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Too Short for Disneyland: His Shorts Not Welcome, Even on 'Gay Days'

Too Short for Disneyland: His Shorts Not Welcome, Even on 'Gay Days'

Anthony Gilét

A gay guest was asked to change outfits or risk getting kicked out of Disneyland during the California park's unoffical 'Gay Days' event.

Anthony Gilet was thrilled to visit Disneyland in Anaheim for the annual 'Gay Days' event, but revealed on his website that he almost got ejected from the park over what he wore.

Gilet wrote Monday that he was chased down by a park employee who told him to change his shorts or risk expulsion.

"I was certainly wearing more than Ariel," the gay website manager wrote in a post on his site describing the experience.

Gilet was at the park for the unoffical 'Gay Days,' when thousands of gay and lesbian patrons visit the park and identify themselves by wearing a red t-shirt or football jersey. He didn't have a red t-shirt that he liked so he wore an oversized red and white jersey with the number 13, which covered up his shorts.

"Within a few minutes of being inside the park, a member of staff chased us down, before asking 'do you have anything on under that top?' So I told her yes, and showed her the shorts I had on underneath. To which she replied, 'OK... Because it gives the impression that you have nothing on underneath. Do you have a change of outfit, because if not, security may remove you from the park.' Really? Why?

"She continued, 'It's just that it's a family park.'"

Gilet, who is based in London, wrote that he didn't "want any drama" or to get kicked out of Disneyland after paying $99 to enter, so he put on a pair of longer shorts he had in his bag. However, he questioned the whole experience, wondering if he was asked to change because he didn't conform to gender stereotypes:

"What exactly was the issue? Was it the fact that there was so much leg on show? Because there were countless girls walking around in booty shorts. How is it any different from a girl in those? Or even a dress? Was she asking women if they had anything on under their short skirts too?"

On Disneyland's website it says the park has the right to remove anyone whose attire "we consider inappropriate." This rule may also extend to "Visible tattoos that could be considered inappropriate, such as those containing objectionable language or designs," according to park rules.

"I fully understand that my outfit was a bit unusual and apparently not conservative enough for Disney -- but I'm struggling to see the issue," Gilet wrote. "I wasn't wearing an offensive slogan, and I had shorts on underneath that weren't going to expose anything when I sat down. What was the line that had been crossed?"

Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

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