First Post-Op Gay Days!

[Guest kelise]

So Gay Days Orlando has come again. And this year I attended more than I ever did before. In years past I usually only went to Gay Days at the Magic Kingdom. The day when the Disney's Magic Kingdom becomes inundated with gay people wearing red shirts to show our numbers. But the day in the park is only one of many events all over Orlando. This year we left the park early and went to my first Lesbian pool party. I was always afraid to go to these before because of the requirement of duct tape for me to wear a swimsuit.

The minute we walked in, I was floored. There had to be 1000+ women, each more gorgeous than the next, filling the entire pool area of the girl's host hotel. There were so many girls you couldn't even move! Music blasting, drinks flowing, everybody dancing, and not a male in sight. It was like Spring Break only without the immature straight guys and their influence causing straight girls to act like garden utensils. These girls were loud, proud, confident WOMEN, not sex objects, yet still as feminine, "girly" and sexy as they wanna be!

And this year, I was one of them.

Yet, despite the fact that not once did I get "the look", despite the fact that I was totally accepted as one of them, I still felt a nagging depression that I had not done this 10-15 years earlier. It seems I'm now suffering from Age Dysphoria. I'm a 20 year old trapped in a 30 year old's body! And now I feel a terrible guilt for feeling this way. It's like I can't get enough. Oh well, I'll get over it. Next year, we are so getting a room at the girl's host hotel.

We're also planning on heading out to St. Pete pride on June 25th. We're planning on doing the pride events in the morning, then seeing Cirque du Soliel's "Alegria" which is performing that night at the St. Pete Times Forum, then clubbing it up at all the gay bars till 2, and crashing at a hotel that night. It will be awesome.

[Guest Miss_Construe]

Kairi,

That sound incredible. I will have to do a post-op visit myself.

I am really glad you are having fun.

Amy

[Guest Miss_Construe]

^

the signature should be:

<3

Amy

[Guest]

Yes! I understand the enthusiasm! Age dysphoria? Honey, try doing this at 60+. It's called age inappropriate! But, I love Pride, because appropriate is UNnecessary! Spokane in a week, Seattle in 3. Woohoo!

Love, Kat

[Guest kelise]

Age dysphoria? Honey, try doing this at 60+.

Love, Kat

Yeah, that's exactly why I feel guilty about feeling this way, but I still can't help envying those who are able to do it in their teens, or younger!

[Guest]

No guilt! Just have fun! You can make up those lost years if you really live the ones you have! GO!

Love, Kat

[JJ]

Sounds wonderful for you Kelise. (nightmare for me-ain't life funny:D)

The whole age dysphoria thing will pass as you said. We sometimes can't help what we are feeling. The main thing is just to enjoy what you have and perhaps 10 years ago you would not have had the common sense that has marked your transition now. Or as much appreciation for who you are now. There are always trade offs.

I keep telling myself that anyway

But bottom line is that I am very happy for you in your enjoyment of being yourself among your peers.

Hugs

Johnny

[Guest KimberlyF]

Hopefully you were properly protested at least once or saw the special airplanes on your first visit post-op.

[Guest kelise]

Hopefully you were properly protested at least once or saw the special airplanes on your first visit post-op.

I think the protesters have finally given up on Gay Days. I haven't seen any in years. They show up for Orlando PRIDE in October. But God always tells them off. Every year since I came out (except this year...), at every gay pride event I've gone to, a perfect rainbow appears in the sky at some point during the event. If God hates us, EXPLAIN THAT!

As for the skywriting dude that writes "Jesus loves you", etc, in the sky over Disney, he does that any day it's clear. He's like 200 years old and lives way out in the boonies I doubt he even knows what all the red down below means anyway.

[Guest Lacey Lynne]

Wow!

Girl, I kind of envy you!

While I lived in Florida for 31 years all told, I NEVER attending any LGBT functions whatsoever. Heck, I NEVER attend any here ... never go to The Q Center ... never go to gay bars (or any other ones for that matter) ... never interact with the community in any way.

Why not? Well, several reasons none the least of which that I'm too darned old. What's the point. Also, I'm preop. The party's over. Heck, in my case, it never started. And, it never will. The parade has passed me by.

You, however, are livin' a great life from what I can see, so:

ROCK ON, GIRL!

Proud of ya, honey! Wish I was postop too. Heck, even if I was, people would STILL call me sir!

Live it UP, girl! Live it up! Miss The Sunshine State, actually.

Peace & Hugs Lacey

[Guest KimberlyF]

They were there. They just can't fly over WDW because it's still restricted airspace since 9/11. But they warned people outside the parks who weren't going to attend

I think the Southern Baptists did stop their protesting years ago.

http://www.floridafamily.org/full_article.php?article_no=52

[Guest kelise]

HA! That's great! Thanks Kim, I actually DID see that plane in the morning, I couldn't read what the banner said though!

From the article:

30,000 children along with their unsuspecting parents will be confronted with the reality of witnessing over 15,000 Gay Pride Day revelers when they enter the Magic Kingdom on June 4, 2011

Confronted with reality?? OMG, WE gotta warn them! They might be confronted with reality!!

[Guest kelise]

My message to the Florida Family Association:

Thank you for the banner warning people about Gay Days. It is important to keep people from being accidentally confronted with reality. It's a scary place, especially for children. If children see reality, parents have to explain it, which might require them to actually talk to each other, and no good family ever talks to each other about reality. By the way this first paragraph is meant to be sarcastic in case you're too dumb to realize it.

Disney's Night of Joy and Grad Nights are planned and promoted by Disney. Gay Days is not. Absolutely no part of Gay Days is planned or promoted by Disney. They simply provide supply for demand. No matter what you say, Disney will not, nay CAN NOT, turn away 80% of it's patrons for that day. Do they sell more rainbow merchandise that day? Yes. Why? Because more people will buy it that day. It's basic marketing. We will always be there every 1st Sat in June, and that's how it's going to be.

As for the uncomfortable feeling some of you get while there, believe me, I know how that feels. I can empathize with you, I can. Because Gay Days is the one day out of the year that you get to feel how we feel the other 364 days out of the year. It's the ONE day WE get to be the majority. Yes some of us do get a little over-enthusiastic about this experience, but that's what happens when you are suppressed for so long and then released. Maybe if you lead your followers to actually get to know some gay people in more than a "I'm gonna interview you till I get enough to twist your words around" kinda way, you'll find we have a lot in common. Most of us want nothing more than to fall in love, get married, and start a family. The INTENT of Gay Days is to give gay families a chance to enjoy the park without being judged. The red shirts give us comfort in the knowledge that we are surrounded by friends.

Yes, we like to party. Who doesn't? You want an atrocious sight? Go to a Spring Break event and tell me there's no heterosexual groping and kissing? At least we don't create unwanted pregnancies at our parties. Now you going to say, "There's no spring break parties at the Magic Kingdom." You're right, but Gay Days at the Magic Kingdom really isn't raunchy. Yes there's some hand-holding, romantic kissing, and maybe even a few marriage proposals in front of the Castle, y'know, all the stuff straight people do the rest of the year; but all in all I'd say my crowd is very "well-behaved" for a group that has never until recently been afforded any positive gay role-models.

[Guest KimberlyF]

Did you email that to them? Mine would be shorter.

Dearest FFA,

If you do not like gay people, WDW may not be the best place for you. On any given day it would be a hard call for me to guess if I ran into my flamboyant gay men working there, or ECVs crashing into my ankles. Either way, the parks are overcrowded and some of us would appreciate it if your group would commit to a 365 day boycott as the parks are kind of crowded these days.