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Banning of Gay Cruises from International Ports
http://www.gbmnews.com/articles/2134/1/Banning-of-Gay-Cruises-from-International-Ports/Page1.html
Laurence Pinckney
 
By Laurence Pinckney
Published on 12/2/2007
 
Here we go again…Grenada debating banning all gay cruises.   In 1998 it was the Grand Cayman incident when the ship couldn’t dock in port because of a government ban, then a few years back it was Egypt where a cruise filled with gay revelers were arrested, most recently there was in incident with Ebony Pyramid Cruise where a annual party in the Bahamas was shut down by rogue cops who didn’t like the gay event.  What is this world coming to when a country turns down money from a group of gay tourists?   

I have mixed feeling about all this.  On the one hand every country has the right to include or exclude anyone they want.  On the other hand that is not a problem for me because when I hear about these kinds of incidents or those in Jamaica I simply refuse to support them.  I don’t buy products from the country and I surely would not visit them with my tourist dollars.  At the same time I am conscious of the fact that many people still have a perception of gay and lesbian people as sex crazed heathens that will descend upon there country and pillage the young and helpless.   

Banning of Gay Cruises from International Ports





Here we go again…Grenada debating banning all gay cruises.   In 1998 it was the Grand Cayman incident when the ship couldn’t dock in port because of a government ban, then a few years back it was Egypt where a cruise filled with gay revelers were arrested, most recently there was in incident with Ebony Pyramid Cruise where a annual party in the Bahamas was shut down by rogue cops who didn’t like the gay event.  What is this world coming to when a country turns down money from a group of gay tourists?   

I have mixed feeling about all this.  On the one hand every country has the right to include or exclude anyone they want.  On the other hand that is not a problem for me because when I hear about these kinds of incidents or those in Jamaica I simply refuse to support them.  I don’t buy products from the country and I surely would not visit them with my tourist dollars.  At the same time I am conscious of the fact that many people still have a perception of gay and lesbian people as sex crazed heathens that will descend upon there country and pillage the young and helpless.   

Cruising is a wonderful experience if you go with the right group to inclusive destinations.  Some ports are much more tolerate and supportive of Gay & Lesbian people.  At the JS Marketing Group, LLC we always try to find countries that appreciate the “pink dollar.”  After producing two events in the Dominican Republic and Brazil we know all too well how complicated it is to navigate through the political maze in countries that have a moral objection to homosexuality.  Having said that, both the Dominican Republic , Brazil and Puerto Rico understand the value in the “pink dollar” and do what they can to make LGBT tourist feel welcome.  It is also the responsibility of our community to always be respectful of the local cultures we visit and leave a good impression.   

The gay travel market is estimated to be $55 billion a year.  Now that is a hell of a lot of money for a tourism bureau to turn away from.  Surprisingly enough some do.  My advice, don’t go there.  Tell your family and friends to stay away as well until the government decides that our money spends that same way as our straight counterparts.  Most importantly, take a few minutes and right to the tourism bureau and cc the consulate of the offending country and tell them of your personal boycott.   

As many of you know there are no exclusively LGBT cruises for African American and Latinos that I know of.  There are however several promoters who do buy cabins on non-exclusive cruises and they have worked out well thus far.  Most promoters have separate gay and lesbian events on the ship and in ports exclusively for the guests of the group.  Unfortunately many of the straight people of African Descent don’t interact with us but I have yet to hear of any problems.  

Want to cruise safely?  Check out our Nubian Dreams Cruise from New York City on the Carnival Miracle which sails on Oct. 8, 2008 for eight days to San Juan , PR, St. Thomas & Totola.  We offer yet one more option to explore the wonderful world of cruising. We have been selling cabins like crazy.  The word of mouth goes a long way.  Although we are sharing the space with other non-LGBT people the only compromise is that our attire on board must be respectful to the families that might be sailing.  That just means keep the thongs swim wear in the room until we reach the beaches of San Juan .