The happiest gayest place on earth?

Christmas in Disneyland. Two words.

Never again.

While we were there, they closed Disneyland two days in a row at 11 am because they were full. Yes, that's right, Disneyland was full and they didn't let any more people in. I didn't think they did that!!!

Luckily, we had gone on all the rides we wanted to in the days previous to that.

The one thing I enjoyed about this visit was that I was able to truly take in all of Disneyland. I took in all the sights, scents and goings-on. I only took about 50 real pictures but thousands of mental ones.

I'm a detail freak. No project I take on is ever completed haphazardly. Details, details, details!
While at Disneyland, I noticed the distinct detail of the park. In every land, every building, every ride, every nook & cranny, no detail was forgotten. For example, while waiting in line for the Star Tours ride, I noticed that in every inch of open space, there was the detail to make you feel like you were really getting ready to board a spacecraft to Endor. While most parks would have used every inch of space for the ride or line or even just painted a white wall, the folks at Disney made the area look like it was a part of that land/era, etc. The wait in line was just as much a part of the ride as the actual ride itself. It's really quite amazing.

Does that make any sense?

So, I'm convinced that only gay men designed/decorated the world of the Mouse. I mean, seriously, who else could do that? (Oh, and you should have seen New Orleans Square decorated for Christmas. It looked like a drag queen exploded!)

I also noticed something that marked a very sad commentary on our culture. While waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean, I noticed a cute gay couple with their kids. The kids acted like any other kids--the older sister poked her younger brother until he started to cry and she just rolled her eyes when he told one of their dads. How do I know they were gay, you ask? Oh, please. My gaydar has only failed me once. I could just tell. Maybe it was the murses (man-purses) or the stylish hairdos. Or maybe it was the way they carried themselves. Some men, you know, just SCREAM gay.

But, it wasn't because they were holding hands or showing any kind of public displays of affection towards each other. Because they weren't. At all. And that got me thinking.

I started looking for other gay couples. I saw a few. One lesbian couple was holding hands as they walked through Frontierland. But they were the only gay couple I saw showing any PDA towards each other. All the others seemed very hesitant to let the other patrons of Disneyland know that they were gay. That made me sad.

I've said this before. I'll never know the ridicule and teasing and name-calling and hell every gay person has gone through. And sure, if the gay dads were holding hands, they would have received some double-takes, dirty stares, and loud whispers of "gross." I understand that they would rather not have any of that for themselves and their children.

But to live in a culture where you are made uncomfortable for being yourself and showing affection towards the one you love is a culture I just don't understand.

So, I'm moving to England!

Just kidding.

Seriously though, why is it ok for a straight (ugly) couple to make out in the line for the Matterhorn but not for two men to hold hands as they walk through the park? I mean, personally, I'd much rather watch two guys make out than the couple I had to watch (because they were in front of me). Am I right? C'mon! Who's with me?!

If the gay couple showed that much affection in front of hundreds of people, they would get all kinds of looks of disgust and someone would probably say something derogatory to them. But the straight couple didn't get any of that.

Forget gay marriage. How long will it take until people don't flinch when they see two men holding hands or kissing in public? For the longest time, Jesse and Brian would not hold hands as they walked down the street together. One time, when Jesse and I were in Boston, we were holding hands as we walked through the mall and he said, "You know, people aren't looking at us. But I guarantee that if I was holding hands with Brian, people would certainly be staring. I am hesitant to hold his hand in public because of that. I know it's stupid but it's such a hard thing to overcome."

Months later, the three of us were walking down the street and they were holding hands. Some straight guy walked past, saw them, stopped, looked again and said, "Dude! All right! Way to go! That's awesome!" To which Jesse and Brian replied, "Er, thanks."

Then, we laughed. "Dude! It's awesome that you're gay! Right on!"

Oh, and the Prince Charmings; gay!

Happy New Years. May you be as drunk or more drunk than me and be with all those you (heart). See you all next year!