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Disney Park Introduces Gender-Neutral Bathrooms, Championing Inclusivity and Diversity

The Disney Parks are for everyone. That has been a guiding ethos since Walt Disney started the Theme Park and entertainment business back in the day. Since 1955 when the Disneyland Resort opened, it’s been a haven for so many. Walt Disney himself is known to have said, “To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land.”  Every Disney Park fan is well-versed in the idea that a Disney Resort—be that a domestic one like Walt Disney World Resort with its Parks like Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park at the Southern California Disney Resort—or an international Park like Disneyland Paris is meant to be a place where anyone from anywhere can fulfill their dreams and desires. Inclusivity is at the heart of this, and one Disney Resort just demonstrated that by introducing gender-neutral bathrooms at a Disney Theme Park.

disneyland paris castle
Disneyland Paris/Courtesy of Disney

Disney has worked hard to be inclusive in different ways, be that from introducing gender-neutral greetings in the Parks or opening up the space for Cast Members to talk with Guests who are hard of hearing through sign language. And now there’s yet another example. A Disney fan took to the social media platform Twitter to share that Disneyland Paris has just introduced gender-neutral bathrooms in Discoveryland from today, March 14, until April 3, 2023.

Translated, the message reads,

As of today, the restrooms behind the Autopia attraction are gender neutral (neutral) until April 3 – Discoveryland 

This will allow many a Disney fan of any gender identity, to feel more comfortable within the Disney Parks. Thus far, one of the main questions that fellow fans expressed was confusion at how the system worked in practical usage. Many questioned whether the gender-neutral bathrooms were replacing men’s and women’s bathrooms or whether they were being added on.

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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad/Disneyland Paris

While the development is temporary, it’s one that could well become more permanent in the future, seeing as Disneyland Paris has previously taken steps to promote inclusivity, especially during Pride month. These bathrooms will remain gender-neutral until April 3, 2023, and it is not immediately clear how Disney will proceed after that date.

Thus far, the Walt Disney Company has faced some controversy surrounding inclusivity, most notably with the “Dont Say Gay” issue in Florida, where the Disney battle with Florida Gov Ron DeSantis went head to head with the Mouse House, eventually resulting in the dissolution of Walt Disney World Resort’s special status. It remains to be seen how this will play out for the Walt Disney Company in the future.

Priyanka Kumar

Priyanka is a writer, artist, avid reader, and travel enthusiast based in Chicago. In her free time, she is probably walking by the lake, catching up on the latest releases on TV, or spending inordinate amounts of time rewatching Moana, Encanto, and her Disney Channel life-long favorites Zack and Cody wreak havoc on the Tipton.

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