Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/04/27/disney-has-unveiled-rainbow-mo.html
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i know we’re supposed to hate on disney because of [take your pick of any number of reasons], but every so often i’m reminded of just how far the acceptance of LGBTQ people has come. i mean… official. mickey mouse. RAINBOW. ears!
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Did Chip n’ Dale ever officially come out yet?
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Well, not officially, but…
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I don’t know. They both had the hots for Clarice. Was it an act?
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Clarice is the Bette Midler of the rodent world.
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It’s amazing to see how much progress Disney has made in the parks in a relatively short time. In 1990 or so, I had a “summer night pass” to Disneyland, which was like an annual pass but only good after 5 p.m. during the summer.
One amusing people-watching thing to do was to hang out by Tomorrowland Terrace and watch security enforce the dance floor “safety” rules. Those rules basically meant singles or couples only. Small groups of teens would be asked to leave the dance floor because group dancing was somehow more dangerous. Of course, “couples” meant heterosexual couples only. Couldn’t let the kids see two men or two women dancing together. Ya know, for their safety.
My friends and I made acquaintance with several park employees during those years, including ride operators, jugglers, and dancers in the parades. One straight male dancer that we’d met pretended to be gay because his supervisor (choreographer?) was of the opinion that only gay men could dance and thus (supposedly) wouldn’t hire straight men as dancers. That seemed a wonderful bit of irony when compared to the dance floor safety rules.
Thankfully, those rules are a thing of the past. It appears the company has realized that being more inclusive was good for the bottom line.
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Was Maynard there? I had a pass around 93 or 94 and he was the absolute best cast member in the entire park.
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Oh jeez. What do you know? He has a cult following.
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I would totally buy those rainbow ears, alas i live nowhere near Disneyland or Disney World.
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Definitely picking these up next time we’re there.
For those of you who don’t live nearby or don’t visit regularly, Disney offers a DelivEARS service which will mail you any item in the park. details here.
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I realize it’s shitty of me, but I’m kind of looking forward to reading about “christians” who are outraged by this…
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The thing about Disney is it’s so large you can’t really think of it as one entity. It’s movies/tv division is very different from the parks/cruise line/adventures division, or the animation divisions, the nature team etc. etc. I mean Lucasfilm is a division there now after all 
There are parts of Disney’s empire that are terrible, and parts (like the Imagineering teams) that are absolutely brilliant, forward-thinking and models of how businesses should be run.
I’m a firm believer that the best way to push for change is to call out the bad, and praise the good, whenever you can. Far fewer things are black-and-white nowadays than most people would seem to believe, and IMHO society would be a much better place if everyone stopped looking at every entity as simply “good” or “evil”.
Disney parks have a long history of supporting LGBT staff and causes, and I think it’s awesome to see it make it all the way to merchandise now.
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There was a private ceremony in Anaheim. The couple value their privacy.
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Disney also was one of the first entertainment companies to offer employee benefits for gay partners of their staff. Given Disney’s relationship with musical theater, that was just sound business sense.
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yes, this is all very true. well said!
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Apparently these ears are (for the moment) a super-limited edition; they’re selling out as soon as they hit shelves, and some folks have said that DelivEARS isn’t working for them on this item. I’ve put out feelers for anyone I might know who could pick some up for me in time for Pride.
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Don’t forget what the ‘B’ in LGBT stands for. Bisexuality exists.
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Ha! I’ve been stuck in a meeting since I posted and that has been nagging me the whole time.
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cool i’ll have to bookmark this
Angry conservative wharrgarbl in 5… 4… 3…
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