Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis is gonna hate what’s on this year’s ‘Gay Days’ T-shirts from Disneyland

The much-loved ‘Gay Days’ festival is due to return to Disneyland in Anaheim, California in September. To commemorate the event, now in its 25th year, organizers have unveiled official merchandise.

This includes a red T-shirt with the slogan “We say gay” on flags at the top of the design.

It’s hard to believe this is anything other than a subtle dig at Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation. Governor Ron DeSantis signed it into law last year.

Officially known as HB 1557, or the ‘Parental Rights In Education’ bill, the legislation bars educators from talking to younger students about anything related to LGBTQ people.

DeSantis has made his war on LGBTQ+ rights a cornerstone of his bid to win the Republican nomination for President. His campaign posted a video last month roundly blasted as homophobic. His team later quietly deleted it from social media.

Last week, Ron’s wife, Casey, posted video in which an LGBTQ+ activist was removed from one of his speaking events. She also posted a misleading video from a Pride event in which the marchers sarcastically chant “We’re coming for your children.”

Drag queens at Gay Days

Ron DeSantis backs banning drag queen performances in front of children. Perhaps again throwing shade at this idea, Gay Days Anaheim announced yesterday the participation of a gaggle of RuPaul’s Drag Race queens.

These will include Symone, Gigi Goode, Crystal Methyd, Alexis Michelle, Lady Camden and Daya Betty, according to Variety.

DeSantis has sparred with Disney since the organization came out last year and denounced the “Don’t Say Gay’ legislation. DeSantis supported moves to strip the Orlando Disney World of some of its autonomous, regional powers.

Gay Days Anaheim runs Friday, Sept. 22, to Sunday, Sept. 24. The next Gay Days Orlando is May 30th to June 3. 2024. It now routinely attracts tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ visitors.

Gay Days history

The first Gay Days took place in 1991. Those attending are encouraged to wear red so that others can see who’s there for Gay Days. It is not an exclusively gay event—the parks remain open to other members of the public—and it is not officially endorsed by Disney.

However, according to a statement on the Gay Days website, “Disney has been wonderfully supportive of the event, especially as it has grown. They are involved in all of the official aspects of the event (hotel room blocks, the Welcome Center), and have been very accommodating.”