Sapphic sightseers, delight: A judge has dismissed the lawsuit brought against a Greek national LGBT group regarding the use of the word "lesbian," which was decided by the court to not refer generally to the residents of the island of Lesbos. The plaintiffs even faced a mutiny among islanders, some of whom credited the legend of Sappho with boosting tourism to the island.
Coming on the heels of the tempest in a teapot that was the proposed "South Carolina Is So Gay" ads, European tourists at whom the US ads were aimed should go to Greece instead. If you're not sold, see "Mamma Mia!"--a good time for gay and straight alike.
From those clever Scandinavians who pioneered slow flying instead of adding extra fees for passengers comes another innovative idea: an airline website specifically for gay customers.
SAS Airlines has just launched its LGBT site which includes tips from its own gay crew members on good places to hang out in (so far) Copenhagen and Stockholm.
SAS is a major player in the World Out Games being held next year in Copenhagen, and it's also promoting the Stockholm tenth anniversary Pride Parade coming up later this month. We are definitely starting to look to SAS as trend-setters.
The Democratic National Convention won't happen till the last weekend in August, but campaign staffers were finally able to take a brief travel break with the media anointing of the Democratic nominee for president.
While political road warriors take a break, we're thinking ahead to the convention--and the delightful Dems coming to the Mile High City. Drinking liberally? Try dating liberally:
Hambrger Mary's :: Tasty burgers and stalk-y patrons tantalize at this LGBT-friendly restaurant with a full bar. 700 E. 17th Ave.
Looking to celebrate Pride Month out of town? Look into Pride Toronto, which is so much more than a march: Held June 20 to 29--that's right, over two weekends!--the citywide celebration includes such diverse events as a Mount Olympus-themed gala featuring comedian Sandra Bernhard, a party hosted by Limelight head honcho Peter Gatien and a ceremony to honor the Grand Marshal and co-chair of Jamaica's first LGBT organization.
As in many affairs of state, Canada has so far led the US as a whole in recognizing the rights of its gay and lesbian citizens, from a minister of justice's statement in 1969 that "the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation" to legalizing same-sex marriage in 2005.
Toronto's first pride event was held in 1970, and the mayor himself will be in attendance this year.
If Betsy Ross and Ben Franklin were alive today, for what cause would they advocate? The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation thinks they'd join gay and lesbian Pennsylvanians in a new promotion called "We Your People," which encourages LGBT travelers to look at the City of Brotherly Love when making those summer travel plans.
The campaign also has help from Southwest Airlines and is timed not-at-all-coincidentally with Gay Pride festivities in many cities. (Philly's Pride Day Parade is June 8.) Local business owners, boutique moguls and even one journalist (Philadelphia Gay News founder Mark Segal) are helping the GPTMC spread the word that Philly is a LGBT-friendly destination.
And the poster children are getting something for their trouble: Campaign spokesman Matthew Izzo reports getting fan mail, site traffic and MySpace and Facebook requests aplenty since getting involved. Since we're feeling the love, too, we've got a video with Izzo right after the click.
If a woman says, "I'm a lesbian," most people would assume she's making a statement about her sexual orientation, not declaring she is a resident of the Greek island of Lesbos. That's something a few Lesbians (capital L, denoting geography after this mention) would like to change, as three Greeks are taking the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece (OLKE) to court to demand the removal of the word "lesbian" from the group's name.
The term derives from the island's most famous inhabitant, the ancient Greek love poet Sappho whose poems described infatuation with women. Plaintiff--and Lesbian--Dimitris Lambrou told a judge:
Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos...[This lawsuit] is not an aggressive act against gay women.
Since Sappho lived some 2,600 years ago, one wonders why this has become an issue now. The word "lesbian" with the definition related to sexual orientation, not geographical locale, was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1890.
Philadelphia has a new tourism marketing campaign called "Philadelphia: Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay."
As you can probably figure out, the campaign is targeting gay travelers and will feature Philly locals who have helped to make the city a premier gay travel destination.
The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and Southwest Airlines launched the campaign on March 14. Print advertising can also be found in 40,000 Where magazine gay-friendly guides and in program book ads at national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) events.
The first Philly local to kick-off the campaign is Matthew Izzo, owner of Matthew Izzo Boutiques. He'll be joined by other well-known locals like Mark Segal, the journalist/publisher/gay pioneer of the Philadelphia Gay News and Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, owners of Lolita, Bindi, Grocery and Open House.
American Airlines unleashed a new print campaign featuring retro styling and two men walking off a "Casablanca"-style airplane to what looks like a Hawaiian vacation. (Though as Queerty notes, what gay man would wear socks with loafers?)
In addition to AA's LGBT-specific website, the ad also mentions that the airline has been recognized for six consecutive years by the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. That basically means that it's a company that treats all of its employees equally regardless of orientation.
Meanwhile, the travel industry as a whole is making Budget Travel editor Erik Torkells proud with lots of companies scoring well on that HRC Index. (American is among the 20 he mentions.) But he won't be snapping up an Avis rental car or a Royal Caribbean cruise: They still have progress to make, Torkells says, and they won't be getting a dime of his cash until thing change.
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by egw
