Disney Character Dubbed 'Rising Queer Icon' Sparks Debate

A beloved Disney character stole the show at a recent Disneyland Pride Nite and has been described as a "rising queer icon."

Clarabelle Cow first appeared as a regular Disney character in the 1930s film The Shindig and has become known as Minnie Mouse's best friend.

The two BFFs appeared at the inaugural Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite on June 13 and 15 that saw thousands of fans descend on the Anaheim theme park to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.

Dancers dressed in costumes of the Disney characters danced up a storm surrounded by Pride flags, going viral on social media for their incredible moves.

But Clarabelle starred in a white, off the shoulder dress whose colorful seams represented the colors of the Pride flag.

"Rising queer icon Clarabelle Cow performs at Disneyland's first-ever After Dark Pride event," tweeted pop culture Twitter account, Pop Crave, alongside a video that has been viewed 2.5 million times.

It added on another video of Clarabelle: "More footage of Clarabelle Cow at Disneyland's first-ever Pride Nite. 🏳️‍🌈"

"She's serving it and I'm here for it," tweeted one fan.

A second wrote: "Clarabelle's journey from being a forgotten mascot to being quietly reintroduced to being embraced by queer people has been my favorite story arc."

Disney fans loved the positive reaction to Clarabelle's enthusiastic dancing, while others also applauded Chip from the iconic chipmunk duo, Chip 'n' Dale for "slaying Pride Nite."

A TikTok post showed Chip "voguing"—a form of dance popularized in 1980s ballroom culture by Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ people.

"Get it Chip," wrote the TikToker who uploaded the video.

But some people were less than impressed.

"Me and kids wont be attending this propaganda event," tweeted one person.

Another added: "I'm front of our kids??? This is disturbing [sic]"

Disneyland's first Pride Nite event was not without a touch of politics as some attendees took aim at Republicans who have been trying to repeal LGBTQ+ rights across the country.

One Twitter user shot a viral video of the festivities and had a clear message for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

"Don't DeSantis My Democracy. Kudos to Disney@Disney for a fantabulous Pride Night! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️," the tweet caption read.

The governor and Disney have been at war since the multinational company publicly denounced his "Don't Say Gay Bill," a law DeSantis signed in 2022 that bans the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in certain grades at Florida schools.

As a result of Disney's outspoken stance, DeSantis tried to strip the company of its special rights status on the land where Disney World Orlando is located.

Under the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Disney had been allowed to essentially run as its own self-governing authority in Florida for more than 50 years, with a raft of social privileges and tax breaks.

But DeSantis tried to replace Reedy Creek with a handpicked five-person board that would oversee decisions on that area of land.

Disney, however, outsmarted DeSantis when it signed a deal in February that restricts the new board's powers and essentially allows Disney to remain self-governing.