Dollywood, a popular theme-park inspired by country singer Dolly Parton and located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is facing backlash from the LGBT community this week after an employee forced Olivier Odom, a lesbian woman, to turn her T-shirt reading “marriage is so gay” inside-out before entering the park.
In response to the incident, Odom and her partner Jennifer Tipton have urged Dollywood to redefine both its dress code and collective park policy to be more inclusive of LGBT people.
According to Knox News, Odom and her family were stopped at Dollywood’s front gate, where an employee asked her to either change her shirt or to reverse it – and explained that the shirt might offend visitors of the family-friendly park. Jennifer Tipton, Odom’s long time partner, said of the incident, “That’s what we found so offensive – that he said it was a family park.” Tipton explained that the word “family” incorporates a diverse range of definitions, and that she and Odom were indeed with their family at the park that day.
Although Odom complied with the request and was allowed to enter the park with her family, she and Tipton chose to stand up for their beliefs and take action by filing a complaint with the park and demanding that its policies be reevaluated. The couple sent an email to the park asking officials to implement more LGBT-inclusive policies, initiate staff sensitivity training and issue a statement corroborating those changes to the public.
Odom said of her decision to speak out, “If marriage equality is going to happen, it’s not going to happen if people sit at home quietly.”
Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens issued a statement Tuesday explaining that the park’s dress code (which prohibits guest from displaying clothing or tattoos that might be considered offensive) is intended to promote an environment that all families can enjoy. Owens also stated that the park is in the process of examining its dress code policy in response to the couple’s complaints.
Sue them into the next century!