Disney Displays Awesome Gender Non-Conforming Mannequin In Store Window

This boy mannequin rocks a Minnie Mouse outfit in a Disney theme park store window. 

The Walt Disney Company doesn’t seem to be shy when it comes to making bold statements supporting equal rights for the LGBT community. The company signed amicus briefs for the DOMA and Prop 8 cases back in 2013. They also signed a friend-of-the-court brief earlier this year urging the Supreme Court to rule in favor of marriage equality, and after the court did just that, Disney World lit up Cinderella’s castle in rainbow colors.  

Now, Disney has made another bold statement, but hardly anyone is noticing. One of the stores in the Disney California Adventure theme park at Disneyland has a new window display featuring a boy mannequin wearing blue jeans, a Minnie Mouse shirt and hat, and carrying a Minnie Mouse purse. The gender non-conforming mannequin is standing amongst a range of toys including dolls and a Snow White storybook.

Most guests walk right past the mannequin and seem to be oblivious of the new window display, but Jarret Hastings, an annual pass holder visiting the park over the weekend, says it’s another step in the right direction.

“I think that it’s great that the Disney company can put something like this on display in the parks,” explained Hastings. “Not every guest may notice that it’s a boy mannequin with traditionally feminine attire but it goes to show that Disney is a supportive organization that welcomes everyone.”

While it’s true that the Walt Disney Company has been vocal about supporting LGBT rights, they still have a long way to go when it comes to depicting LGBT characters in their movies and television shows. In 2014, the Disney Channel made history when it finally featured its first same-sex couple on an episode of Good Luck Charlie, one of the network’s most popular original comedies. That’s practically it though, when it comes to LGBT representation. In fact, Walt Disney Studios received a failing grade from GLAAD on the 2015 Studio Responsibility Index, an annual study that maps the quantity, quality and diversity of LGBT people in films by major motion picture studios.

While it’s great that Disney fully supports the LGBT community, it would be nice to see some of that support reflected in their films. What are your thoughts? Will Disney ever feature openly LGBT characters in their movies? How long do you think it will take them to do so? Let us know in the comments section below. 

 

Image Of Disney window (c) by Eric Rosswood 
Image, top, of Disney Cinderella Castle via Twitter
Embedded image of Disney Cinderella Castle via Instagram