Disney Are Releasing Rainbow Ears For Pride Month, But Not Everyone Is Happy
26 April 2018, 12:16
They are cute...
It’s Pride month for all of June, and Disney are starting to celebrate early.
Apparently, the company will be debuting rainbow-coloured Mickey Mouse ears with a cute logo of two hands holding a rainbow heart at its U.S. parks. It’s been spotted in both Disneyland California and Walt Disney World in Orlando.
The ears, officially known as the “Mickey Mouse Rainbow Love” hat, have been seen by social media users including YouTuber Joey Graceffa, who posted a video wearing them on Monday.
Reportedly the hat costs $17.99, so is a pretty similar price to the other ears and caps. Speaking to HuffPost, a Disney spokesperson said “we offer a wide range of merchandise items that appeal to guests of diverse backgrounds”.
While many visitors are excited about the LGBT-friendly move, some are criticising Disney’s surface-level support of pride while they’re still failing at inclusivity.
Reportedly, GLAAD gives Disney a “failing” rating for their inclusion of LGBT characters and themes, noting “Walt Disney Studios has the weakest historical record when it comes to LGBTQ-inclusive films of all the major studios.”
It’s a fair criticism – Disney is very happy to engage in “pink capitalism” and make money from its LGBT visitors, but it’s unwilling to give them proper onscreen representation for fear of offending more conservative viewers.
Could Disney be doing more for its LGBTQ+ audience?
