Gay Day

We first heard about Gay Day at DisneyWorld in 1997 from some friends who were thinking of going. We said "Let's." and 16 of us traveled to Orlando that year. The weather was perfect for the 5 days we were there. We had a great time! The fact that I was out there with thousands of other gay people enjoying a day at the Magic Kingdom made me feel wonderful. This was my second time at DisneyWorld. It was interesting seeing all the 'cast members' (Disney employees) in suits standing at intersections in the Magic Kingdom (I assume they were security) being helpful with directions and insuring everyone had a good time.

So we decided to go again in 1998, even with the threats of boycotts and blockades. Six of us journeyed to Orlando in the blistering heat. While the sun did shine, the 98F+ and 100% humidity for the 6 days there, really did everyone in (although Typhoon Lagoon and the hotel pool were frequented). We braced ourselves for the heat and the protesters (waved at the dozen of them on our way into the park) and had grand ole time in the Magic Kingdom on Saturday. We made some new friends from Alabama that day.

We had decided against going in 1999, mainly because we had also gone in October 1998 for a conference and were just about Disneyed out (if that is possible), but friends who hadn't been to Gay Day wanted to go and so we said "Yes." (Alright, it really didn't take too much arm twisting). This year, we're planning on 7 days and have a group of 9. Hoping to catch up with our friends from Alabama again. Drop a line if you are going. Take a look at all the planned activities. We've only done the parks so far but hope to make some of the other events this year.

Gay Day 1999 was great! The weather was much cooler than last year. The park didn't seem as crowded as 1997 but the number of people was a consistent throughout the day. We met up with our friend from Alabama, now of Florida, and his friends for lunch at the Crystal Palace (always a good time there). We stayed through the evening to see the Electric Parade (I liked the Spectromagic Parade better. The synthesized music of the Electric Parade gets to you after a short time.)

We visited all the Disney Parks during the week. Didn't make any of the other events...maybe next year. Also went to Universal's Islands of Adventure. Had a great time there. If you go, make sure you wear a swimsuit. Lots of water rides. Be sure to experience the Spiderman ride. The only disappointed we had was not being able to visit Typhoon Lagoon. The day we had planned to go, we had thunderstorms.

We will be traveling to Gay Day 2000 in June. Already got the airline tickets. About 13 have said they will be traveling with us this year. We really want to see the 10th Gay Day and the Millennium Celebration at DisneyWorld. Drop me a line if you are planning on going.

We had another great time at Gay Days in 2000! The weather was a hot! Not as hot as two years ago but close. I think October would be a better month for these activities. There were many more people in the Magic Kingdom on Saturday then last year. Many more family members were noticeable at the other parks too. Quite a few didn't wear red. I don't know if they didn't want to be noticed or just the fact that a red shirt retains a lot of heat. Used FastPass whenever it was available. The Epcot parade was incredible.

We went to Universal on Sunday, visiting both sides. The MIB ride was great! Universal had Fast Track but they also had a single rider line in most attractions. If you were willing to split up your group, they would fill in space with single riders. This moved faster than Fast Track and we took advantage of it.

We did make it to Typhoon Lagoon this year. Had a wonderful time on the beach and in the water.

We decided not to go to Gay Days 2001. Its just getting too commercial for us with the focus moving away from Disney World. We'd rather go to Disney World in cooler weather. Maybe someone should start Another Gay Day in October (could coincide with National Coming Out Day).