Disney World is supposed to be the most magical places on the planet. Children get to see their favorite characters in real life, families can enjoy shows and exciting rides together in the sunshine, and they all get to return home with memories of the experience that will last them a lifetime.
And while kids might not understand that the characters they see in the park are simply actors playing roles, their parents should. But one father recently got offended when he realized that you don’t necessarily have to be born a female to play a woman at Disney. Below, you’ll find all of the details, as well as some of the replies readers shared.
Disney World is supposed to be one of the most magical places on Earth
But one father was not happy with his experience there, after deciding that the Evil Queen didn’t sound enough like a woman
Here’s a clip of the Evil Queen that another guest shared
A family has reached out to That Park Place claiming they spent over $300 on a character meet and greet dinner at Walt Disney World… only to discover the Evil Queen character was almost certainly a biological male. This represents the first time we’ve heard of Disney using a… pic.twitter.com/jHRt64wl4O
— wdwpro (@wdwpro1) April 23, 2024
In costume, the actor bears a striking resemblance to her animated persona
It’s not uncommon for actors to play characters that are another gender
We all know that when we visit Disney World, the princes, princesses, villains, sidekicks and other iconic characters we see roaming around the park are played by actors. Yes, they do a great job of convincing us that they’re truly those people, but we understand that it’s all a performance. So why does it matter who is playing these roles? Whether it’s a man or a woman playing the Evil Queen, they’re still playing a character!
The father who was upset about this situation at Disney reached out to That Park Place, a news site covering theme parks, video games, entertainment and more, and detailed exactly how he felt about his experience meeting the Evil Queen. The dad shared that his family has had meet and greets with other villians before “and they are truly the best character experiences that [they’ve] ever had,” so they had high hopes for the Evil Queen.
But he lost his excitement once he was face to face with the character. “It hit me that the Evil Queen without a doubt had a man’s voice,” the dad shared. He then told a waiter that he had a problem and complained to the manager. “I stated we are a conservative Christian family, I’m spending $8,000 on this current trip in addition to the tens of thousands I’ve spent together in the past at Walt Disney World and Disney Cruises, and that this is not right,” the dad continued.
But the majority of Americans believe that gender is defined by sex at birth
Apparently, the manager assured him that the actor is a woman, but he still wasn’t satisfied. “I realized that I was just being gaslighted,” the dad said. He again asked if the actor was a biological male, to which the manager said, “I’m sorry sir, I cannot answer that.”
Now, we have no way of knowing the sex or gender identity of this actor. And frankly, it’s not any of our business. They were hired to play a role, which they seem to be doing a great job at, and it shouldn’t be their responsibility to worry about prejudices that guests in the park may have. And as some commenters have noted online, it’s not actually anything new for men or trans actors to be taking on the roles of women at Disney Parks.
If a character is supposed to be very tall or has a more angular face, it might be better for a man, or a biological male, to take on that role. On the flip side, sometimes male characters are played by women, if the character suit is small and needs a shorter actor to fit inside, for example.
Unfortunately, it’s not surprising that some people would be offended by gender-blind casting at Disney. According to a 2022 survey from the Pew Research Center, many Americans still have a rigid view of gender identity. 60% of those polled believe that whether a person is a man or woman is determined by their sex defined at birth, and 10% of Americans oppose or strongly oppose laws that protect trans people from discrimination.
Transgender people still face a significant amount of discrimination
57% of Americans admit that there is a fair or great amount of discrimination against transgender individuals in the United States. Yet 38% believe that our society has gone too far in accepting trans people. That’s frightening to hear, considering that 1 in 4 trans adults say they’ve been physically assaulted due to their gender identity, KFF reports. At the same time, 64% say they’ve been verbally attacked, and 41% report being harassed or feeling unsafe in a restroom or locker room.
While this issue is a lot larger than a family trip to Disney, it’s relevant to note that Disney is intended to be an accepting place for everyone. In 2021, Disney debuted an added fifth key to their legendary “Four Keys”: safety, courtesy, show, efficiency and now, inclusion. This emphasis on inclusion is intended to focus on how employees treat one another, as well as how they interact with guests. But apparently the father in this story didn’t get that memo when he decided to throw a fit about the Evil Queen.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Would you be bothered at all if you realized a character was played by someone of another gender at Disney? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing similar themes, look no further than right here!
Some readers took the conservative family’s side
However, most had absolutely no problem with the actor
