ANAHEIM : Mighty Ducks Deny Anti-Gay Motives

The Mighty Ducks hockey team Wednesday strongly denied accusations that anti-gay sentiment prompted a giant dance party to be moved from The Pond to a Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood.

Bill Robertson, public relations director for Disney Sports Enterprises, said the Mighty Ducks had not heard about the gay pride event until this week. The team is merely a tenant at The Pond and has no control over events other than hockey at the arena, he added. The Walt Disney Co. owns the Mighty Ducks.

“All we’re concerned with is the 45 dates for Mighty Ducks games,” Robertson said. “We use no pressure or talk to anybody about moving events or changing events.”

Organizers of the party, dubbed “Tribal Trek: A Celebration of Pride and Dance,” this week aired suspicions that the city of Anaheim and the Walt Disney Co. did not want to tarnish the image of the Mighty Ducks by having a gay pride celebration at The Pond. The allegations were repeated Wednesday at a news conference.

Tribal Trek promoter Ray Angulo alleged that the city and Disney pressured The Pond into sharply hiking rental fees and imposing unreasonable restrictions on the gay party.

Brad Mayne, general manager of The Pond, again denied the accusations Wednesday.

“It’s ridiculous,” Mayne said. “We are not censors. We are managers of a facility that is used by a community. And if they want to do something that’s not illegal, the facility is available for use.”