Welcome to Ride with Pride — a space where nostalgia sparkles, fairy tales get a fresh perspective, and sequined mouse ears are always a must. More...
⊹˚₊‧─────────────‧₊˚⊹
Queer, Childless & Thriving in the Happiest Places on Earth
My name is Daryl, and I have a confession to make… I am a grown adult with a deep love for theme parks. From the scent of artificially buttered popcorn wafting through the air to the inexplicable joy of waving to a character who is contractually obligated to wave back.
Being gay and without kids in these spaces is a unique experience, an intersection of identities that confuses some and delights others. For a long time, I found myself asking where I fit in places so often marketed as "family-friendly."
After some time with this blog, I have realized that I was asking the wrong question. The family in "family-friendly" isn't limited to the one in the vacation brochure. It's the one you build.
For me, that's my husband. It's the friends who become traditions. It's the people I meet waiting for rope drop or chatting in a queue. Sometimes it's wandering a park on my own, finding comfort in a place that has always felt a little like home. Family isn't always who you were born to. Sometimes it's who you choose, who chooses you, and the memories you make together.
That's not to say the work is done. There are still moments when holding my husband's hand feels like a quiet act of courage. There are still people who celebrate one kind of love while questioning another. Those moments matter, and I'll continue writing about them when they happen. But they no longer define my relationship with these places.
At the end of the day, theme parks are about joy. They're about community, tradition, nostalgia, and the people we share them with. Whether you're visiting with your kids, your partner, your best friends, your chosen family, or simply yourself, you're participating in the same kind of magic: making memories with the people who matter most.
So yes, theme parks are for families. They just might not be the families that first come to mind. If childhood is about wonder and adulthood is about responsibility, then maybe choosing to spend a day chasing that wonder—however your family looks—is its own kind of magic. More...