MrPromey
Well-Known Member
Disney does not sponsor “gay day” any more than it sponsors any other large tourist group that choose to visit the parks at once. Personally, I’d rather deal with a bunch of people in red shirts on “gay day” than a Brazilian teen tour group any time. While I myself am not gay, I know people who are and I can assure you that the vast majority of people choosing that lifestyle are not the ***ual predators that many homophobic people make them out to be. That being said, I have no idea about what you are saying in regards to the incident in the haunted mansion. I have NEVER been forced into a 2-3 seat ride vehicle with a stranger EVER and I used to go to the parks alone quite a bit. Personally, I would be upset if a cast member were to insist this after I had objected under any circumstances. It is true that Disney makes preparations for “gay day” though. They are told in advance when it will be and they make sure that there is enough staffing on hand as they would for any large group. They also have a ready supply of t-shirts that they give to other guests who wander into the park unsuspecting in a red shirt for the day if they feel uncomfortable. This isn’t a sign of Disney’s support for anything. It’s taking proper proactive measures to make that day in the park as enjoyable as possible for EVERYONE who has purchased a ticket. I have never seen a shirt sold at Disney saying “gay day” on it. For that matter they have never come out with a collectable pin or coffee mug or hat for it, either yet they see special merchandise for ALL of their sponsored events such as Grad Night, the Osborne lights, Night of Joy and so on.
Captain EO did not close down less than a month after the Michael Jackson controversy began, either. I remember being in there during the whole thing and somebody asking if they were planning to close it down and at the time, the cast member gave a very light response to the question – obviously dodging the issue at the heart of the question. The Honey I Shrunk The Audience movie that replaced it required EXTENSIVE work on the show building to add the effects to the seats as well as the movement felt during one of the scenes. This was not an overnight replacement for Capt. EO. Although, I am not the person you were responding to, I will venture to guess that they replaced it because it was in fact getting outdated. That movie had a nice long run in that theater that went well beyond the Michael Jackson fad era. Like the movie before it (Magic Journeys, which went on for a while longer in MK), Cat EO was starting to look dated. Michael Jackson’s mega-stardom had faded and the costumes and hair styles of everyone in it were telling of its age. It’s also worth pointing out that this was a sponsored attraction. Kodak was and still is a sponsor of it. Since they were the ones that shelled out the money for the upgrades to the theater and the making of the new movie, I’m sure we would have seen a much cheaper replacement had the change over been a rush job that they weren’t fully supportive of. If you don’t believe me, you need only to look in the same building to see what a rushed job with little support from the same sponsor gets you.
(or maybe not)
