss an opportunity to monetize something lol.

I have attended gay days both in Anaheim and Orlando. It’s an event that is still very much needed. In Florida, a local church flies a small plane over the WDW area with a banner warning everyone that the gays are in town. I’ve sat on a tram in Anaheim and listened as a mom tells their child “thank god you didn’t wear that red shirt today, huh?”. I’ve seen posts in Disney forums of someone freaking out because *gasp* they booked their vacation during gay days and won’t somebody please think of the children?!

As was said above, the LGBT community often can’t even hold their significant other’s hand in public without fear of getting bashed. We need safe spaces. We need to congratulate and meet others to build a sense of community. Before I came out, attending gay days allowed me to meet other LGBT Disney fans and helped build the foundation for me to come to terms with myself. Not everyone is fortunate enough to live in a welcoming gay friendly metro like LA, SF or NYC. Or even fortunate enough to have people in their lives who accept them.

So if the day comes when straight people are killed for just being heterosexual or have their homes vandalized for who they are married to or have their marriage rights put to a popular vote or allowed to be fired in 30+ states for just being heterosexual, by all means, organize “straight days” and enjoy your day at Disneyland where you can have that one day of solidarity before going back to harsh reality. Until then...just let people enjoy things. If you feel like it’s “shoved down your throat”, you’re in luck, you know what days to avoid.

Back on topic, if Disney wants gay dollars, they should just embrace it and go all in with gay days. I realize they want to appear neutral as possible as to never offend or alienate anyone but as Apple and Starbucks have shown, any groups that will boycott Disney over their pro gay stance will be a drop in the bucket to their bottom line. Disney crowds will still come. And Disney is actually probably leaving money on the table by not promoting themselves as a gay vacation, wedding and honeymoon destination.

Roy D. comes through with the answer I was waiting for. Now here's the "straight" perspective.

Here's my story: I was raised in a community that was... somewhere between intolerant and openly hostile to gays. I brought that attitude with me when I started working at Disney in the late 1980s. That's where I meet open gay people for the first time, and my attitude changed. (And I was a high school theater kid!)

There's a reason why the overwhelming message of the gay rights effort has been to encourage gays to come out. Because bigotry is, at its heart, an act of ignorance. And anti-gay bigotry almost never survives meeting, studying with, and working with out gays. Mine didn't.

Gay Days, started in the 1990s if memory serves me, was - and is - an act of coming out. Disney was the perfect forum for it because of the large percentage of cast members who are gay (remember, Disney's theme parks grew from and use the vocabulary of the theater) as well as Disney's reputation of a "family friendly" business. For straights, Gay Days allowed thousands of families to see gay people out in public, not as scary monsters they'd been stereotyped to be, but as fellow Disney geeks, just enjoying a day in the parks.

Heck, they had to wear red shirts, because otherwise you wouldn't know who they were. WHICH WAS THE POINT. Gays Days exists to bring being gay out of the closet of shame and into the open of pride. Gays Days isn't about being different. It's celebrating being the same - the same Disney fans as everyone else represented on that rainbow of diversity. It just allows Gays to be open in this fan community, feeling welcomed and encouraged to be out, instead of having to continue hiding a large part of who they are.

It's hard for straight people to understand the importance of being out. Being heterosexual has been the societal default for longer than anyone alive can remember. Look at all the images of heterosexual PDA that people accept without thought. Or the conversations about boyfriends/girlfriends and spouses that everyone just accepts.

Even with legalized gay marriage and changing social attitudes, most gays do not enjoy that level of acceptance of their relationships. That's why Gay Days is still something important. And that's why many of us would like to see Disney make its acceptance of it explicit.

I was a CP working at Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom back in 2012 and I have to say that Gay Day was probably the best day of work I had as a cast member. Everyone was so damn friendly and cooperative, compared to the usual rude and entitled. Even when Splash broke down and we had to do a reset and an evacuation, normally people will direct the blame to cast members, but all of the guests were just happy to be there on Gay Day despite being stuck on the ride.

Thanks for the great insight, Robert! I grew up in the 1980s in a Chicago suburb where the whole thing was pretty taboo to even mention (let alone being Catholic). I'm pretty open and accepting about it but sadly know still a lot of people aren't. I prefer Disney doesn't try to "market" this either but let it stand on its own yet show the inclusion that should be what the parks are about.

I think Roy D. & Robert gave pretty insightful answers on why this is a big deal.

Although I would slightly disagree with the notion that it's hard for straight people to understand the importance of being out. True, there are plenty of people who don't grasp the significance, I'd also say there are plenty who do. (I think anyone who has been marginalized by society, can understand why something like gay days are important to people in that community.)

While we never know what it's like to be in someones else shoes, the human trait of understanding can go a long way.

There was a tweet that went viral a couple of days ago & it's been covered on multiple media outlets. The tweet asked women "What would you do if all men had a 9pm curfew" (and asked all men to pay attention to the responses)......All these media outlets & blogs stated that the answers were heartbreaking & shocking & they were surprised.

After I saw a news story on it, I looked it up & I read a ton of the responses & overwhelmingly they were comments of joy & existing without fear. Some women said they started crying when they saw the question, imagining how life would be. Their answers ranged from the most simple, mundane things to responding to men (some of who tweeted the expected answers) that they had no idea what it's like to be a women & to live with daily fear. Most of the tweets were related to living freely....and there was a theme that many women don't feel free.

I brought that up to suggest that (hopefully) things that some people take for granted, like holding hands with a loved one (like mentioned above) or being able to walk outside a night....we can also realize that's not a luxury that everyone has....

In these times it's very easy for people to get offended, or take sides or have the need to be right & win.....no matter what a company says or does, you'll have the vocal distractors. Perhaps Disney will adapt one day & makes this official.....maybe they won't. Either way, it won't stop that community or any community from attending the parks.

80'sMan said "I guess I'm just wanting to live in a world, where people are simply accepted, regardless of skin colour or sexual orientation."............while I'd say that would be a wonderful world.....society clearly isn't there yet.

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears....I mean it's a world of hope & a world of fears....Bottom line is there's so much that we share....I think it's high team we're aware, that it's perhaps it is indeed (Morgan Freeman voice) a small world after all!

^^^^^^ (Sorry, I couldn't resist :-) It was the perfect song for the thread!

It's about time Disney comes out of the closet and be open about where they stand. Being "sensitive" means approving guests who hate. They want to earn money from everyone but acknowledging hatred is the wrong thing to do and they are clearly okay with that.
Sure there shouldn't be gay days. Company's, celebrities and other influencers shouldn't need to say they are okay with any so called minority, we are all people but not everyone seems intelligent enough to know that and if you are in the position you should make clear it's okay and show your support.

In the Netherlands we had openly gay presenters and actors on television (in the 70's). When my friend came out of the closet it where those role models (successful and loved people) who made him get the courage to come out. He and his parent where scared about my reaction, about him loosing his best friend. For me nothing changed (except I visited gay disco's a lot and had great fun although my girlfriend didn't approve so I ended that relation and found an amazing wife) but half his family didn't visit him on his birthday. If he wouldn't had come out, his family would still have visited him but it wouldn't be right. Disney should do the right thing and some of their guests won't visit anymore, but it is the right thing to do.

I'm glad to read these responses and views. This is an interesting discussion and I'm glad my question hasn't angered anybody. I asked it, because I haven't, personally, really encountered any blatant homophobia before, so I don't really understand the importance of having these kinds of events. To me, my family and friends, gay people aren't gay people. They're people. I have friends who I've known since school (I'm in my 40s now) who are gay. A few of them were out back then and a few came out, many years later. But none of them were ever looked at or treated differently than the good guys that they are. At least, not in my circle of friends.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not blind to the fact that homophobia is VERY much out there. I just thought that the U.S - with the exception of certain States - was now a largely tolerant and accepting country.

I share something that Jay R said, in that I somewhat disagree with Robert's view that it's hard for straight people to understand the importance of being out. I think I get it. Nobody wants, or should have to live their life in fear of being who they really are, or who they love. At the risk of sounding crude, we all need to pee and poo, just like the next person!

Yes, society isn't there yet, but I do hope that it happens in my lifetime.

Referring to the event as "Gay Days" is self-defeating in my opinion, and excludes a number of people within the LGBT community that identify with these types of events. I am surprised that organizers of these events continue to perpetuate the inaccurate terminology. Many sports teams and other public entities instead use the term "Pride" or other coded language that does not carry the same connotations of the word "gay". If "Gay Days" were called "Pride Days" or "Pride Weekend", do you think Disney might be more willing to promote and participate? Perhaps the term "gay" is used in an attempt to be more clear to those visiting since "pride" is not yet universally understood, but I think this simple change may make it easier for Disney to directly affiliate with these events and foster a level of cooperation with organizers, including employees that identify as LGBT.

I am sitting in my resort room at Coronado Springs at WDW reading this post and felt the need to respond. I am here with my wife of whom I have been married to for 7 years. We come from a small conservative rural town in PA where this type of thing is not accepted yet everyone knows us and we've never had any issues...but we never show affection or hold hands in public...ever! Every restaurant we visit, it's always "would you ladies like separate checks?" and we always just smile and say "that's ok, I owe her a meal" or make up some line that doesn't shine a spotlight on us.

We've been at WDW since this past Sunday (Sept 30) and the first night here, we were walking through World Showcase and my wife reaches over to grab my hand. I glanced over in shock and she just smiled at me. I apprehensively reached out and took it. It felt like we had both put on t-shirts that said "yoohoo....gay...over here....look!" We both felt extremely self conscious and both agreed that it felt awkward and strange as it's just something we never do. We then observed a few other couples, both male and female, holding hands. Fortunately, no one said anything to us, at least to our faces.

Throughout the trip at random intervals, we have continued to hold hands and that has perhaps been the most Disney magic we've experienced. It's not "Gay Days" at WDW right now but at least being tolerated for us to share affection no different then straight couples has been remarkable. In a few days, we will return to the world where "we are 2 friends shopping together" and if we touched each other, I am certain something would be shouted. But for just this small window of time, it's delightful to share affection with the person I love.

I love Gay Days. I think we need Gay Days, or Pride Days, or whatever we decide to call it. It creates a safe space many don't really have. It also provides another way for people to support the community.

It's all about inclusion, and regardless of how far we've come, we can do better! Let's do better together.

To that question, Disney all but says the name. Disney is already as far left and knee deep in progressive politics that it ruined Star Wars. Does it need to be that explicit to advocate for Gay politics(?), which I'm sure is already ridiculously politically correct with more letters to be added (LGBT-CALIFRAGIDOCIOUS). Disney World removed Night of Joy. No more shows in 2018. So Disney already made a statement that benign traditions are to be broken and other interests are to be promoted.

Anton, Night of Joy is gone??? Why? Is it just this year?

I always wished DLR would’ve had a west coast version of Night of Joy. (Or even Rock the Universe at USH)

On a lighter note, Magic Kingdom day of Gay Days at WDW must be the best day of the year for cast members working Country Bear Jamboree. For one afternoon, it’s the hottest attraction in the park. Extended queue rolled out, capacity shows, audience participation. Even the straights are trying to get in. :)

@ Sarah Warner - that is so beautiful, thank you for sharing. As an openly gay man, one thing I love about visiting Disney Parks is the freedom to be myself and hold hands with my boyfriend as we walk right down the middle of Main Street USA. My first long-term relationship had its start at Gay Days Anaheim, and in subsequent years the event has been a wonderful opportunity to wear a red shirt, share some Disney magic and make memories with my queer friends and supporters. I am lucky to live in Los Angeles where for the most part people accept, or at least tolerate, me and people like me. I know other gay couples in more conservative parts of the country and the world are not so fortunate. I hope you and your spouse enjoy your time at WDW. <3

Thanks to everyone who has already shared on this topic. There has been some wonderful insight and growth and I think that’s what topics like this need most. Everyone will have an opinion, but just because you have your views does not mean you can’t understand, learn and grow from hearing and accepting the way things are for others.
I’ve never tried to hide who I am here. I’ve written a few front page stories, and in them referred to my Husband more than once. I do this because I’m very lucky as I’ve been accepted for who I am by the most important people in both my and my Husband’s lives. We are part of a group whose numbers are growing, but we are still the lucky few. Way too many LGBTQ+ people are not given the unconditional love and acceptance that at the very least should come from family and friends. Not a special kind of acceptance, but the same acceptance that would have never been in question for a straight person.
Why does GayDays exhist? There are a lot of reasons but to me, the biggest is because it gives people who have never felt empowered to hold the hand of the person they love in public a place and the confidence that it is in fact OK to do so – I’m thrilled for you @SarahWarner and your wife.
GayDays is also important because it helps the straight world to see our community as way more than what you may have in mind. I love seeing all of the diversity within the queer world. Yes – there are stereotypes, but there is also every other single kind of person, including a great deal of straight friends and family who are along for a really fun day in the parks. We are not there to shove it in your face @DarthVader, we are there to do something people in the straight world do all the time without even thinking about it – we are there to be ourselves. Anyone who can’t understand that has never been in a position where you were afraid to be who you are. This is something straight people have little to no reference to draw upon. I can only imagine how it could be difficult to understand how wonderful it is for us to at last be who we are, from the perspective of someone who has never had to worry about something so fundamental. Trust me. It’s a big deal. We don’t attend these events to make you uncomfortable. We go because we are so very tired of being uncomfortable almost all of the time. Tired of defending ourselves and explaining ourselves to people who ask questions like, “When are the straight pride days?”
One of my very favorite memories of GayDays took place on the parking lot tram at The Magic Kingdom in perhaps 2003. My buddies and I boarded the tram and I notice the folks in the row in front of me were all wearing red. It was a very typical straight family – Mom, Dad, and three pre-teen kids. Knowing that some straight people become very self-conscious wearing the color de jour, I wanted to gently inform them about the day and help them understand what was going on. I tapped the Mom on the shoulder and said, “Good Morning. I was wondering if you all were aware of the special event that is happening today at the park?” Before I had even finished she said, “Oh, yes! We came a few years ago not knowing anything about the DayDays. At first we were a little confused, but before long, we realized we were having the best time we’d ever had at Disney.” She went on enthusiastically, “Everybody we encountered – the guests, the employees, all of them seemed so happy and nice. The best part was seeing how much fun the employees were having.” I have to admit I was tickled by her answer. The Husband turned in his seat and continued. “We have been back at other times of the year since but it just wasn’t the same. The people were grumpy, the cast was fine…but they just didn’t seem as on point and happy as on that visit during GayDays.” The Mom continued, “Now we plan our Disney trips to always be on GayDays. This is our third time.”
If you’ve never been I encourage you to attend be you straight or queer. If you go with an open mind and heart, you will have a wonderful time, and maybe you will discover something new.

@Roy/Robert

Sure it is lamentable the persecution that gays et al. have endured thats not the issue. The issue is does your message of victimhood belong in a Disney theme park? Who hasnt been persecuted for their beliefs/lifestyle? Just this year certain churches were victims of mass murder. How many times were Muslims attacked since 9/11 or before? Jews? Should every single group/sect/ethnicity get their "special day" at Disneyland to remind everybody that they exist? Should there be a Christian day/Muslim day/African day/Witches Day (although Universal might want that lol)/Satanic Day/Atheist day/ Gun Day/Abortion Day/Anti abortion day/Marijuana day etc...There is indeed nothing special about LGBT victimhood and its quite misleading to assert so. And that is why it doesnt belong in a Disney park. It is only self centeredness to force everyone visiting a Disney park to be reminded of Your identity and the issues around it. It is the me me me culture of modern America and it is pure self centeredness. I could care less if you know all about me and what I believe in, especially when youre visiting a theme park. I want you to enjoy that park and I or anybody else should not get in your way of doing so. Should gays be tolerated? of course. Respected? Absolutely. Should they have a special day set aside by Disney Co.? No and neither should anybody else.

@ Daniel, jeeze you must be fun at parties. Have you ever been to Gay Days? If you haven't, and I doubt you have, you have no idea what you are talking about. As Robert says in the article, it is a fan-run event, not officially sanctioned by Disney. What is self-centered about thousands of people coming together, wearing a red shirt and eating rainbow layer cake? That is called solidarity, not narcissism. But if that says "victimhood" to you, if that is the one thing that "spoils" the park for you, maybe it's *you* that is the problem, not the fan-run event that is now in its 20th year.

@ Mathew

I do find it a little childish that you feel the need to show your "solidarity" in a theme park mainly for children, instead of a more appropriate public forum like a public library, park or community center, not to mention the many Pride events where you can do that. "What is self-centered about thousands of people coming together, wearing a red shirt and eating rainbow layer cake?" Exactly that. Other people besides you paid the full price of admission to enjoy the park. So why then should they be subjected to whatever message of solidarity for whatever cause is being promoted? People pay a lot to visit these parks and they may not be interested in your social/political message while on their vacation and you should respect that. But if you read the article (or just the title lol) and my comment the issue is should Disney adopt and fully recognize it. Roy, Robert and others brought up the victimhood argument, which is why I brought up the fact that almost anybody could make the claim and do the same. But I dont think Disneyland and theme parks is the appropriate forum for that. People go to escape the outside not to be reminded of it. And thanks for the personal attacks. I hope you attain a level of tolerance that you expect from everyone else.

Tips for surviving "it".

1. Don't stare.
2. Don't have that talk.
3. Distract. "Want ice cream?"
4. Maybe skip the parades.
5. If you don't mind, leave early.

Imagine feeling imposed upon because someone is eating cake. Weird.

Sarah, Rob, Matthew (and others), thank you for your beautiful stories. Moments like this that remind us why these places we love can mean so much, even if we do spend much of the time complaining about overlays and price increases and whatever else.

I'm straight, but have been to a good number of Pride and queer community events with friends. As Matthew says, they're not about victimhood - the vibe tends to be about as far from that as you can get. So to all my other straights out there, I really recommend getting along to one. It might surprise you.

I still do not understand why these events take place at Disney. From what Rob said, "We go because we are so very tired of being uncomfortable almost all of the time." Does this mean that you cannot be comfortable being gay for the other 362 days out of the year? If you are that uncomfortable around people because you are gay then there seems to be an underlying issue other than 'Gays Day'. On another note, I believe the LGBT community should stop allowing these events. The reason why is because it creates a "comfortable" environment for a day or so, but then that comfort dissipates. If people hate LGBT then 'Gays Day' isn't going to change their mind, it is just going to remind them how much they hate the gay community. The only people who benefit from this event is gay people themselves. For example, if Disney did a religious day called, 'Christian's day' I would say about 90% or more of the LGBT community would disagree with 'Christian's day'. Now, does it seem fair for Disney to take down 'Christian's day' but not 'Gay's day'? No, it does not.

@Darth. I am not uncomfortable being who I am, but as Sarah so beautifuly stated, many in our community don’t have places where they can freely express themselves.
As to a Christian day at Disney, what exactly do you think is being celebrated from approximately November 1st to January 7th each year?
Beyond this, unless you are willing to drop the Dark Lord persona and share your name and photo, please join the rest of the Trolls under the nearest bridge.

Anyone can have unofficial days at Disney. Lke Bats days and Dapper days. Gay days took off because it spoke to people and there was a need. Events like straight days or white days just didn’t rally enough troops I suppose. Daniel, I find it funny you label what I and others say as victimhood. I see us as fighters and survivors. It takes courage to live your life out and proud and that’s a part of what gay days is about. I don’t know what kind of social/political message you think is going on in the parks during the event though. It’s not like there are demonstrations or marches. A family going to Disney for vacation should expect a park with a wide range of diverse people inside of it. The same family will get that on gay days too. Maybe this hypothetical family all arrive wearing those themed family vacation t-shirts. Well, when they arrive, they’ll see a 30,000 member family there wearing themed family vacation t-shirts that all happen to be red.

@Rob
November 1 to January 7? Ahh I was waiting for someone to bring that up. Are you refering to National Holidays and can you seriously not see the difference between that and a day to celebrate your sexuality? In a kids theme park? And those celebrations are about as un-christianized and generic as you can get (a good thing imo). I challenge you to find a reference to Jesus or god at any time during that.

Lol. October does seem like it belongs to the devil.

@ Daniel - perhaps you are not aware of a long time tradition at Disneyland and at Epcot called The Candlelight Processional. While only presented on a couple of nights a year in California, this elaborate telling of the birth of Christ takes place three times a night at the American Adventure in World Showcase. The show consists of a full orchestra, professional choir, guest choirs from local schools and celebrity narrators. Not sure if I can post a link on this forum, but I'll try. This version features Kurt Russel doing the narration -

https://youtu.be/vqSMRDFbWTg

Here’s the list of narrators for the 2018 Candlelight Processional at Epcot:

November 22-23, 2018 – Chita Rivera
November 24-25, 2018 – Helen Hunt
November 26-27, 2018 – Alfonso Ribeiro, Nov. 26-27 – NEW
Nov. 28- Dec. 2, 2018 – TBD
December 3-6, 2018 – Neil Patrick Harris
December 7-9, 2018 – Whoopi Goldberg
December 10-12, 2018 – Bart Millard
December 13-14, 2018 – Blair Underwood
December 15-17, 2018 – Gary Sinise
December 18-20, 2018 – Pat Sajak
December 21-23, 2018 – Auli’I Cravalho
December 24-25, 2018 – Edward James Olmos
December 26-27, 2018 – Jodi Benson
December 28-30, 2018 – Cal Ripken Jr.

So....there is your reference to Jesus.

@ Darth....Gay Days isn’t being sponsored or put on by Disney. It’s, as Roy said, a fan run event like Dapper day or Bats day.

Now is Disney going to try & make money of of this? Of course, they’re a business....but this is a fan event. A popular one....and Disney knows this.

@Daniel....For the holidays, there are specific references...which I for one, am happy & glad to see! (I’d LOVE for Night of Joy To make its way to DLR & would gladly pay the extra ticketing fee)

As Rob mentioned, there is the Candlelight Processional, which is an incredibly POPULAR event that people start lining up in the morning for. The musical selection after the fireworks (and during World of Color) includes songs like Do You Hear What I Hear, Joy to The World, Let There Be Peace on Earth.

There are menorahs & dreidels on Main Street. Three Kings Days celebrations have been added. (Even in February, they have a Celebration of Gospel at DCA which features full on gospel music from various Gospel choirs from SoCal.)

We should not use one event to knock another (and take the easy direction of pitting people against each other) There are millions in the LGTBQ community who are also Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.

I’ve been to the parks on GayDays.....it’s still the same park, with the same thousands of happy people. It’s not about victimhood, it’s a community coming together & sharing experiences. No on is excluded from this, in fact it’s about including everyone!