Credit: Silver Dollar CityA popular midwestern theme park has denied reports that a Guest was refused entry after wearing pro-LGBTQ+ merchandise.
The worlds of LGBTQ+ rights and theme parks have increasingly overlapped in recent years – from Disney wading into the conversation around Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” bill to Universal Orlando Resort’s decision to donate 100% of its Pride profits to LGBTQ+ charities.
Now, another theme park has sparked a new conversation after a recent report accused the Park of refusing to admit a Guest who was carrying a tote with rainbow-colored wording.
Transgender rights activist and blogger Erin Reed reshared the original post on Twitter, adding: “Silver Dollar City, a very popular amusement park in Missouri, has reportedly refused to admit a person to the park for carrying a tote with rainbow colored wording. They are scared of literal rainbows.”
While the name of the original post’s author was blurred out, the post itself gave further details of the alleged incident as well as a picture of the bag, which read: “Be powerful, human, loving, unique, inspiring & deserving.”
This bag wasn’t allowed into Silver Dollar City today because “people don’t agree with that here.” The people who told my son to put it in his vehicle or turn it inside out or he couldn’t go in also alerted other staff to kick him out if they saw him with it.
Theme Park Tribune later reached out to Silver Dollar City for comment on the matter, to which they explained that they are looking into the story and hoped to identify the original poster.
It is important to us that every team member and guest is treated with love and respect, regardless of their beliefs, values, sexual orientation, age, or background. The experience described by this guest does not reflect our company’s values, screening process, or team member training. We’re actively attempting to learn more about this situation including contacting this guest. Should you know them personally, please have them direct message us.
Reed later posted that they had put the original poster in contact with Silver Dollar City in order to discuss the issue further. Since then, Silver Dollar City has clarified to Theme Park Tribune that the incident did not happen as reported – writing that they “reviewed gate entry security footage, conducted interviews with team members on duty the day described” and confirmed that their security staff had instead asked the Guests in question to “cover up t-shirts reading, ‘Best P—-y Ever’, which violates [their] posted dress code policy.”
Silver Dollar City also denied the original poster’s accusations of being barred entry, stating that they “complied and continued into the Park” and that “at no time were these individuals asked to leave the premises or place the bag inside-out.”
In May, Silver Dollar City received the award of America’s favorite theme park, pipping Disney and Universal to the title. Its home state of Missouri has undergone a wave of shifts targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community in recent months. Just this week, Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson recently signed two bills into law targeting the rights of transgender people in the state. These include a ban on gender-affirming care for minors and restrictions that prevent trans women and girls from playing on sports teams of their gender. A Kansas City library system also banned LGBTQ+ Pride book displays from its children’s sections.