I didn’t see myself reflected in anyone, and that made me feel like there was something wrong with me.”Ĭharlee can’t abide the idea that states are trying to make life harder for trans people. “And I certainly didn’t have any trans or nonbinary role models. “I had very few openly gay role models,” Charlee said. Young employees in revolt are holding bosses’ feet to the fireīefore Walt Disney Co.'s fight over its stance on Florida’s LGBTQ bill, Netflix and Spotify faced their own employee revolts. And even with all the apparent privilege in the world, they said their journey has been difficult.ĭisney is not alone. Then, four years ago, Charlee came out as trans. “I have a trans kid, and I love my kid no matter what,” she said.įor years, Charlee identified as gay, which came as no surprise to Sheri, who remembers Charlee at 2 or 3 tugging her away from the little girls’ shoe section, saying, “But mom, I’m a boy on the inside.” The gift was also a way to remind the world that LGBTQ kids need love and support, not shame and erasure. She said she thought of the $500,000 matching grant as a “bridge” demonstrating the family’s commitment to gay and trans rights. Sheri Disney told me her family was disappointed by the Disney Co.'s initial refusal to take a stand against the Florida law but had no doubt the company would make it right. Disney, grandson of the company’s co-founder (and great-nephew to Walt) his wife, Sheri and two children announced they would match up to $500,000 in donations to the HRC.Ĭolumn: On Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, Disney sets a new standard for corporate cowardiceĭisney, Florida’s most powerful corporation, greets the state’s attack on LGBTQ+ kids with silence. They also took note that the Human Rights Campaign refused to accept Disney’s $5-million gift until the company did a better job standing up for gay and trans rights. Which is funny, because the word “woke” was not even used in its present context when Disney began offering health benefits to the partners of its LGBTQ employees, allowing displays of pride flags and embracing annual “gay days” at its parks.Īcross the country, in Toluca Lake, one branch of the Disney family tree was paying close attention to the controversy. He accused the company of trying to “impose a woke ideology on Florida.” Then Florida happenedĭisney employees walk out to keep up the pressure on CEO Bob Chapek after his handling of a staff revolt over Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. And he's hopeful that the company will eventually become an official supporter of GayDays.Disney had a tight-lipped employee culture. "Everybody identifies GayDays as Disney," he said. While the event has expanded far beyond just Disney World visits, Erics says Disney is "absolutely" the main draw for the celebration. But the event has been credited with helping to push Disney to better acknowledge LGBTQ fans and employees. "Those are our family members." Erics said there are heightened security concerns this year, but added, "We’re not going to live in fear." What does Walt Disney World think?Įven though the days have become a longstanding tradition, GayDays is still unofficial, and not formally associated with Disney World. "GayDays lost five people from the Pulse tragedy," Erics said.
That sense of community has become even more important after last year's deadly massacre at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. to see a 70-year-old in drag makeup walk through Magic Kingdom, it shows they feel comfortable being who they are." "If you’ve never been to GayDays, it’s one of those tough things to explain … It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "A good 75% of our guests are returning guests," he said. According to Erics, this year a total of 193,000 attendees came to the event, making it the biggest year ever.īut, he said, it still feels like a family gathering. There are Disney World meet-ups for families and singles. GayDays, which began as a single visit to Disney World's Magic Kingdom, is now a massive, weekend-long event, featuring organized visits to every part of Disney World as well as pageants, pool parties, competitions and visits to other area theme parks. "Being involved in GayDays is the best thing ever," she said. Montrese has been a part of the celebration for more than ten years now, and she clears her schedule to make sure she can appear at GayDays every year, now as one of the celebrity faces of the event. "That was probably part of why I wanted to become a part of GayDays."
"It was one of the best times, especially for the entertainers because we felt safe, we felt secure, we felt happy," Montrese said in an interview Monday. Drag performer Coco Montrese, who appeared in the competition reality show RuPaul's Drag Race, first noticed Disney GayDays long before she was famous - she saw the events firsthand during the 11 years she worked at Disney World as an entertainer, performing in parades and shows.