Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions that straight people have about gays is that “coming out” is a one time event, or at least that the number of times you come out is finite. The reality is, we are always coming out to people, sometimes directly to people we just met, sometimes indirectly to people we don’t know at all (like wearing a red shirt at Magic Kingdom this weekend). Since moving to Florida, I have generally had no problem communicating my sexual orientation to others, generally figuring anyone who couldn’t accept and respect me is not someone I want to associate with. But I have been hesitant to come out at work, especially after hearing quite a few homophobic and heterosexist comments at work at Gay Days last year. My department is not as “gay” as people usually think Disney to be, and there is a wide array of people who work there, so I was never sure how anyone would react. Today, I took a risk, not only in coming to the park with my red shirt and rainbow Mickey pin, but also by going backstage to my location (I had a legit reason: I needed to talk to the manager) and being right in front of everyone there. And while there were some surprised faces, I did not have a single negative reaction. And I guess, why would I have? Those people who I’ve worked with respect me for the hard worker I am, not who I like. And by seeing that sort of internalization, I can continue to self-internalize my sexual orientation, and so, in the words of the great Walt Disney, I can “keep moving forward, [and] opening new doors.”
Archive for the ‘Disney’ Category
Today was significant because it marked my second-to-last chemotherapy treatment. I have certainly come a long way on this journey: medically, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I don’t want to say too much, because I haven’t had any final scans yet, but both my doctor and I are very optimistic that my cancer will be gone for good. I consider myself a survivor, and I know that as a survivor, I have a responsibility to reach out and support those who are fighting the same darkness that I am fighting. Hopefully, that won’t have to happen, but reality is what it is.
As I continue to write this chapter of my life, moving from bi-weekly chemotherapy treatments to daily radiation treatments, I am beginning a new chapter in my career at Walt Disney World. I’m now a trainer with Magic Kingdom Outdoor Foods. I’m excited to be in this new role; I really feel that my personality makes me an ideal person to teach others about the workings of Food and Beverage at Disney. I’m also looking ahead to a possible future working in Guest Relations, but the casting call for that isn’t even until the end of July, so I have plenty of time to think about it. I could, in theory, always work in Guest Relations but continue to train in Outdoor Foods, since training is a separate entity from food and beverage operations. It’s all something to think about.