Last weekend I was graciously invited to attend the Coastal Leather Allegiance to Wisdom and Service (CLAWS) 8th Anniversary dinner and weekend celebration in Myrtle Beach. First off, I'd like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the officers and members of CLAWS for their recognition of my work and the work of this newspaper.
The weekend also got me thinking a lot about the hospitality industry in Myrtle Beach. On Friday, I went and checked in at the host hotel, Breakers Resort. I wasn't staying at the hotel but there were several guests from LGBT leather organizations throughout the East Coast and I needed to register for the weekend and meet some of the other attendees. Later, during the awards dinner on Saturday evening at Hard Rock Café, Korey Frenton, Vice President of CLAWS, spoke of the lack of acceptance that existed for LGBT visitors and residents of the Myrtle Beach area alike just some ten years ago.
In 1998, I'm sure many will remember, then city councilman (soon to be mayor) Mark McBride, spoke out against the opening of a gay bar in Myrtle Beach and Burroughs & Chapin Co. killed plans for an outdoor Village People concert at B&C-owned Celebrity Square that was coinciding with the May 1998 S.C. Gay Pride March in Myrtle Beach. This made national news. In a statement released via an advertisement in local newspapers B&C said "Our company abides by the laws governing fair and equal treatment of all individuals. However, as a private company, we have not, nor do we intend to, be forced or intimidated into supporting organized activities that we believe endanger the historic values of our nation and the cornerstone truths on which they are based." McBride even told The Sun News that "people don't come here (to Myrtle Beach) for those activities."
For a tourist city to not want the business of an entire group of people based on their sexual orientation is ridiculous. Especially when that group represents a potential $54 billion dollar investment in the travel industry, according to PlanetOut Incorporated. Jeffrey Clueck, chief marketing officer for Travelocity, is quoted in PlanetOut, Inc.'s marketing research as saying, "We know that they (LGBT) are brand loyal, have high disposable income and, most importantly, love to travel." According to the Gay and Lesbian Travel Marketplace (2004) 86 percent of U.S. gay men and lesbians surveyed had taken a vacation in North American in the past year - the majority took three or more, and 75 percent of those households have incomes above the national average. Seems like a viable market to reach out to, especially if you are a city that relies heavily on tourism dollars.
However, just last year, not too far away, in Sumter, Jason Pickel and Darren Black Bear were turned away from a hotel because of their sexual orientation. Although I couldn't find any documented cases in our area of this happening, I wouldn't really doubt that it never does. Currently, there is no state law preventing a hotel from refusing service to a same-sex couple. However, it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability or marital status. Following the Sumter incident, Tom Sponseller, President of the Hospitality Association of South Carolina referenced Myrtle Beach's issues dealing with the city's Harley rallies vs. Atlantic Beach Bikefest, including traffic patterns. "If they have a policy, it has to be maintained fair and equitably. At the beach, for example, because there are different bike weekends, that policy has to be enforced and consistent."
In February 2007, Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston introduced a bill into the S.C. Senate to include gender identity and sexual orientation in a law that prohibits discrimination in the "Full and Equal Enjoyment of Public Accommodations."
On March 5, some residents of South Carolina also took a remarkable step toward equality. The Columbia City Council voted unanimously to pass ordinances prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in housing and public accommodations, making it the first municipality in the state to pass such ordinances. Proposed by S.C. Equality in January, the ordinance faced little opposition. In a recent press release by S.C. Equality, C. Ray Drew, Executive Director remarked on the success of the Columbia City Council. "South Carolina, and states like ours, represents the front lines of our battle for LGBT civil rights in this country." The only two other cities in the Deep South that have passed comprehensive discrimination ordinances are New Orleans, La. and Atlanta, Ga. Harriet Hancock, longtime activist and Board Member of the S.C. Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement told S.C. Equality, "These ordinances represent the single greatest advance in civil rights for the LGBT community in the history of our state."
For a city known for its hospitality, we often need to remember what it means - friendly, welcoming and generous treatment offered to all guests.
OUT & ABOUT
Friday, March 14 - The Center Project will hold its monthly dinner social at 7 p.m. Friday with a St. Patrick's Day feast featuring corned beef and cabbage. Cost is $5 per person. TCP is located at 307 Highway 15 in Myrtle Beach. For more information call 626-4953 or visit www.thecenterproject.com.
Saturday, March 15 - "Safe Sex, Pizza & A Movie." The Center Project's youth group, Rainbow Beach is having a pizza and movie party, plus a live condom demonstration and safe sex discussion starting at 2 p.m. Saturday. Hosted by Careteam, the event will be an education session with a question/answer discussion, demonstrations and free goodies. The event is open to anyone younger than the age of 25. Rainbow Beach meets from 2 - 6 p.m. every Saturday at TCP, located at 307 Highway 15 in Myrtle Beach. For more information visit www.myspace.com/rainbow_beach or send an email to youth@thecenterproject.com.
Until next week, have fun and be safe.
-Chris Rudisill, Weekly Surge