Disneyland Paris has apologized for banning a little boy from a princess event
One die-hard fan of Frozen‘s Princess Elsa just received a well-deserved apology from Disneyland Paris, which banned a little boy named Noah from its “Princess for a Day” event, E! reports. Attendees of the movie-themed experience are treated to a “fairy tale transformation” complete with makeovers, which the three-year-old’s mother Hayley McLean-Glass thought would be make the perfect early Christmas gift for her son. However, she was shocked after the theme park denied Noah entry because he is a boy.
McLean-Glass responded to Disneyland Park’s email in an open letter, in which she expresses her anger at their decision to exclude Noah because of his gender.
"If a little girl wants to be a super hero, she can be. If she wants to be a jedi, she can be," she wrote in a blog post titled Why Can't My Son Be a Princess at Disneyland? "She can be whatever she wants...just like Walt Disney himself said, 'If you can dream it you can do it!'...Unless you're a little boy who wants a Princess experience at Disneyland apparently...that you CAN'T do!"
On Thursday, Disneyland Paris issued a formal apology in a statement:
"An isolated incident, the [employee's] response is not reflective of any policy or belief held here at Disneyland Paris," the statement read. "Of course, both boys and girls are welcome to enjoy The Princess For a Day experience in addition to all our other special activities. We are going to ensure this does not happen again."
Our heart goes out to Hayley and Noah, and we’re so incredibly glad that Disneyland Paris publicly addressed this issue. We hope that in the future more establishments will educate their employees and make this kind of discrimination a thing of the past.
