LGBTQIA+ Cast Members Get New Benefits, Disney Resort Backs Same-Sex Marriage

Employees in same-sex relationships will start receiving the same benefits as heterosexual couples, one Disney resort has announced.

Cast members at Disney’s theme parks enjoy a whole range of perks and benefits – and some of these extend to their spouses, too. This includes the likes of free theme park admission, childcare options, and healthcare.

These perks can vary at Disney resorts around the globe. Tokyo Disney Resort operates a very different system, as it’s technically owned by The Oriental Land Company (OLC) – not The Walt Disney Company. This week, it has announced a huge change to these perks, impacting those in same-sex marriages or civil partnerships.

In a groundbreaking show of support for same-sex marriages, Tokyo Disney Resort will start giving married LGBTQIA+ cast members the same benefits as cast members in heterosexual marriages from April 1, 2024.

Related: Disney Pride Merch Divides Fans Amidst LGBTQ+ Buzz

“In addition to traditional legal marriages, same-sex marriages and common-law marriages are also subject to welfare programs and measures,” OLC said in a public statement released via its website. “As a result, in addition to leave and leave systems related to marriage, childcare and nursing care, and systems related to working hours, the scope of congratulatory and condolence payments has been expanded to include employees in same-sex marriages and common-law partners.”

OLC has reportedly made “employee happiness” one of the pillars of its 2030 vision, through which it hopes to improve “work satisfaction” and make the company “a comfortable place to work.” It added: “We will continue to aim to ensure that all employees working in our group find their work rewarding and that we continue to be chosen as a place to work.”

This is a landmark change for the company – and LGBTQIA+ Tokyo Disney Resort cast members. The announcement has been met with huge praise on X (formerly known as Twitter), where both guests and cast members alike have praised OLC for standing up for the cast members within the community.

“OLC, with its strict Showa values, does good things once in a while,” said @darkmatterofd in a post originally written in Japanese. “Compared to other part-time jobs, there was a high proportion of homosexuals in the cast, and for a long time there was a taboo atmosphere.”

Related: “it’s a small world” Goes Gay For Disney’s First Pride Nite

Meanwhile, @010904_tds wrote: “I feel that this is what makes a truly progressive company. Sometimes I wish I could change jobs to OLC.”

There’s also hope that OLC’s announcement will trigger similar changes for other employers in Japan. “If a company like Oriental Land doesn’t take the lead, other companies won’t do it,” said @m_aose, “so I want them to do it more and more. It was the same at the beginning of the coronavirus.”

オリエンタルランドみたいな会社が先陣切ってくれないと他の企業やらないだろうからどんどんやってほしいな
コロナ初期もそうだったもんね https://t.co/qPqJmhxz4e

— みゅー🏰🎀ﾌｧﾝﾀﾞｰﾗﾝﾄﾞに住みたい (@m_aose) March 29, 2024

In recent years, Tokyo Disney Resort has started retailing Pride merchandise. In 2012, the resort started permitting wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples, with the first gay couple getting married at the resort the following year.

The topic of same-sex marriages is complicated in Japan. While several municipalities and prefectures issue same-sex partnership certificates, they don’t come with the same legal recognition as their heterosexual counterparts. Japan is the only G7 country to not fully recognize same-sex couples. However, with polls suggesting that up to 70% of its residents support the concept, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government is under increasing pressure to change Japan’s official stance on the issue.

Do you think other companies in Japan will follow The Oriental Company’s lead? Let us know in the comments.