It's one thing to have a plain red shirt, which is the way it started years ago. Why isn't that enough anymore?
And don't forget, a growing number of gay parents are bringing their own children, too.
Why isn't a simple red shirt (polo, tank, T, etc) enough anymore to show one's pride, or to show our numbers?
If the expression can get you banned from Disboards for violating TOS, should the same expression get you banned from WDW?
No, Chuck. I go to have a good time. I can't selectively tell my eyes what they can and cannot look at. If I decide to go to a club, I can expect to see shirts with such expressions. If I go to the MK, I shouldn't expect to see shirts with such expressions.
I warn people, gay and straight, all of the time about the potential for seeing offensive expressions on red shirts during Gay Days. Why? Because that's the only time I've ever seen such expressions. (Yeah, I know you've seen them on straights at other times, but that's not my experience.)
What's wrong with wearing a simple plain red shirt, or one with a saying on it that's not offensive ("I pay taxes, too")?
Nothing is wrong with wearing a plain red shirt, many people did. I wore a red shirt with rainbow mickeys that I purchased at WDW last year. I also wore a red Carnival Cruise line shirt from Galveston during the week. But you can't impose your version of propriety on everyone. Disney has asked some people to turn their shirts inside out or change from time to time. But because you, as an individual, find something offensive does not mean that Disney also finds it so. And I've found Disney to be pretty sensitive to respecting everyones beliefs and customs...like the two finger directional point that cast members use, as some cultures find the traditional US single index finger points offensive.
If you go looking for it, you can find something almost anywhere, everyday that someone will find offensive. Even at Walmart or Publix.
You are correct. Disney may find it even more offensive than I do.
The best decision one can make is an informed one. I want others to know, based on my experience and my experience only, that they may see red shirts with potentially offensive expressions on them during Gay Days, at a locale (WDW) where they would otherwise not expect to see such expressions. They can then decide whether or not to go to AK on Thurs, DHS on Friday, MK on Saturday or Epcot on Sunday during GD.
I understand where you both are coming from.
I get really hurt and upset whenever people make remarks about butch lesbians or effeminate gay guys 'shoving it down our throats', as if them being themselves is somehow inherently offensive and an attack on the straight 'ideal'. I think it can sometimes cause people in the LGBTQ community to be hyper vigilant for instances of homophobia, becoming immediately defensive whenever they perceive that someone is attacking certain elements present in our culture, as if an attack on one is an attack on all.
However, some instances are not attacks but legitimate concerns, as I believe is the case with Epcot Fan (though I may be wrong, feel free to correct me if I am). While some in our community may see these t-slogans as people expressing themselves, others may feel that they are representing us in a very poor light. I agree with Epcot Fan that some words are 'not safe for Disney' and have no place in a park full of families (straight
and queer) who just want to have fun in a safe, clean (as in non-sexual) environment.
I get angry when I hear/see people being attacked for who they are and who they love, but that doesn't blind me to the insensitive actions of some people within our community. We all have a responsibility to keep Disney a safe and fun place for children, and making sure that we bear children in mind when we choose our clothing when going to Disney is part of that responsibility. Gay Days at Disney are gay days at
Disney and not a Pride parade taking place in a major city, or a place to be provocative as a means of making our community visible.
I often find myself getting angry whenever anti-gay proponents over-sexualize the LGBTQ community as an excuse to keep us invisible when it comes to issues regarding children's education, media, parenting rights, etc. So I find it annoying when we have gatherings like Gay Days and people turn up wearing overtly sexual clothing (be it revealing clothing or, as in this particular case, inappropriate t-slogans). If we want to prove to the world that our 'lifestyle' is about more than just sex then we must act accordingly, and by this I mean
not turning up to a family-oriented venue wearing overtly-sexual clothing.