Are we really “Gay Friendly”?
Honestly, what is the first thing that crosses your mind when you hear the world “Gay friendly”? According to the dictionary, the word refers to places, policies, people or institutions that actively seek to create an environment friendly towards LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) people. It may seem crazy, nowadays, to even consider the idea of being “Gay unfriendly” or just “Gay Hostile”, but a few years ago, this term was born as the byproduct of both a gradual recognition of gay rights and acceptance of gay-friendly policies in the workplace and in schools, as well as the recognition of gays and lesbians as a distinct consumer group for businesses.
Thanks to the early fighters that made it possible the gay acceptance, we see on a common basis how the hole worldwide society (obviously excepting fundamentalist and fascists countries) accepts that everyone is free to live their sexuality the way he wants, and that it has nothing to do with threatening any other philosophy.
Specifically, when we talk of “gay friendly” we are referring not to the people, but to the organizations, for example, a restaurant, pub, club, company, etc. Examples of Gay friendly companies include AT&T Inc., Cargill, Dell Inc. and Coca-Cola Company. KJ Beckett, Ginch Gonch and Egotour, are seen to offer niche products and services for gay customers.
But, there’s always a dark side. Did you know that in 36 states of the USA, it is legal to fire someone based on their sexual orientation and in 46 states, it is legal to do so based on gender identity? Think about it, we may not be as evolved as we thought in the gay friendly area…
It seems that we are not as gay friendly as we pretend to be, and our politicians doesn’t seem to care much about it…
Comment by Dirk_K
[recognition of gays .. as a distinct consumer group] - the special needs of gay consumers namely in the travel sector has become an important factor. But what could reliable information be found? They have to come from the gay consumer themselves. Egotour is a source that could be of interest.