Disney's Magic Kingdom Closed to Same-Sex Weddings

On the Feb. 20th episode of The View, well-known wedding planner David Tutera appeared on the talk show to promote his David Tutera Couture Wedding Collection at Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando, Fla. The collection allows the happy couple to choose between four elaborate wedding styles: classic elegance, simply chic, cocktail soiree and whimsical garden.

But are those weddings available if there are two brides or two grooms? Short answer: no. According to Walt Disney World spokesperson Jason DiPietre, Disney's Florida property requires a valid Florida marriage license in order to offer their services.

But getting that answer was far from a straightforward task, as the Walt Disney World Weddings website and the Disney consultants at first gave confusing, often contradictory information to AfterElton.com's questions.

The fact is, Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons offers wedding ceremonies, not marriage licenses. The two things are legally completely separate; no license is legally required or necessary for such a ceremony to take place.

When asked why Disney, a private corporation, insisted it needs a valid marriage license to offer wedding services, DiPietre responded that what "makes the marriage binding and recognized by the state [of Florida] is the license, so that is why we need the license."

Florida state law, however, does not regulate to whom Disney may offer their wedding services; it only regulates which ceremonies the state recognizes as legal — a fact that we pointed out to DiPietre. He said in response: "What we offer our guests is the opportunity to get married through the state of Florida. A marriage is only recognized in the state [of Florida] with a marriage license."

Though pressed further on the issue, DiPietre only stated: "The Walt Disney World Resort is open to everyone, every day. We extend our welcome to everyone and treat all of our guests with respect."

While Disneyland Resort in California also requires a California marriage license to hold a wedding on their property, they will host same-sex commitment ceremonies for domestic partners. (The Florida property won't.) But there is a catch. Weddings with marriage licenses are handled by Disney's wedding team and, should the couple choose, the ceremony may be held in Disney's Rose Court Garden. Commitment ceremonies, however, are handled by the local corporate office and are held in one of the banquet halls or ballrooms. Only heterosexual couples are allowed access to the Rose Court Garden.

It's possible that denying same-sex couples access to the Rose Court Garden might be in violation of California's civil code section 51 of the Unruh Civil Rights Act. This act prohibits all businesses in the state from discriminating on the basis of "marital status" and "sexual orientation." We were unable to clarify by press time whether this was the case or not.

DiPietre may claim that what Walt Disney World Resort offers is the opportunity to get married through the state of Florida , but that isn't the message sent by the Fairy Tale Weddings website. Instead, potential customers are promised "The Disney Touch" as well as imagination, romance and fantasy. In fact, the only mention of a Florida marriage license is under the Wedding Guide section.

When AfterElton.com asked Freedom to Marry, a pro-gay advocacy group that works to win marriage equality nationwide, for their take on Disney's policies, spokesperson Samiya Bashir said: "There are countless companies all over Florida that offer their services to same-sex couples. So for any private company to lean on their state's legal discrimination to offer their own is fruitless."

Among the several Florida-based wedding planners that we contacted, most were willing to offer their services to same-sex couples with the understanding that a wedding provided by them would not have any legal standing with the state of Florida. The Metropolitan Community Church's Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., also indicated they would perform same-sex ceremonies, again with the understanding they would not be recognized by the state.

We also contacted David Tutera, Disney's highly touted couture wedding designer, to ask whether he was aware of Disney's discriminatory policy. A spokesperson for Tutera informed us: "David believes that any celebration that allows two people — gay or straight — to celebrate their love is a beautiful thing. David certainly would prefer all states recognizes (sic) gay marriages, but at the current time, the state of Florida does not."

When pressed to address the fact that Disney chooses to base their policy on Florida's discriminatory laws, Tutera's spokesperson referred us back to Disney and declined further comment.