Disneyland Is Target of ‘Priest’ Protest

ANAHEIM — About 50 people demonstrated in front of Disneyland on Saturday, calling for the boycott of “Priest,” a controversial movie in which priests are depicted as having sex with women and men.

The movie is produced by Disney-owned Miramax Films, a subsidiary based in New York.

“We’re very concerned about the hypocrisy of Walt Disney Productions,” said event organizer Priscilla Weber with the Center for American Values. “In the last five years, Disney has released many movies [whose] message has not always been pro-family or family entertainment.”

Disneyland officials declined comment Saturday, issuing a statement that “the motion picture is represented by a separate division of the Walt Disney Co. Disneyland is not the appropriate division to comment on a film.”

Weber and other organizers, however, dismissed Disneyland’s response.

“We don’t feel that’s an excuse,” Weber said. “If Walt Disney were alive today, he would not purchase those companies” such as Miramax.

Since its release in April, “Priest,” which received mixed reviews, has garnered much of the expected criticism from Roman Catholic churches, organizations and other Christian groups. Its plot centers around a homosexual priest, his heterosexual colleague and incest.

At Saturday’s demonstration, Anaheim police said the protesters were “very calm, very quiet,” during the picketing, which lasted from 9 a.m. to noon. Organizers said the event was so well-received they are planning to schedule similar demonstrations this summer outside of Disneyland.