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Disney's Magic Kingdom Closed to Same-sex Weddings Today's first AfterElton main page article is all about how Disney discriminates against gay and lesbian couples by refusing to allow same-sex wedding ceremonies to be held at Disney World in Florida. (The same is basically true of Disneyland in California, but it's slightly more complicated.)
The story came about because a little more than two weeks ago I happened to catch an episode of The View that featured a segment on David Tutera, a well-known party planner who had joined forces to design a selection of high-end couture weddings for Walt Disney World's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons division in Florida. After watching it, I was going to do a jokey blogpost about how dare a gay man (Tutera is openly gay) inflict Disney weddings on the world. I was all set to remark that the first time a gay couple held their wedding at Disney, they would have to re-design the whole thing. Then it occurred to me I should make certain gay couples could have their wedding at Disney.
 It seemed so obvious to me that of course gays and lesbians would be welcome at Disney that I very nearly didn't make the call. But I finally did and was astounded when told by a Disney Wedding Consultant that the Magic Kingdom was closed to same-sex couples looking to have a wedding. I knew any such weddings wouldn't have any legal weight with the state of Florida (or anywhere else except for a Massachusetts couple with a Massachusetts' license), but that didn't have anything to do with who Disney could offer their services to.
What followed was a rather confusing week as I got conflicting information from Disney Wedding Consultants and even the Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons website. But I finally did get a spokesperson to confirm only heterosexual couples were welcome to celebrate their love with a wedding at Disney. Disney claimed again and again it was only because the state of Florida doesn't recognize same-sex marriage that they couldn't do same-sex weddings. Unfortunately for them, the two things are completely separate. Basically, Disney is trying to justify their discrimination by using the state of Florida's.
The situation is a little different in California where they also require a valid California marriage license for a wedding, but they will hold domestic partner commitment ceremonies. However, there is a catch. The Disney wedding team won't do those, leaving it instead to the local corporate office to plan. And while heterosexual couples are welcome to wed in the Rose Court Garden, gay couples are strictly verboten from holding their ceremonies there.
Call it separate and unequal.
Check out the article then come back here to share your thoughts. And if you have some thoughts to share with Disney here is some contact info.
Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons at Disneyland Resort: 714 956 6527 Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons at Walt Disney World Resort: 321 939 4610 Disney can also be reached through their website here or here. Submitted by on Sun, 2007-03-04 08:05. |
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Hi Michael,
This is a great piece of investigative reporting that shocked the heck out of me. Like you, it seemed so obvious to me that what they do on their property has nothing to do with whether same-sex weddings are legal in Florida. If you pay for the venue/time, why can't you have whatever ceremony you choose? It's not even a matter of Disney endorsing gay weddings - you're renting a space and paying for a service (but then, it's still legal to discriminate with goods and services in America, isn't it?).
I'm surprised that this comes from a company like Disney and I hope a LOT of fuss is made over it (although maybe it'll take a few months, just like the Isaiah Washington incident, for mainstream media to notice?).
So glad you called them out on this!
Disney's explanation makes no sense at all. You don't need to have a marriage license or domestic partnership certificate before you get a commitment ceremony. By definition, a commitment ceremony is private and unofficial. Whatever happens in conjunction with it (or doesn't happen) is completely irrelevant.
Despite Nevada's constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage, MGM-Mirage (which owns half of Las Vegas) offers commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples in their wedding chapels.
They'll even arrange for an appointment with a public notary to stamp your California Domestic Partnership Declaration (if you want to make it "semi-official"... since there is no California residency required to register and Nevada's same-sex marriage ban doesn't apply to simply getting a document they don't recognize any way notarized). However, most just have the ceremony by itself.
If casinos are sensitive enough to diversity to offer such services...you'd think a place that claims to welcome everyone would get with the program.
I am shocked at this policy. Disney Orlando has a great many gay employees that would not appreciate this policy. Disney also makes ALOT of money during GayDays every June in Orlando. There isn't a shortage of events and attractions to take advantage of during GayDays, so maybe we should boycott Disney events during GayDays and enjoy all the OTHER events (Universal Studios, Sea World, Hot Rock Cafe, Parliament House, etc). That should send a message to them.
Another reason why I will never take my kids there.
I can pay a small fortune for a ceremony for my daughter (who is straight)
at WDW, but I can't pay the same small fortune for my gay son to have a
ceremony with his partner?
All money is green...this needs to be addressed. My family has spent
thousands of dollars at WDW since 1975. Shameful, absolutely shameful!