Almost all of the 6,000 people who poured into the water park were gay men. They had spent a lot of money on tickets for a private event. Online ads promised that Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park would become yours for the party of the year. You must be a part of the magic.
Several attendees joked that Disney had outdone itself with Pride theming this year after the rainbow arched over the parking lot. The party was not staged by Disney. Some ticket holders showed up in wrestling singlets while others wore chest harnesses. Go-go boys gave the stage to Trinity the Tuck.
I stood among the revelers wearing a black Polo shirt and khaki shorts, which led to an intervention from a stranger. He asked, what's with your outfit? It is not a good vibe that you look like an uptight soccer father. Take some of those clothes off.
Mr. Rodriguez was correct when he said that I had not come to typhoon lagoon to dance or flaunt my muscles. I was there looking for something.
A four-day Pride event at Disney World and nearby hotels attracts tens of thousands of L.G.B.T.Q. visitors each June.
In 1991, a group of gay adults used internet message boards to plan a gathering in which they would wear red shirts and buy tickets to Disney World on the first Saturday in June. To send a message that they, too, belonged in the realm, the plan was to be safety in numbers among the Disney crowd. Pose for photos with Aladdin while riding Space Mountain.
A number of adult-oriented events sprang up at non-Disney hotels in the area, including pool parties, dance nights and drag contests. Attendees can buy artwork depicting male Disney characters in various sexual scenarios at the non-Disney exposition. The Mr. Incredible is wearing a jock strap.
Gay days is a version of Disneyland that takes place in the fall. It didn't try to rein it in. Attendees buy tickets for red shirt days like any other day of the year. Private companies like OneMagical Weekend, Gaydays Inc., and Girls inWonderland handle the planning.
I was confused about what Gaydays was. The goings-on are on Disney property. Adults spend a lot of their time spinning in teacups and waving at Winnie the Pooh at private events that make Grindr look tame. The components didn't seem to fit together as I'm the uptight-soccer-dad variety of gay man.
Is the anti-L.G.B.T.Q. venom that has surrounded Disney going to spill over to Gaydays?
Disney was involved in a fight with the governor of Florida. State legislation was put in place to prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity through the third grade, with limits on what teachers could say. The bill was criticized by L.G.B.T.Q. organizations and a lot of companies.
An employee revolt occurred after the chief executive of Disney tried not to take a side. The bill was denounced by Mr. Right-wing media figures and Mr. DeSantis railed against "Woke Disney" in the political and media uproar. Laura Ingraham said on her show that Disney had shown itself to be a haven for radicals who are hostile to anyone who has any sort of traditional conception of morality. They joined the attack.
On March 28, the governor signed the bill. Disney World was stripped of its designation as a special tax district in April, allowing the company to self-govern the 25,000-acre mega-resort. There were neo-Nazis at Disney World in May. They yelled, "This is DeSantis Country!"
It sounds like a great place to be gay.
Gay days have had their ups and downs. The red-shirt wearing L.G.B.T.Q. visitors were viewed as immoral by some religious groups and Disney World visitors. The co-author of "Queens in the Kingdom" said that Disney put signs at the Magic Kingdom's entrance to alert guests. Disney gave out white shirts to straight people who were afraid of being mistaken for gay.
The man who would become his husband and datememe datememe datememe datememe was at the entrance with Bibles and signs that said "We were going to hell" Planes flew over the protesters for a while.
The Southern Baptist Convention decided to boycott after Disney refused to block Gay days. In 2005, the church lifted the boycott. Is Gay days a return to that divisive time?
Tom Christ, who helped found OneMagical Weekend in 2009, said by phone that there was an added significance. Showing our numbers is one way of fighting back. He told me that he didn't want to read about my visit and that he didn't want to see any "Hanky-pany". I did not see it. Unless you count a few hairy, heavyset men rubbing bellies at the Riptide party in a pool area labeled as a bear lagoon.
Gay Days participants streamed into Disney World as the song "Let's Go Fly a Kite" was played on the loudspeaker. Many of them were wearing red shirts with the words "SAY GAY" on the back. The Starrs are going to ride Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin with their friends. Veronica said it meant a lot. We can't be ignored when we wear red.
The volunteers from Free Mom Hugs are a favorite part of Gay Days. A group that supports L.G.B.T.Q. youth arrived with their leader and her husband. She said that Disney cast members waved and told them to have a happy Pride.
Disney's parks and resorts division celebrates Pride month with a lot of rainbow merchandise, including a button with Mickey Mouse and a rainbow along with the slogan "Belong, Believe, Be Proud" There was also a rainbow themed dessert.
Disney Springs, a shopping area, has been adorned with dozens of "share your pride" banners. All profits from the sale of Pride merchandise will be donated to L.G.B.T.Q. organizations.
Homophobia is still alive and well. The group of baseball players refused to wear a rainbow patch on their uniforms because they were against Pride Night.
I was struck by the routine nature of the day when I stayed at the Magic Kingdom for a long time. There were no people protesting. There were no indications of danger. A gay man was upset that a Disney manager told him that his shirt was inappropriate. The phrase "I like it wruff" was used in the picture.
There were a lot of people in red shirts who weren't at Disney World for Gay days, but they didn't seem to care about the significance of the color. One guy said with a smile, declining to give his name and heading toward the Pirates of the Caribbean boat ride, that maybe his daughter would think he was cool now.
The blasé attitude represents a change from the way things used to be.
At Gay Days a decade ago, all of us were in line at Disney's Frontierland roller coaster. There was a sea of red The little girl ran up to her dad in fear. I want to say 'Dad!' The man is the father! You need to take off your shirt. It means you are gay if you wear red.
The man picked up the story. He said that the guy was very attractive. We all started chanting to take it off. It is time to take it off.
They began to laugh. Mr. McKeown remembered those days.
The us-against-the-world esprit de corps that was an important part of Gay Days has waned according to several long-time attendees. Some younger Gay Days attendees don't bother to show up in red shirts at the Magic Kingdom because of society's acceptance.
Richard said that there is less of a stigma when it comes to homosexuality. The overwhelming sense of community is missing. When you wore a red shirt at Disney and said you were taking a chance, it felt a bit frightening.
Mr. McKeown, who lives in Quincy, Fla., told me that if conservatives were upset about Disney's "gay agenda", why didn't they show it during Gay days?
He thought it was political theater.
The screaming on social media and right-wing news outlets is a kind of parallel universe.
Mr. McKeown agreed. The fight for equality is still going strong. It's possible for everyone to get along.
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