Fact Check

Is Disney World Replacing American Flag with Pride Flags in June 2023?

We've fact-checked satirical posts from Mouse Trap News before.

Published May 23, 2023

 (@mousetrapnews/TikTok)
Image Via @mousetrapnews/TikTok
Claim:
Disney World announced it would replace all American flags with LGBTQ pride flags throughout June 2023.

On May 22, 2023, Mouse Trap News posted a TikTok claiming that Disney World would be replacing American flags with Pride flags throughout June 2023. The post came after Disney canceled plans for a new Florida campus that would have cost $1 billion in the midst of a feud between the company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis:

Disney World is replacing all American flags with the Pride flag. This is part of the ongoing battle between Disney and Gov. Desantis. It will only be done throughout June to celebrate Pride Month. In fact, Disney will have a Pride flag retreat at 5 o'clock every day to the song "I Will Survive."

Mouse Trap News posted an article repeating the claim on its website the same day it posted the TikTok. We also found posts about Disney World replacing the American flag with pride flags on Facebook.

The claim was false, however. Mouse Trap News is a Disney-themed satire website. The following disclaimer is on its "About" page:

Mouse Trap News is the world's best satire site. We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff. From Disney Park announcements to Disney Hotel and resort news to made-up Disney partnerships, you can be assured that anything you read here is not true, real, or accurate, but it is fun.

A flag retreat is held every day in both Disney World and Disneyland, where the American flag is lowered while "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played. At the time of publication, the flag retreat was scheduled to happen every day in Disney World at 5 p.m. in June 2023, according to the company's website. However, there were no announcements to the effect that the American flag would be replaced with a pride flag.

We've previously fact-checked claims from Mouse Trap News before, including if Disney World was moving to Georgia.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

 

Sources

LaMagdeleine, Izz Scott. "Is Disney World Moving to Georgia?" Snopes, 25 Apr. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/disney-world-georgia-florida/.

Schneider, Mike. "DeSantis Asks That Judge Be Disqualified from Disney's Free Speech Lawsuit." AP News, 20 May 2023, https://apnews.com/article/disney-desantis-florida-lgbtq-orlando-ba2580a0677cfa4a9958dc828661cb88.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/magic-kingdom/flag-retreat/. Accessed 23 May 2023.

Izz Scott LaMagdeleine is a fact-checker for Snopes.