Gay Pride Week at Disney. Oh no!

[Peppergirl]

I'm still steamed about a call I took about 4 hours ago. Just to recap, I'm a travel agent in an emergency after-hours call center. That means that the calls to about 200 agencies around the country, large and small, roll to us after 5pm and on weekends, but ONLY if you press a button that the call is urgent.

SBW - Stupid, Bigoted Woman
Me -


Me: Thanks for calling xxxxxx, this is Peppergirl, how can I help you?

SBW - I was trying to reach Brenda.

Me: I'm sorry ma'am, we're the after-hours EMERGENCY service for them. Is there something that I can help you with? (I say this at LEAST 20 times a day)

SBW: Well, I'm looking at a brochure for Disney, but I want to make sure that the week we're planning to go isn't that damned GAY PRIDE week!

Me: I see.

SBW: ....

Me: .....

SBW: Well, is it?

Me: Ma'am, I don't know when you're planning to go, and as I stated a moment ago, this is the EMERGENCY after hours line for xxxx agency.

SBW: Well, I want to go (whatever date - I dont even remember now). But I don't want to go when the GAYS are there, IF you know what I MEAN.

Me: Actually, I'm sure I don't. Regardless, you'll need to give your agent a call in the morning after 830am because as I stated, this is the EMERGENCY line.

SBW: Fine!

Me: (through gritted teeth and sarcastically) Have a nice evening.


Seriously. First off, ? Second of all, how does she know what MY sexual preference is. I have many gay and lesbian friends, especially in the travel industry.

I didn't even care that I was a snarky bitch right back to her. I know my manager wouldn't tolerate it either, even if she WERE to tell on me.

[iviles]

Well Im sure they dont want her there ruining their vacation either!

[Sliceanddice]

um....im not sure the have a gay pride week.... the closes they get to gy pride is ryan in high school musical

[Hello Kitty]

That reminds me of my spouse's midwest aunt and uncle. They went on a cruise a while back, and were complaining that the cruise immediately prior to theirs was a 'gay cruise'. I dunno, they were probably imagining orgies on the dining tables or something...not exactly sure what the objection was. Anyway, the midwest aunt's sister (had moved from the midwest to CA a long time ago, and is very liberal) had the perfect response - "I don't know why anybody would object to people loving other people."

[myswtghst]

um....im not sure the have a gay pride week.... the closes they get to gy pride is ryan in high school musical

While I lol'ed at the comment, they do host a Gay Pride week at Disney (I think Disney World, but it might be Disney Land). We've seen complaints about it on PFB, even. Mostly it's just that there are a lot of gay people at the park that week, and I believe they participate in parades within the park. I personally think it sounds like great fun.

[Rubystars]

Why are you appalled that she would want to avoid this kind of thing? Why would she want to expose her children to the sort of thing that goes on at gay pride parades?

Granted, she was being sucky by being rude about it, but if she nicely asked someone during normal hours and not on the emergency line, why would you have a problem with this question?

Not everyone sees that behavior as normal and healthy, and not everyone who feels that way is a bad person. You don't have to hate someone not to want to be around that sort of public event or take their children to such an event.

[Lingering Grin]

While I lol'ed at the comment, they do host a Gay Pride week at Disney (I think Disney World, but it might be Disney Land). We've seen complaints about it on PFB, even. Mostly it's just that there are a lot of gay people at the park that week, and I believe they participate in parades within the park. I personally think it sounds like great fun.

Actually Disney does not officially support the "Gay Days". They make no changes or accommodations for anything. The people just show up and take over the park.

[TTAZ]

Wait a second...isn't Disney one of the first and largest corporations to offer same sex partner benefits? So...I kinda wonder what she'd do if she thought that no matter what time of year she went, there might be every possibility after midnight Cinderella ditches Prince Charming and rides off into the night on the back of Snow White's chopper.

Point #2- if she doesn't want those tickets, can I have them?

[CancelMyService]

Why are you appalled that she would want to avoid this kind of thing? Why would she want to expose her children to the sort of thing that goes on at gay pride parades?

Maybe it was the tone of not wanting to be around "THE GAYS" that makes it so appalling? She sounds like the kind of intellectual lightweight that probably thinks you can catch gay from a toilet seat.

I'd wager her children should probably be exposed to something like a gay pride parade to counteract the amount of bigotry they're likely being exposed to. I mean, if someone can talk like that to a stranger imagine what is said at home?

Besides, if she asked nicely during the proper time and not on the emergency line, then she wouldn't be a SC now would she?

[Broomjockey]

Not everyone sees that behavior as normal and healthy, and not everyone who feels that way is a bad person. You don't have to hate someone not to want to be around that sort of public event or take their children to such an event.

Frankly, it's not like they're having sex in the line-ups or anything. There's still gay people there the rest of the time, as well, just more of them there during that week. And as others have noted, it's not like Disney's officially sanctioning it or anything. It's an independantly organized activity. Which leads to this:

<Mod Hat On> We will confine discussion to the SC's sucky attitude towards the event, and the abuse of the emergency line. We will not discuss whether the SC was correct or not about the way she felt.

[smileyeagle1021]

Why are you appalled that she would want to avoid this kind of thing? Why would she want to expose her children to the sort of thing that goes on at gay pride parades?

I have 2 responses for that, the first one is one that would have to be on fratching... the second is that she is sucky because she considers it an emergency... sorry, nothing about a vacation short of canceled flights or the hotel burning down would qualify as an emergency as far as I'm concerned.

[StevieJD]

Hey I don't want to hang out at Disney on Gay Pride Parade either.

I also don't want to hang out on Black Pride Week, White Pride Week, Fat Pride Week, Scrawny pride week, Latino pride week, ugly pride week or any other week.

Did I miss any group?

Most likely did, but I got the basics.

In other words I would not want to go during a special event that attracted a single group or type of people.

But there are nice ways of asking. Maybe "is there anything special going on that week?"



By the way, I went to a Dodgers game many years ago. It was Church Youth night and Biker Babe Night all in one. Wild fun times.

[Crazeyal]

http://www.gaydays.com/about/history.html

My Google-Fu is strong..

[Brightglaive]

By the way, I went to a Dodgers game many years ago. It was Church Youth night and Biker Babe Night all in one. Wild fun times.

I remember when (as a joke) the local Hard rock/heavy metal radio station announced that Garth Brooks and Metallica were coming in concert together.


WOW!! talk about fun times!!! You should have heard that bleeping button on the live calls.

Personally I thought it would've been an excellent concert, but I'm sure a huge riot would've broken out between the metalheads and the hillbilly hick/redneck types.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Anyway, the midwest aunt's sister (had moved from the midwest to CA a long time ago, and is very liberal) had the perfect response - "I don't know why anybody would object to people loving other people."

Good response. I always tell people I'm far more worried about people who hate than I am about people who love.

Hey, Rubystars, I certainly do get where you are coming from. One of my gripes with the Gay Pride parades is that they are not very dignified or family friendly. My personal opinion is that they are not very condusive to promoting acceptance, which is something the organizers and participants ought to give a little consideration to.

I'm not anti-gay in the least. But thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't feel comfortable around the sort of stuff that is common at Gay Pride parades if I had my daughter in tow. But I'd be interested in knowing if that sort of stuff goes on during a "gay cruise". If it did, I'd bet it was only in the clubs and shows on the ship, and not right there in the hallways and on deck. At least, I would hope that would be the case.