Friday
Sept 23, 2005
SGN.org
Volume 33
Issue 38
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Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
07:43
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| NOTE** finding non clickable links? Sorry these columns are not featured in this weeks edition - |
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Lesbian Notions by Libby Post |
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| Is That a Promise or a Threat? | ||
| Repent America, yet another Christian Right we-take-the-Bible-as-literal-fact group, revels in its belief that Hurricane Katrina was God's vengeance on New Orleans, a city, according to the group's website, that "had its doors wide open to the public celebration of sin."
They're referring to "Southern Decadence," an annual end-of-summer extravaganza that, before Katrina hit, was slated to bring in over $100 million in tourism dollars to New Orleans' business community. That $100 million is part of what has become the $640 billion Lesbian and Gay market in this country. While small compared to what the Lesbian and Gay market is worth nationally, $100 million spent in any city isn't anything to sneeze at. The Gay dollar is strong in all 50 states and getting stronger, much to the chagrin of those, like the folks at Repent America, who blame us for everything that in their view is not Christian and right. Citing moral authority over corporate America, the Christian Right has long tried to keep businesses from supporting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) kick-started various Christian Right-based embargos with their boycott of Disney in 1997. SBC, along with the American Family Association (AFA) and Focus on the Family, contended that the roof on the house the mouse built provided shelter for the wrong type of people - us. All three accused Disney of pursuing a "homosexual agenda" in providing domestic-partner benefits to employees and permitting Gay Days at their parks. Eight years later, the Christian Right gave up. Plain and simple - it didn't work. Disney thrived despite the boycott. Besides, I'm sure it was getting difficult for young Southern Baptists to explain to their kids why they couldn't go to see Mickey and Donald. But the Magic Kingdom was only the beginning. Bush's re-election gave the Christian Right a shot of adrenaline, and it's gotten savvier about intimidating business in this country. Instead of calling for an outright boycott, it just threatens one - maybe the threats are more effective than the real thing. As fast as you could say "economic sanctions," the AFA went after Procter and Gamble for supporting Gay rights legislation in Cincinnati last fall. P&G underestimated the frenetic response of AFA members - they're said to have mobilized 400,000 people throughout the country to sign boycott pledges to pressure the corporate giant. In the long run, some heads rolled at P&G, and Gay ad dollars dried up. It will be interesting to see if Crest or Tide is advertised during Will and Grace or Queer Eye this season. Concerned Women for America (CWA), another Christian Right front group, has targeted Starbucks. It seems the java king has various quotes printed on its ubiquitous green-and-white cups as part of its "The Way I See It" series. One of the quotes is from Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City. The quote reads "My only regret about being Gay is that I repressed it so long. I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don't make that mistake yourself. Life's too damn short." CWA should take a lesson from Maupin - life is too damn short and they should be worrying about quotes on coffee cups. But, alas, it is the group's calling to uphold biblical teachings and thus organize against all things Gay. Need a vacation from all this Christian Right craziness? Go to the City of Brotherly Love - which, by the way, is where Repent America is headquartered - and you'll find they actually want us there. The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation spent $1 million on an ad campaign to lure Lesbian and Gay tourists to the city. It worked. After a 14-month campaign, the group found that we came, we saw, and we spent! In fact, it seems we spend more money when we stay overnight than our straight counterparts do. For every dollar that was spent to get us to the city, the city's tourism coffers realized $153 - that's quite a return on investment. So what are corporate America and the small-business community to do? Does would-be moral authority trump the American Dream of making a profit? In the long run, we are a capitalist nation, and money talks. Maybe it's time to bring out the "Gay Money" rubber stamps from our memorabilia shoeboxes and start using them again. Perhaps the next time you go to Starbucks you should let them know you're a member of the LGBT community and you appreciate their support. When the Christian Right threatens a boycott, write the corporate execs and tell them not to capitulate. When you travel with your partner, send a clear message to the hotelier or B&B and book a room with a queen-or king-size bed, not two doubles. They may not know you're queer when you book, but they'll certainly know it when you check in! We're worth $640 billion a year in this country. Let's show corporate America and the small-business community just how green the rainbow flag can be. By doing so, we can help them ward off the likes of the Christian Right and reclaim the moral high ground. Libby Post is the founding chair of the Empire State Pride Agenda and a political commentator on public radio, on the Web, and in print media. She can be reached care of this publication or at LesbianNotions@qsyndicate.com. |
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