Arts & Entertainment
Couple told to stop hugging at amusement park’s ‘Gay Day’
PFLAG Canada responds by cancelling event
A gay couple’s day at the amusement park turned sour after they were asked to stop showing affection in public.
Brandon Hamilton and Barrett Morrison were visiting Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto on PFLAG Canada’s Gay Day for Pride month in June. According to BuzzFeed Canada, the couple was standing in line for the waterpark when a staff member told them there was a complaint about the couple hugging.
The couple “told off” the employee and called the complaint offensive. The employee agreed the complaint was out of line and apologized.
“We don’t necessarily blame the kid who approached us,” Hamilton told BuzzFeed. “I think he was just relaying a message [from a woman in line] and didn’t think about what he was saying.”
“It’s so offensive and absurd that anyone would consider that not family friendly. It’s just flat-out homophobia,” Morrison continued.
Hamilton and Morrison were frustrated the park’s employees weren’t better trained for the situation. The couple contacted Wonderland and asked for the staff to receive better nondiscrimination training. They also asked for Gay Day to become an official park-wide event.
Wonderland’s general manager Norm Pirtovshek apologized for the incident but insisted staff already received “extensive training” on discrimination. Pirtovshek also said the park would not make Gay Day an official park event because all groups should be treated equally.
In a statement posted on Facebook, PFLAG Canada says it offered to give Wonderland free diversity training, but the park did not respond. PFLAG Canada says the lack of response led to the decision to cancel Gay Day at the park.
“Some have said we should keep doing Gay Day at Wonderland to increase visibility and stand up against oppression, but the only thing the park saw in us was a dollar sign. We need a true community partner and LGBTQ ally,” another PFLAG Canada Facebook post reads.
Toronto’s PFLAG president Anne Crieghton spoke with the Toronto Star and called the ordeal “discouraging and devastating.”
“Staff need to go under some sort of sensitivity training so that they understand that this is Canada and people are allowed to openly show affection,” Creighton told the Toronto Star. “That customers didn’t like seeing two men hug is their problem. It doesn’t require park enforcement.”
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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