Teen comes out as gay on Disneyland ride

Gina held up her message for the camera just as the log flume made its famous five-storey drop. Photo / Twitter, ginaslife3

A teenage girl used a famous Disneyland ride to make an important announcement to her family.

16-year-old Gina (who preferred not to use her last name) held up a handwritten sign reading "I'm gay!" in rainbow letters while riding Splash Mountain with her mother during a family holiday in June, the Huffington Post reported.

Her message was captured on a souvenir photo as their boat made the log flume's famous five-storey drop. Gina later posted the picture on Twitter with the caption "this is how I came out yesterday" and it received over 4000 retweets and over 8000 likes.

The teen told the Huffington Post her mother had initially thought her sign was in solidarity with the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse night club in Orlando, but soon realised it was more personal.

She said that while she wasn't really "the type of person to have a deep, sit-down conversation with people", she saw Disneyland as a place where "anyone can be themselves and be accepted for it".

Her mother's response had been positive - "She just hugged me and told me she was proud of me" - and her wider family circle had also supported her.

"I'm truly so lucky to have such amazing support from all of my friends and family," she said. "It made this process go much smoother than I could've ever imagined!"

- nzherald.co.nz