Walt Disney World Resort and other Disney Parks have utilized wearable pins for a while now to showcase Guest celebrations or important events. However, rumors on social media have been making the rounds that the theme parks would be requiring all Guests to wear a pin with their preferred pronouns when visiting the vacation destination. It didn’t take long for the rumor to gain traction from angry critics. However, it is important to note that these claims have no factual basis.
Disney has been under fire from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and conservative critics who believe the company is going “woke.” Over the years, the entertainment giant has pushed for diversity and inclusiveness, championing LGBTQ+ representation. For this reason, many people on social media didn’t need much convincing to think this Disney pronoun pins rumor was based in reality.
Another Rumor Turned Into Misinformation
The claim suggested that the Walt Disney Company would be handing out pins to wear at all of their theme park entrances. Guests would be required to write their preferred pronouns on them and wear them around the Park. It tried to justify the change by saying it would help ensure Cast Members and other Guests didn’t mislabel anyone.
Fact-checking website Snopes.com quickly debunked the claim. They clarified that the Disney pronoun pin rumor was actually satire created by an increasingly prevalent website surrounding ridiculous Disney news. The site, called Mouse Trap, posted an article detailing this change on August 13, 2023. Since then, they have also produced a TikTok video. This viral upload has gained a ton of traction and has also been shared across other media channels such as Twitter/X.
Disney pins can be used to express a variety of different things. While the company tries to keep them appropriate, they are often used for birthdays and weddings to keep Cast Members and other Guests aware of milestone events. It is probably not unheard of for someone to write pronouns on the buttons at some point, but there is no example to show. Disney has never suggested it and most certainly didn’t make it a requirement in the Parks.
When you go to Disney, what will your pronoun pin say? pic.twitter.com/IE3jtEPPe2
— Dr. Jebra Faushay (@JebraFaushay) August 14, 2023
Disney Pronoun Pins Rumor Debunked
It is vital to stress that Mouse Trap should not be taken seriously. The website itself does not hide the fact that it creates ludicrous stories for fun. The site’s About section says, “We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff. From Disney Park announcements to Disney Hotel and Resort news to made-up Disney partnerships, you can be assured that anything you read here is not true, real, or accurate, but it is fun.”
This isn’t even remotely close to the first time the site has caused uproar online with its hoaxes. Several of its stories have found traction, including stating Disney is leaving Florida or the company is bringing “adult days” to the theme parks. While many of their stories are innocent, the situation around Disney and “woke” policies is increasingly volatile. Misinformation only adds fuel to that growing fire.
Whenever reading a claim online, it is always important to think critically and search for confirmation before falling into a trap of fake news. These satirical sites may just be having fun, but they can often cause a lot of ruckus when their stories spread to the online masses.
