Tag Archives: tourism

#BoycottBermuda – Bermuda Repeals Same Sex Marriage Law

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The tourist friendly country of Bermuda has become the first ever country to repeal same-sex marriage.

Bermuda’s governor has signed into law a bill reversing the right of gay couples to marry, despite a supreme court ruling last year authorizing same-sex marriage.

Walton Brown, Bermuda’s minister of home affairs, said the legislation signed by Governor John Rankin would balance opposition to same-sex marriage on the socially conservative island while complying with European court rulings that ensure recognition and protection for same-sex couples in the territory.

Bermuda’s Senate and House of Assembly passed the legislation by wide margins in December and a majority of voters opposed same-sex marriage in a referendum.

The Associated Press reports:

‘The act is intended to strike a fair balance between two currently irreconcilable groups in Bermuda, by restating that marriage must be between a male and a female while at the same time recognizing and protecting the rights of same-sex couples,’ Brown said.”

The British government could have blocked the territory from enacting the law, the BBC reports, but chose not to. Foreign Minister Harriet Baldwin said that blocking legislation should only happen in “exceptional circumstances,” the British broadcaster reports:

“I feel enormously disappointed,” said Joe Gibbons, a 64-year-old married gay Bermudian. “This is not equality, and the British government has obviously just said, ‘This is not our fight.’”

Human rights groups had lobbied Governor Rankin and the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, to deviate from standard practice in self-governing UK territories and withhold assent for the change. They argued that the new legislation contradicted Bermuda’s constitution, which guarantees freedom from discrimination.

In a debate in the UK’s House of Commons last month, the Labour MP Chris Bryant called the bill a “deeply unpleasant and very cynical piece of legislation”. After the repeal was confirmed, Bryant tweeted that it would “undermine [the] UK effort to advance LGBT rights”.

An estimated 584,000 tourists visit Bermuda a year and that money accounts for an estimated 28% of gross domestic product

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian Cruise Lines all host LGBT Cruises to Bermuda.

Provincetown Chamber of Commerce Accused of Straightwashing Promo Video

Provincetown Chamber of Commerce Accused of Straightwashing Promo Video

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Provincetown Chamber of Commerce Accused of Straightwashing Promo Video

A promotional campaign launched by the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce last week, at the start of Pride Month has come under fire by some in the LGBT community accusing it of straight-washing.

The two-minute advert, “Fall in love with Provincetown” spotlights  the town’s active nightlife.  It shows the candy shops with homemade taffy and highlights the artists who inhabit the small town at the tip of Cape Cod. But there is no mention of mention of the seaport town’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

 “I would have expected that a progressive town in a progressive state would go out of its way to highlight its diversity,” said  Megan Wulff, a frequent Provincetown visitor “I have been vacationing in Provincetown since I was a little girl, and this is the first time I will feel less than welcome there.”

 Candice Collins-Boden, the chamber’s executive director, said the organization didn’t intentionally misrepresent and that there were more videos to come.

We kind of made this video as more of a tease for basically the Fourth of July coming up,” she said. “There was no intention of leaving anybody out. We figured everybody is an American down here, and we are all under that flag.”

Collins-Boden, who has lived in P-town for 40 years, said she was shocked by the negative responses.

The chamber plans to put out a second video this summer with a focus on events like “Bear Week,” the Portuguese Festival, and Carnival, she said.

But many noticed that the video and the absence of the gay community of P-town.  The same community that changed it from a poor sleepy fishing village to the mecca it is today.

“I actually have never spent time in Provincetown. . . . And given the erasure of LGBTQ identities as well as people of color in this video, I don’t think I’m in any rush to do so now,” wrote Mason Dunn on the chambers Facebook page. “Going out of your way to exclude one of P-town’s largest, most well-known demographics, the people who help make the town what it is, is a bad reflection on the chamber.”

You can watch the video below.

 

American Family Association Attacks Hilton Hotels For Being “Too Loud and Proud” Of The Gay Community

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Hilton Hotel Gay Ad

 

Hilton Hotels Worldwide published a full page ad in the June 2016 issue of Travel + Leisure magazine featuring two men in the same bed — smiling, under the covers and wearing t-shirts. Well this was just too, too much for the anti-LGBT hate group the American Family Association’s puritanical morals to handle and it is now attacking Hilton Hotels and has started a petition to tell them just how “offensive” the depiction of two men together in a “straight” magazine really is.

From the AFA website:

In the June, 2016, issue of Travel and Leisure magazine, Hilton Worldwide shocked readers by placing a full-page ad that featured two men in bed together. 

Travel and Leisure isn’t a gay-specific magazine sent directly to homosexual’s homes. It’s a widely distributed mainstream publication that can be found in many public places such as doctors’ or auto repair waiting rooms.

If Hilton had advertised two men playing tennis, cards, or having lunch, that would have been reasonable. However, Hilton chose to make a cultural and social statement by purposely marketing the promotion of homosexuality to a large segment of the population who finds the idea of two men sleeping together unnatural and offensive.

So far, Hilton is defending its decision to promote homosexuality in the magazine and will likely take it further with other forms of mainstream media. Hilton said, “Hilton Worldwide is a global company of diverse cultures serving diverse guests…We are proud to depict and reflect our guest diversity in our advertising…”

TAKE ACTION!

Sign our petition to Hilton Worldwide, urging them to market responsibly by advertising in a more family friendly manner when marketing through mainstream media

The AFA had better be careful, their dozens of protesters are getting spread pretty thin.

If you’d like to congratulate Hilton Hotels on their diverse and inclusive advertising give them a shout out on Twitter @HiltonWorldwide or contacting them via their website. 

 

#BoycottIndiana – Christian Church Threatens To Pull Convention From Indiana Over Anti-Gay/Religious Freedom Bill SB101

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Christian Church

 

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who’s yearly convention draws over 5000 attendee and has an economic impact of over $5 Million dollars for the city of Indianapolis are none too please with Indiana’s recently passed “Religious Freedom” licence to discriminate bill

Via the Indianapolis Star:

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has sent a letter to Gov. Mike Pence threatening to cancel its 2017 convention in Indianapolis if he signs controversial legislation that could allow business owners to refuse services to same-sex couples. “Our perspective is that hate and bigotry wrapped in religious freedom is still hate and bigotry,” Todd Adams, the associate general minister and vice president of the Indianapolis-based denomination, told The Indianapolis Star. Adams said the Disciples of Christ would instead seek a host city that is “hospitable and welcome to all of our attendees.” The letter stated the church is inclusive of different races, ethnicities, ages, genders and sexual orientations. “As a Christian church,” it read, “we are particularly sensitive to the values of the One we follow – one who sat at (the) table with people from all walks of life, and loved them all. Our church is diverse in point of view, but we share a value for an open Lord’s Table.”

Finally, a NALT that really is “not all like that.” They have my respect and gratitude.

A BIG GAY THANK YOU TO The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Saginaw, MI Votes Against LGBT Non-discrimination Ordinance 9 – 0 After Councilman Calls Gays “Nazis”

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Republican DouchebagsOnce again Saginaw, Michigan’s City Council has voted 9-0 on Tuesday to not enact an LGBT non discrimination ordinance after Councilman Dan Fitzpatrick compared gays and thier LGBT allies to Nazis

FitzpatrickSaid Fitzpatrick:

“Most people know my position. What I’m totally amazed at is a number of people I’ve talked to or heard from say, ‘Come on, just pass this thing.’ Find out what it means later. Well how does that sound? Doesn’t matter; if it’s bad, fix it. Fix it later. It’s going to happen eventually; just get with it. Be progressive. In about 1933 there was a real big youth movement in Germany called the party of national socialists. A lot of people said, ‘You know, I don’t like them. I don’t know; I don’t understand. But man they’re good for business.’

It’s not the first time the LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance has been voted down after Fitzpatrick’s objections. Back in April, he said:

“I will never vote for this, ever, No matter how many amendments you put in here. Because sexual mores — your choice of what you do behind closed doors — has nothing to do with being a good citizen. It has nothing to do with the city of Saginaw. It has nothing to do with what we’re charged here at this Council to do. Shame, shame on you.

Fitzgerald also apologized to black pastors at the City Council meeting for white people who compared the gay civil rights struggle to that of African-Americans.

Saginaw Bay is a large inlet in central Michigan that is filled with the waters of Lake Huron and popular tourist destination in Michigan, drawing millions of visitors each year.

UPDATE (989) 759-1405 – This is the # of the City Mayor/Commissioner’s Office. I just spoke to a lovely old lady named Vicky and told her that myself and my friends will not be visiting this year and spending any money there otr in any of the surrounding ciries because its just not the type of place that I want to support because of the vote and the city councilman calling gays Nazi’s. I also told her to expect some more phone calls in the near future. SO CALL AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO CALL AND HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS

Legendary Travel Guru Arthur Frommer Condemns Russia’s Anti-Gay Law, Pushes Industry to Boycott

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Frommer;s

Travel industry legend Arthur Frommer; writer, publisher, consumer advocate, and the founder of the Frommer’s series of travel guides has written a statement condemning Russia’s anti-gay laws, and advising travelers and the tourism industry to take “appropriate action.”

Writes Frommer:

Several gay authors of Frommer travel guides have already informed me that they will no longer risk travel to Russia as long as the “pro-gay propaganda” statute is in effect. Some among them are calling for a broader boycott of all travel to Russia by all Americans, gay or not, as a protest against this denial of human rights. They refer not only to the new legislation, but to several recent incidents of physical assaults by prejudiced young Russians against gay persons, none of which seemed to interest Russian police. And of course, officials and athletes preparing to participate in the winter Olympics are seriously concerned.

In the words of another Frommer author: “The new Russian law is extremely dangerous, borne of dark nationalism, and through its virulent ignorance, the stage is set for a witch hunt. History has shown only too clearly what can happen when a government provides for the systematic silencing and disenfranchisement of an unpopular minority”.

I will be returning to this subject as additional facts are known about the exact position of the Russian government relating to these two new laws. Certainly, the development should cause grave concern among right-minded people interested in the protection of human rights. As most of us have concluded, prejudice against other Americans because of their sexual orientation is un-American and should be condemned. And when such prejudice prevents Americans from traveling without fear in another country, that prejudice should also be condemned, and appropriate action taken by persons in travel and tourism.