Another small victory in the struggle

And it is a small one, but like the song says, "every victory brings another." The Independent (UK) reported on Saturday that the Disney Company has apparently had a change of heart about how it treats gay couples wanting to "participate in the saccharine-sweet, faux adventure that is a Disney-arranged marriage."

Previously,

it emerged that Disney had ruled that while gay couples could organise their own weddings or commitment ceremonies at rented rooms at their resorts in California and Florida, they were not eligible to purchase their fairytale wedding packages. The packages consist of various options to ensure "your wedding day is everything you have always dreamt it would be. This is the magic of Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings".

Now, however, same-sex couples can fork over the $8000 (and up) to get the full Mickey (and Minnie) Mouse treatment. Disney representatives denied the change had anything to do with criticism from gay rights groups and tried to downplay it, referring to it as a change only in what venues ceremonies could take place - but it had been that very limitation that blocked same-sex couples from getting one of the "fairytale wedding packages," which take place in the previously-off-limits pavilions.

Oddly enough, Disney had previously been slammed by the theocratic right for being too gay-friendly: The Southern Baptist Convention spent eight years pushing a boycott of Disney,

criticising it for corporate policies such as providing health benefits to same-sex partners of employees, allowing "Gay Day" celebrations at its theme parks and airing a prime-time television show on its ABC network featuring the lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres. The boycott was dropped only in 2005.

As I recall, the SBC declared in abandoning the campaign that it had "made its point" or some such face-saving blather. The real reason was that when asked their reaction to the news, Disney reps said (in very politic language) "Boycott? What boycott?"