| From This Week In Texas Orlando
Given the religious right’s failure to boycott Disney into submission over Gay Day and other progressive policies, it’s political just to be at Girls in Wonderland. But it’s also a really good time. For four days in June, it’s parties, concerts, clubs and get-togethers. Thousands of women come from all over the country to enjoy the sunshine, run around in bikinis, drink cocktails and make new friends. This year, you can even bring your kids. Girls in Wonderland (GIW) is the brainchild of three women in Florida. When
Alison Burgos (who owns the event planning company Ultra Events) went to Gay Day at Disneyworld (www.gayday.com) with
Amy Alonso and
Yesi Leon (who own Pandora Events) truckloads of other women who were there, they enjoyed themselves. But Gay Day was primarily organized by and geared toward men. That was only fair, since it was men who started Gay Day, but the party-planning trio decided it was time for the women to pull something together. So in 2000, the first Girls in Wonderland (GIW) event gathered more than 1,000 women at a restaurant and game room called XS Orlando. But as party planners do, Burgos, Alonso and Leon began envisioning better ways to party and before long they were reserving blocks of hotel rooms and coming up with more events every year. This year, the entire Marriott Courtyard (more than 300
Leon says the weekend begins on Thursday with a local party at a club near Disney. Last year it was at a big women’s club called Southern Nights. On Friday night, a free cocktail reception sponsored by Curve magazine welcomes everyone to the weekend. Then comes the She Rock all-star concert at the House of Blues, which featured
Sophie B. Hawkins and
Betty (of L Word fame) last year, and will offer similar headliners this year. Afterward, there’s a big party at Bongo’s next door. The signature party is on Saturday night. It’s also at the House of Blues, and it’s got DJs, Vegas-style shows, celebrity appearances, go-go girls and more. The whole thing drew 2,300 women last year and will probably draw more this year. The last night is a karaoke night. “I thought the women would never go for that,” Leon says. “But it turns out that everybody goes for it, and it’s a great way to mellow the weekend out.” As the LGBT community evolves, so do its events. The GIW has always been and will always be a big party but this year there’s a separate package for people who want to bring their kids. For the first year ever, GIW includes Gay Day Family, a
Come Sunday, it’s off to Sea World, where the kids can have lunch with the sharks and Pixar character Nemo. The whole weekend is like a cruise, complete with a director who takes the participants everywhere and most of the food and drinks are included in the package, Leon says. “We wanted to create something for families, because there are so many gay people who are adopting or having kids,” Leon says. “And it makes sense, too; Disney is a family place. What kid doesn’t want to go to Disney?” But that’s not the only reason, Leon says. “Just because a child’s parents are gay, that doesn’t mean
Gay Day Family is a separate package from GIW, and it has its own Web site at www.gaydayfamily.com. There may be complaints about GIW, but Leon says she hasn’t heard them. “The feedback we get from participants is that they’ve never felt so safe or so comfortable and that they love being in an atmosphere that’s all about them,” she says. “There are straight people there, mostly Disney employees, but everyone’s very gay-friendly, and we’ve never had any problems.”
Judey Rubio and her partner
Vivian Campo, who went to GIW in 2005 and plan to go again this year, couldn’t agree more. They live near Fort Lauderdale, so it’s a three-hour drive for them, but they say it’s worth it. “It’s a fantastic time,” says Rubio. “Everyone’s in a festive mood, and you meet all types of people from all over.” The parties were great, Rubio says, but they also loved
“We have 80 rooms booked already,” says Leon.
Jamie Zekofsky agrees, and encourages first-timers not to worry about fitting in. “Some people might feel a little intimidated by the parties,” she says. “But whatever you expect it to look like, it’s more; it’s every type, every age, and everybody fits in.” Leon suggests that anyone, first-time or not, should consider going to two events even if they don’t go to any others. First of all, it’s worth it to go to the actual Gay Day at Disneyworld on Saturday for the sight of teeming hordes of fellow gay folk at Disney. Second, she says, go to the party Saturday night. Rubio and her partner are going again this year; they only missed last year due to an emergency. “It’s a great way to have fun, get information, know that you’re not alone, and make new friends. We’re going to meet up with the people we met in 2005, because they’ve become good friends,” says Rubio. “Just block off the whole weekend and get a pass to everything,” Zekofsky advises. “You won’t regret it.” Girls in Wonderland Dates: Thursday, May 31-Sunday, June 3 Host Hotel: Courtyard Marriott at Marriott Village in Orlando ($92 per night) – www.stayatmarriott.com/2007GirlsinWonderland Ten Reasons You Can’t Miss Girls in Wonderland 1. It’s your duty. No pool party is complete without the maximum number of all kinds of women in skimpy swimsuits. 2. Karaoke is much more fun when it won’t ever pursue you to your workplace. |
rooms) and more rooms at the Fairfield, both in Lake Buena Vista, are reserved for GIW. All parties are on Disney property, and shuttles ferry everyone to all the events so they can drink to their hearts’ content. Each day, there’s a pool party at the Marriott—that’s hundreds of women at each pool party, except for Sunday, when there are more than 1,000. 
weekend of events for men and women who come to Gay Day or GIW with kids. On Friday there’s a Medieval Times dinner at the Marriott, and on Saturday there’s a character’s breakfast at Disney. Saturday night the hotel becomes a kid zone with a pirate theme, including a luau for parents. The event ends early so that parents can go to the party afterward if they want to. 
the child is gay,” she says. “But these kids do need to know that there are other families like theirs. There aren’t many events like that other than
how much information and resources were available, not just for the GIW weekend but all year round. A welcome center at the hotel has a ton of information, including facts about the National Center for Lesbian Rights—GIW gives a percentage of all profits to NCLR—and booths for many lesbian-owned companies. You can also buy tee-shirts and tickets to events at the center. Rubio suggests that for first-timers, it’s best to stay in the host hotel where a lot of the events take place. This year, that’s the Marriott. And that means booking early, as in right now.