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Disneyland Paris apologized after turning down a three-year-old from participating in its “Princess for a Day” experience just because he is not a girl, ITV News reported on Wednesday.
British boy Noah, a super fan of Disney’s hit 2013 movie, “Frozen”, noticed the event while sitting next to his mother who was scrolling through a Disney Facebook group, and was “buzzing with excitement.”
Noah in the "Frozen" dress
Considering the special activities as a Christmas gift to his son, Hayley McLean-Glass sent an email, asking if she would be able to book the treat for his Elsa-loving son.
The response, however, left the mother devastated, saying "At this time it is not possible to book Princess for a Day for a boy" and instead offered the toddler some gift pack with princess themed items.
The responding letter /Photo via Sparkles and Stretchmarks
After receiving denied permission, the mother wrote an open letter to challenge the firm on her blog "Sparkles and Stretchmarks", slashing the park where ought to bring people happiness has treated different gender unfairly.
“If there was an activity such as a pirate dress up or a Spider-Man event, little girls would be allowed to do it,” Hayley told ITV News. "If anyone told a little girl that she couldn't do that there would be absolute uproar, but I just don't understand why it's different for a boy."
Noah in the "Frozen" dress
A spokesman of the firm told ITV News that they felt sorry for the family and claimed it as “an isolated incident,” emphasizing they did not have a policy of barring boys from the experience.
The apology of Disneyland Paris /Screenshot via ITV News
On the firm’s website, the experience’s description also changed to “every child” from “every little girl” after the incident, writing “Every child's wish can come true with a total Princess makeover and hair-styling session; a fairytale transformation they'll treasure forever.”
The video of little Noah has sparked a heated debate on Chinese social media platform Weibo since Thursday, about whether a little boy is suitable to dress girl’s costume.
“I support the mother! Both boy and girl have the right to experience roles that differ from their gender,” a user who goes by the name @sandyrose said.
“Boys are boys not a girl. Will the dressing make the boy grow up as a gay?” another user @zhuyuxiaowo inquired.
But @tudaliS-miao said “This is nothing to do with sexual orientation, it’s a child’s dream. As a mother, I will do my best to fulfill my kid’s dream.”
Yet some Chinese netizens have regarded this as a problem of breaking the rule. “No one stop the boy to like a girl’s costume, but the firm formulated only girls can attend the activity, which means boys cannot take part in it. I think the mother is unreasonable,” @limiemie scolded the mother.
Disneyland Paris /Photo via Pixabay
In May, Shanghai Disneyland has aroused a controversy, as Chinese actress Huang Xiaolei was refused to take her daughter to play a project because of the kid’s height. Huang accused Disney staff indifferent, insisting that her child’s height met the standard. The mother said the staff rejected the little girl because the girl's hair length should not be calculated in her height.
(CGTN)
