For 'Disney Gays,' Loving the Mouse House Is Complicated
For self-identified “Disney Gays,” there’s no happier place than within the comfortable confines of a Disney theme park. Donning sequin-emblazoned mouse ears while being surrounded by nostalgic sounds and the inviting smell of warm churros (plus underappreciated Mickey pretzels) is heaven for fun-loving queer folks who want to forget life’s troubles in the lands of “yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.” But as with things in recent years, a rising tide of antigay and anti-trans sentiment (and legislation) has crept between the cracks of even these most hallowed grounds.
It’s reached the point where we have to ask the question: What does it mean to be a Disney Gay in 2022?That’s a particularly tricky question to answer this year following the passage of Florida’s “don’t say gay” law and what many queer people felt was Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s mishandling of the situation — first trying to dodge the issue then publicly opposing the legislation when it was too late to have any real impact.
It was understandably seen by many as too little, too late.Cal State Fullerton women and gender studies professor Jodi Davis-Pacheco, who runs the Disney travel Instagram page @ExtraMagicalAdventures, says it’s been especially hard knowing that Disney has donated to many antigay politicians who supported the law.“Disney is a company that thrives because of the LGBTQ+ community that creates the magic as cast members all over their resorts and theme parks, animate their movies, write their stories and songs, dance in parades, style characters, and LGBTQ+ people that visit their parks and consume their media,” she says.
