Gay Day Disney 2002

On June 1, 2002 I attended my first Gay Day at Disney . That Saturday, the park of choice was the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. All gay participants were encouraged to wear red. As my friend Gary G. and I walked passed through security and on to Main Street, there was a sea of red in every area of the park. Over 125,000 "family" members were there to show that fun and unity can coexist. There were men and women from all ages and races. Some come with friends, some with their mates, some alone, and some with children. As for the outnumbered straight folks, they were at their most polite. I did not witness any incident; the only things I saw were love and joy. Gary and I did not have red T-shirts, and felt quite left out, so we quickly bought two red Disney shirts and changed into them. The true shirts of choice were red Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt (on almost every young man under the age of twenty-five) and the official Gay Day 2002 shirt.

The park was very crowded and the lines were long at all the rides. Many of us including me hopped over to Epcot midday to escape the crowd for a short break. But I did not go to Gay Day to see any attraction; I have ridden all the rides at all the Disney parks at least a dozen times previously. I was there to enjoy the company of other gay men and women. To see people holding hands and being affectionate with each other in public at the most family oriented amusement park in the world brought joy to my heart. Disney's employees, as always, were kind and gracious regardless of Gay Day or not. I met many people at the park and took pictures of three men from Austin, Texas and three young cuties from Jacksonville, FL.

Gay Day at Disney is actually a week filled event that follows Memorial Weekend. Many of the participants started their fun at Pensacola and party their way to Orlando by the end of the week. To enjoy this unique event, you must plan ahead of time, way ahead of time. There are dances and functions held at various hotels in Orlando and most of these €œGay Day€ hotels are sold out 6 months to 1 year ahead of time. However, there are plenty of hotels in Orlando. There is a park for a particular day of the week to go to. Saturday is always at the Magic Kingdom. You can get more information at and of the Gay Day web sites; www.gaydays.com, www.gaydays.us, www.gayday.com, etc. I go to Disney World once a year, and after Gay Day at Disney, I will now go twice a year. If you have never been to Disney World, I suggest that you go to Disney during off-season to experience all the rides and attraction. Once you have done that, go to Gay Day at Disney to show our unity.

The day ended with the lighted electric parade followed by a fireworks display. People from all walks of life lined up to see this spectacle. Gay, straight, men, women, children; it did not matter who you are. I saw two elderly men holding hands standing next to two young teenager girls, watching and talking with their neighbors. We all had stars in our eyes, and for that magical moment when Tinkerbelle flew across the sky toward the castle, I knew in my heart that fairy tales do come true.