Coming out with pride ... and Disney- Orlando Sentinel- 10/13/06

[TheDisneyInquisitor]

Article from the Orlando Sentinel- October 13, 2006
Coming out with pride ... and Disney

Coming out with pride ... and Disney
This weekend marks the 2006 Come Out With Pride events for the gay community.... Worth noting from a local perspective is the sponsor of the event’s KidZone activities: Walt Disney World. The theme park has traditionally welcomed the gay community and even participated in the parade in past years -- but has just as traditionally gone kept its support relatively informal. This sponsorship suggests that's over.

Said Disney spokesman Bill Warren: "Our charitable focus as a company is on children and families, so the kids zone was a logical choice to sponsor. All a part of our company's high regard for diversity and inclusion as a key to our success."

Full Story: Coming out with pride ... and Disney

[MickeyMania]

A "KidZone" at a pride parade?

Nothing against pride, mind you. It just seems like a "leave your kids at home" kind of event.

[Olympicnut]

A "KidZone" at a pride parade?

Nothing against pride, mind you. It just seems like a "leave your kids at home" kind of event.

Why? Some gay couples have kids. Should those kids be excluded from "Kidzones"? Should gay couples with kids not bring their children anywhere they go in public?

"Sorry kids, we're off to have a great day at Walt Disney World but, we dont want to bring you there because you kids shouldn't be exposed to other kids who have same sex parents". Or "Sorry kids, we just dont think it's healthy to be around other gay people".

[alphabassetgrrl]

I think most of the pride days I've gone to there were kids. Many gay people have kids, and there won't be anything too outrageous going on in public.

Besides, if you give the kids a place to be together, they'll see that they're just normal kids and normal families. That just because mommy's gay the world doesn't end. Other families have gay mommies, too.

[Dustysage]

Most Pride festivals have kids and families areas. There are lots of gay families out there.

[MickeyMania]

Thanks for the answers and the restraint with your answers.

O-nut, I was never suggesting what you were saying, in fact I have no problem with kids at places like the Gay Day meets at DL that are rather restrained. My thought was that pride parades are far more racier, more sexed-up than those meets. However, not having been to one myself, I wasn't sure of that. We've all seen the media footage of highly-inappropriate things happening in the street at some parades, and to "the rest of us" sometimes that's the prevalent image that conjures to mind when you think of the parades.

[alphabassetgrrl]

My thought was that pride parades are far more racier, more sexed-up than those meets. However, not having been to one myself, I wasn't sure of that. We've all seen the media footage of highly-inappropriate things happening in the street at some parades, and to "the rest of us" sometimes that's the prevalent image that conjures to mind when you think of the parades.

The more shocking images play better to the evening news but are really a minority of the actual stuff going on. It helps fuel the "look at what THOSE people do" crowd. Bleh.

Most of the pride stuff is child-friendly.

[Fluffy Bubbles]

My mom, my little sister (9 at the time, I think), and my friend all stayed at a Disney resort went to Disney World during Gay Days, and I didn't see anything that wasn't kid-friendly there. Nothing inappropriate going on there; a little PDA, but nothing you wouldn't see with any other couple at Disney World.