Disney re-evaluated the case and consented. A second lawsuit filed in 1987 by three more men who were told that “Touch dancing is only for heterosexuals” never made it to court. Even so, Disneyland Park rescinded the rule prohibiting partners from dancing together on August 14th, 1985. Disney paid the fees, but stated that since it was not a class-action suit, it only applied to the two men. It finally settled in May of 1984 when a judge ruled that the men’s civil rights were indeed violated and ordered Disney to pay attorney fees of $25,000 and eliminate the ban on same-sex dancing. Andrew Exler sued, but the case dragged on for four years. This of course led to several lawsuits Disney had to address. Even so, the men continued and were taken to the security office and were escorted out of the park. We are a private concern and these are our rules. They were told this is a family park and this kind of behavior is not to be tolerated. In 1980 at Tomorrowland in Disneyland, security guards observed two men dancing and approached Shawn Elliot and his partner Andrew Exler. But Disney’s association with Gays and Lesbians did not end there… They know that this group was no different than any other and brought much revenue into their coffers. At the event, Disney had extra security, worrying about Of course the next year the organization again applied for a rental date and Disney this time gave them a resounding “NO” But to Disney’s chagrin, other major entertainment venues happily rented their parks to the organization, notably Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm. But with legal action threatened by the association, Disney knew they had no choice and acquiesced.
In Disney’s eyes, what would wholesome families think about Disney renting a family park to Gays? Remember, in 1978 it was a totally different world then. It was not long after that Disney officials found out the truth about the organization and made a vain attempt to cancel the party. Of course there was no mention of the association being a homosexual community. Once the association was cemented, they contacted Disney, arranged a date, and after meeting the minimum requirement of guests, closed the deal. This was a large gaggle of restaurants and bars in Orange counties and the Los Angeles area, owned by gays and lesbians. What they did was create an organization called the Greater Los Angeles Restaurant and Bar Association. In addition, they had to be part of an organization to accomplish this. But they knew that Disney would never agree to rent their park to “Gays and Lesbians”. But in those days, the group renting was accountable for selling the tickets to their event and meeting certain criteria for the rentals.Ī group of gay and lesbians decided they wanted to rent Disneyland for a night. This was the case in Disneyland in the ‘60’s and 70’s. As you might know, people, organizations and groups can actually rent areas of the park, convention halls in the resorts, attractions etc. This annual convention had its start in 1978 in Disneyland. “Gay Days” is in itself an enthralling look both historically and socially.
Ever since the riots that began on June 29th, 1969 at Greenwich’ Villages Gay and Lesbian Bar the Stonewall Inn, when gay and lesbians patrons of this working-class gathering place decided that enough was enough and resisted a police raid (One of many), which resulted in 3 days of rioting, did the community bring awareness to people and government of their right to live their lives as they see fit, that their acceptance is now the norm.īut that was not the case in the beginning, and certainly even today there are people, organizations, religious groups and societies that still suffer from Homophobia, and make it their mission to squash the Gay and Lesbian communities.
They are in movies, TV shows and in the workplace. 2015 is the 25th anniversary of the first event in Magic Kingdom.īut as you know, today in our enlightened age, gays and lesbians are part of the mainstream life and most do not give them a second thought. Since that first fledgling outing, the event has grown exponentially, and today is one of the biggest gatherings of Gay and Lesbian and Transgender groups in the world, bringing in over 100 million dollars into the local economy. The event drew over 3,000 gays and lesbians, who decided to wear red shirts to easily identify each other. The first “official” or documented event began on the first Saturday in June, 1991. For guests at Walt Disney World during “Gay Days”, most will not even be aware about the annual gathering of Gay and Lesbian groups, their families and friends as they enjoy the Magic of Disney and show support for their community and each other.