Disney has started selling rainbow-themed Mickey Mouse ears in its theme parks ahead of the LGBTQ Pride Month in June in a move that has divided Twitter.
The rainbow ears, also called Rainbow Love, feature a red cap with Mickey's hands forming the shape of a heart. The merchandise is being sold for $18 at Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida but it's not yet on sale on the Disneyland websites.
Disney has always had a strong following in the LGBTQ community and over the years, it has featured gay characters in its TV shows and hinted at homosexual characters most recently in its live action version of "Beauty and the Beast." There have, however, been calls for a LGBTQ princess alongside Cinderella, Belle ("Beauty and the Beast"), and Anna or Elsa ("Frozen").
Until now, the company has not officially recognized the annual gay pride parade and the LGBTQ community has largely positive about the new Pride Month caps.
But some responses have been lukewarm.
James Walker shared on Twitter that he witnessed Gay Day in Disney World when he moved to Orlando in 1991. "In those days they had warning signs making it very clear the company had nothing to do with the event," Walker said. "I never dreamed I'd ever see official affirmation like this."
Others expressed disappointment that Disney's latest merchandise did not go far enough as the LGBTQ community continues to push for actual LGBTQ representation in Disney's big blockbuster films. Twitter user Samuel Kier wrote, "Profiting from marginalized communities does not make you an advocate of that community's rights."
Creation Museum president Ken Ham accused Disney of corrupting the rainbow with the release of the new merchandise.
"God invented the rainbow. Disney did not," Ham said. "God gave the true meaning of the rainbow 4,300 years ago."
In response, a Disney spokesperson told Huffington Post that the company was making it a point to offer different products to cater to its visitors from diverse backgrounds.
