Credit: UniversalOne element of the Universal Orlando Pride celebrations is set to continue well past its usual June 30 finale.
The world of theme parks and LGTBQ+ rights have become increasingly entangled in recent years. With the theme park capital of the United States sitting in Florida – and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spending the last few months passing laws that target the transgender and LGBTQ+ community – there’s currently a huge sense of unease for those residing in the state’s queer community.
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Disney itself has waded into DeSantis’ anti-woke war, issuing a statement against his “Don’t Say Gay” bill in 2021. This, of course, has led to an ongoing public battle between Walt Disney World Resort and DeSantis, with the latter currently moving to dismiss a lawsuit filed against him by the Walt Disney Company. Disney has continued to support the LGBTQ+ community ever since, recently launching a line of merch for Pride Month and hosting the largest LGBTQ+ summit in September.
Over at ‘the other’ Resort in Central Florida, Universal Orlando Resort also launched a line of Pride-themed merchandise for June. The “Love is Universal” collection features the Park name and logo on a variety of products, such as cups, shirts, hats, lanyards, and more. Earlier this year, the Resort also pledged to donate 100% of all profits to local LGBTQ+ organizations, such as Zebra Youth, The Center Orlando, and onePULSE Foundation.
Another celebration of the LGBTQ+ community took place at Universal Orlando’s Red Coconut Club. Located in CityWalk, this “sophisticated yet casual club” has hosted Love is Universal Nights on Thursdays all through Pride Month, offering live entertainment, specialty drinks, and themed merchandise to Guests over the age of 21.
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While Universal Orlando Pride was originally set to wrap up yesterday (June 29), the celebration has now been confirmed to continue throughout July. As in June, Love is Universal Nights will take place from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Thursday nights all through the month.