Dolly Parton’s Dollywood bans ‘gay marriage’ t-shirt
A lesbian couple have complained after one of them was ordered to reverse a t-shirt with a gay slogan at country legend Dolly Parton’s theme park.
Olivier Odom and Jennifer Tipton visited Dollywood’s waterpark Splash Country recently but say park staff objected to Ms Odom’s ‘marriage is so gay’ t-shirt and asked her to turn it inside out to avoid offending other visitors.
The couple, who were with friends and their friends’ children, said they decided to file a complaint later, rather than make a scene.
Ms Tipton told Associated Press: “That’s what we found so offensive — that he said it was a family park. Families come in a wide range of definitions these days and we were with our family.”
Ms Odom said marriage equality would not happen if people “sit at home quietly” instead of making their views known.
The couple say Dollywood should review its policies.
Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens said the park welcomes everyone but visitors are asked to cover clothing or tattoos that could offend others.
Dolly Parton has a huge gay following and often speaks out on gay rights issues.
Speaking in 2009 about gay marriage, she said: “I always say, ‘Sure, why can’t they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do.”
