June is here and Gay Days has just taken place at Disney world as many LGBTQ individuals and friends come to Florida to celebrate. Celebrations go on this year even amidst laws that some have deemed anti-LGBTQ.
Gay days were celebrated at Disney this year from May 31st to June 4th. Gay Days started 3 decades ago when a group of friends decided to meet at Disney and the even ballooned into an annual multi-day event attracting hundreds of thousands of people.
The event was first documented as happening with 3,000 people wearing red shirts although some claim there was a smaller original group. The original group who started Gay Days wore red shirts to stand out in celebration of their gay pride. People now wear red shirts to celebrate as they flock to Disney.
The first Saturday in June is traditionally red shirt day at Magic Kingdom, but there are other red shirt days at different parks. Along with days at the theme parks, local hotels and establishments hold events to mark the six-day event which since 2010 has seen groups of over 150,000 attending the 6 day long celebration in red shirts.
Attendees go on the theme park rides and other activities including popular pool parties, Drag Bingo, expos, and more at the event’s host hotel in Orlando.
This year’s celebration also included a new Beach Ball waterpark party at Aquatica Orlando, which is an event sponsor.
Disney does not directly sponsor or promote Gay Days, however, its Parks & Resorts division celebrates Pride Month by launching a themed collection ahead of time.
Disney has had some controversy after speaking out against Governor DeSantis’ “Don’t say gay” bill and in April, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida, issued a travel advisory for the LGBTQ+ community warning members not to come to the state.
Despite some of this controversy, many from around the globe came to celebrate the event this year.
This story was originally reported on by Samantha Neely of The news-press (Fort Myers).
