Instead of boycotting Utah, here’s an opposite idea. If you’re gay, head there in droves

by Jamie Rhein on

Although the boycott of Utah could cost the state a bundle in tourism dollars if it’s a success–and if it’s happening–here’s another idea to make an impact. Scott McCoy, an openly gay senator in Utah, has suggested that people who are gay should head to Utah in droves. I read about McCoy’s views in this Seattle Times article.

The idea McCoy had when he heard about the ban is to show folks in Utah that gay people and gay families are genuine and wonderful people. By showing up in Utah and doing vacation like things, these families would in essence be educating people about the need gay families have for equal rights under the law just like other families.

Reading McCoy’s take on the boycott reminded me about my experience at Kings Island this past August during Gay Pride Night. I went with my brother, his friend and my daughter. As I stood in line to ride the Firehawk, the roller coaster you ride mostly on your stomach, and looked at the other people in line, I thought how utterly common a scene it was. Shorts, T-shirts, sneakers, middle-aged paunches on some, better haircuts on others, talking, laughing, smiling, and visiting. When it stopped raining and all the rides were a go, the joy felt exactly the same on any other day when I’ve been to an amusement park in the rain. For some reason, give me a summer and I’ll go on the rainy day. It’s not planned that way, it just happens.

If I hadn’t known we were there on Gay Pride Night, I really wouldn’t have been able to tell. Maybe McCoy has a point. On the other hand, Colorado lost millions of dollars in the 80s when there was a similar boycott.

Peter Greenburg , the Today show’s travel guru, pointed out earlier this year before Prop 8 passed [see article] that with gay people being allowed to tie the knot in California, that state was going to be able to pull in serious bucks. I imagine these days, it’s good-bye dough to some extent.

Regardless of ones political or religious opinions, tourism is a powerful playmate when it comes to a state’s financial health.

Photo of the Day (11.18.08)

by Grant Martin on

With all of the crazy fares to Salt Lake City that have been popping up all over the radar, I’m sure that I’m not the only person with skiing on his mind this week. The plan, as I have concocted with dear friends, is to rent one of these puppies in the Park City neighborhood next January, ski all day and then crash on the couch with a bottle of spiced rum and some oatmeal for the best sleep ever. The perfect ski weekend.

This photo of was taken by Martin O’Connell and if you’re any bit of a snowsports person, it should have you all riled up for the winter. Thanks Martin!

Have any cool photos you’d like to share with the world? Add them to the Gadling Pool on Flickr, and it might be chosen as our Photo of the Day.

Activist calls for Utah boycott after California passes Prop 8

by Meg Massie on

We’ve noticed a sharp drop in the cost of traveling to Utah — could it be because the state is trying to hedge against a tourism boycott for its role in the recent elections? It wasn’t Utah’s doing, exactly, but the Mormon Church, which makes up over 60% of Utah’s population, poured millions of dollars and hours of grassroots campaigning into passing California’s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state.

Activist and blogger John Aravosis of americablog.com blames Utah Mormons for taking away rights, and suggests that a boycott of Utah tourism is a good way to show dissatisfaction for the LDS church’s role in passing Proposition 8. He’s calling for skiers to choose anywhere but Utah this winter, and he’s even urging Hollywood to back out of the annual Sundance Film Festival, which makes up a huge part of Utah’s $6 billion annual tourism income.

While gay rights groups have not yet weighed in on the idea of a boycott, other individuals and websites are latching onto the cause, and the backlash against the Mormon Church and the state of Utah by extension has been intense. Aravosis and his supporters can’t reasonably expect to change the church’s view on gay marriage, but he says he intends to go after the “Utah brand,” calling it a “hate state.” He does not call for a boycott of California, saying “the Californians are the victims and the Mormons are the persecutors.” A boycott may not get Utah Mormons to change their minds about gay rights, but Aravosis hopes it will at least get them to stop trying to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of the world.

Travel Alert! Join the battle for Salt Lake City!

by Grant Martin on

Either the LDS, The Salt Lake City Tourism Board or Northwest and Delta are up to something, because all of the sudden, prices out to SLC just tanked.

I’m pulling up tickets from about $100-$125 round trip departing from Detroit and Chicago respectively, with other cities across the country at fairly competitive rates. At this point, fares look to be good through early February.

“Why go to Salt Lake City in the middle of the winter,” you ask? One word: skiing. Park City is right around the corner from Utah’s capital city and for the money that you save on the plane ticket you can afford a nicer condo rental.

In case you’re really interested, what really happened is called The Southwest Effect. As the airline best hedged against fuel prices, Southwest has the wonderful position of setting the market rate on fares between many cities across the country. That is, as soon as they decide to publish a sale fare on tickets between Dallas and Los Angeles, everyone else has to follow suit.

Just today the airline published a 50% off coupon to Salt Lake City, so to stay competitive, Northwest and Delta matched the price. And that’s where we come in, my friends.

Book your tickets soon, I just booked a pair out for a weekend in January and availability already dried up for those days.

Photo of the Day (11/13/08)

by Kent Wien on

This really is a shot of a lifetime. Max, a.k.a. fiznatty, took this picture of a mountain lion in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah.

I’ll let him explain the once in a lifetime picture:

When I traveled to Utah for a couple days in hopes of seeing a wild mountain lion, I wasn’t optimistic. My first morning in the tree stand was on par with my expectations, as only a few birds fluttered about.

We returned in the afternoon and I had been sitting in the stand for an hour-and-a-half when the sun dipped behind the mountains. I looked down and to my right, and noticed my guide in his ground blind, standing and taking pictures. I looked around to see what it was he was shooting, but there was nothing. I found out later that he was bored and was taking pictures of me.

So I sighed, settled back in my seat and looked over to my left toward the spring… and there it was, having just emerged from the woods.

I can only imagine how you felt, Max. What an amazing capture.

Are you a Flickr user who’d like to share a travel related picture or two for our consideration? Submit it to Gadling’s Flickr group right now! We just might use it for our Photo of the Day!