Posted on 02/13/2002 6:30:37 AM PST by marshmallow
MIAMI -- Just as Christian conservatives are making a fresh run to repeal Miami-Dade's gay-rights ordinance, local officials are joining hands with the gay community to market Greater Miami as the Gay Riviera.
"Our gay friendly environment extends beyond our local businesses to our government officials and policies," says a purple pamphlet published by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau to lure gay and lesbian travelers. "Come see why Greater Miami is truly the Gay Riviera."
The $40,000 brochure is part of a broader strategy to expand gay tourism and commerce to Miami Beach and the rest of Miami-Dade County.
The effort includes a new Web site, GoGayMiami.com, sponsored by the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and has been in the works for more than a year.
But it debuted just as opponents to two words in Miami-Dade's human-rights ordinance achieved a long-sought victory: a Sept. 10 referendum on whether to repeal an amendment barring discrimination based on "sexual orientation." The ordinance had already prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender and several other categories.
The Miami-Dade County Commission, which narrowly passed the amendment in 1998, reluctantly scheduled the referendum after the Miami-Dade Christian Coalition and Take Back Miami-Dade collected enough signatures to place the question on the ballot for the second time in 25 years.
Mayor Alex Penelas and many in Miami's business and civic communities had hoped to avoid a repeat of the divisive battle that convulsed Dade County in 1977, when singer Anita Bryant launched an anti-gay crusade that led voters to repeal the county's first gay-rights ordinance.
Tourism officials say the timing of the new marketing campaign was purely coincidental, but it underscores just how important Miami-Dade's gay community has become to the area's economy during the past quarter-century.
Not only is the new gay and lesbian chamber a trustee member of Greater Miami's chamber, but, as the 20-page brochure notes, Miami-Dade is home to two popular gay fund-raising festivals. The White Party and Winter Party, as well as a gay and lesbian film festival, draw thousands of visitors and pump millions into the economy every year.
"The decision was based purely on sales and marketing," said Rolando Aedo, vice president of marketing and tourism at the convention bureau. "We didn't give any thought to whether it would help one side or the other."
But Anthony Verdugo, chairman of the Miami-Dade Christian Coalition, has thought a lot about it. And he predicted that the Gay Riviera campaign will aid the repeal effort by mobilizing voters who object to spending taxpayer money on the promotion of "sexual tourism."
"The amendment has created a climate that encourages the promotion of tourism based on sexual behavior," he said. "We don't do it for polygamists or bigamists. We don't do it for people who cheat on their spouses. Why should we do it for homosexuals?"
The chair of SAVE Dade, which led the 1998 fight to reinstate the ordinance and now is battling to retain it, conceded she initially feared the marketing effort might galvanize amendment opponents. But now, Heddy Peña said she's convinced it will serve as a reminder to voters of the importance of keeping the welcome mat out for gays and lesbians.
"My first impression was this may not be a good time for this to happen, but I have since found people here want tourism not only to survive, but thrive," Peña said.
Surveys show gay travelers can make the difference between surviving and thriving, especially during tourism slumps like the one that has plagued Florida since Sept. 11.
Estimated at $54 billion a year, the gay travel market in the United States has stood out for its stability and resiliency in a post-Sept. 11 world. Gay-oriented travel magazines and trade groups report that gays, who travel more often and spend more than the general population, have been less willing to cancel travel plans and more willing to make new ones since the terrorist attacks.
"It boils down to two things: dual income and no kids," said Thomas Roth, president of Community Marketing, a San Francisco firm that helps the travel industry market to gays and lesbians. "People with money and no responsibility for kids have two spending priorities -- shopping and travel. When you start adding up the comparisons, you see why tourist offices and CVBs [convention and visitors bureaus] are interested in reaching out to the gay market."
Miami-Dade is not alone. Neighboring Key West and Fort Lauderdale have been marketing to gays for years -- and Roth said it's a new and rapidly growing trend in other places. Just 10 years ago, he said, one or two tourism organizations targeted gays; today, dozens around the world do.
The Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau is not among them, concentrating instead on families and empty-nesters, a spokeswoman said.
Maya Bell can be reached at mbell@orlandosentinel.com or at 305-810-5003.
....my husband told me this a long time ago. They never question price and always buy high end merchandise.
"Don't go there", my sister warned. "They're overrun with gays now."
When I visited my brother in Hollywood, FL a few years ago, we also talked about going to the beaches around South Beach.
"I wouldn't go," said my brother. "It's a gay hangout." I later got a similar warning when I asked about Key West. Politically, both of them are more liberal than I so their opinions are not a "conservative" thing.
It seems as if Florida has already become a popular place for gays. Fortunately, the state also has miles and miles of beaches so there should be enough room for everybody.
The question becomes: how much in tourism money are various locations *losing* from straights and their families who are warned to avoid the "gay beaches"? As appealing as gay dollars may be to some business, they may be silently losing just as much from the rest of us.
Great tippers too, according to what I've heard.Might have something to do with the sexual demography of the people they're tipping.
I visit the Keys fairly frequently. I'm not a big fan of Key West for other reasons, but it's not that bad, certainly nothing like Castro Street. You have a few stores that obviously cater to a gay clientele, and a few very odd looking people on the street, but mostly it's a hard-drinking, touristy kind of place. And some of the historical monuments are well worth visiting.
In fairness, I'd also like to compliment the Orlando Sentinel journalist who took the time to research this story, write it, and submit it to his editors.
Can't all of you just get a life?????
That way, you'll be happy and the rest of us "no lifers" won't have to listen to your whining.
Heraldo a homo? No wonder he likes Afghanistan. And it puts a new meaning into the name Miami Heraldo!
Yes, I'm sure folks in Orlando want to do everything possible to promote tourism in Miami. Yep. Why see DisneyWorld when you can watch a bunch of guys kissing and fondling each other on the beach? Yessiree, those Orlando folks would certainly want to encourage that type of reputation for Miami. No conflicts there...
Good question.
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