Lesbian Mayor  Annise Parker 
Hopes to Help Turn Houston Into
 a Gay Hot Spot.

Houston voters made history last December, electing the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city. Annise Parker, 53  leads the nation's fourth largest metropolis.

As the fourth-largest city in the nation, MY GAY HOUSTON's LGBT scene remains as diverse and vibrant as its more than 5 million residents. Its blend of world-class culture and an anything-goes attitude make this city on the bayou a great getaway for the discerning gay traveler.

From the pedestrian-friendly Montrose neighborhood to downtown and the historic Heights, Houston has something for everyone, all seven days of the week. Read on for picks on where to be and what to see..

The city launched a campaign titled "My Gay Houston," featuring gay Houstonians in print advertisements and on a newly-revamped website, as their latest effort in a years-old gay campaign. For some time now, Houston has been trying to promote themselves  as  gay-friendly and gay-welcoming.  Hopefully with Annise at the helm of the city, this campaign will get a boost.

Greg Ortale is CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. In an interview, he readily admitted that the city’s efforts to attract the gay and lesbian market had "clearly benefitted" from the election results.

"Whether in good economic times or bad, you want [gay and lesbian] travelers in your city," Ortale told EDGE. "To assume we’re going to ignore a major traveling market is ludicrous. It doesn’t make a difference to us.

"We’re proud of what our city offers in arts, sports with our food scene and retail. We can back up our destination against anybody else’s."


Despite pockets of liberal tolerance such as Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth and Austin, Texas ranks relatively low for gay rights. Its state constitution specifically bans same-sex marriage.

Regardless, Houston’s marketing team seems committed to its gay-friendly stamp. The tourism board continues its collaboration with the community’s LGBT organizations.  More news from Houston soon!


Best Gay Cities
New Gay Travel Guides

        

HOMOTOPIA,
 is Liverpool's annual
celebration of Queer Culture,
 every November.



Queer culture is truly celebrated with Liverpool’s first ever-dedicated perspective of events by and for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Homotopia is a bold and ambitious festival featuring a variety of events including theatre, film, art, performance, photography, heritage and storytelling.

Lord Of The Rings star  Sir Ian McKellen has pledged  support and backing to Liverpool’s LGBT arts group.  “I fully support Homotopia’s determination to tackle the violence which defaces the reputation of Liverpool as a friendly, inclusive community. Homophobia, in all its manifestations, should always be challenged. We are all different, thank goodness: we all deserve to be treated equally with respect.”   Said the popular star,  who was impressed with the way Homotopia galvanised the  LGBT community in the city following  the brutal murder of  Michael Causer and the horrifying homophobic attack on  policeman James Parkes in Liverpool’s gay quarter last year.

Homotopia’s latest project features a group of lesbian and gay teenagers from the northern UK city travel to  World War II concentration and death camp Auschwitz -Birkenau to see first hand the effects of hate crime.    This special trip has been turned into a documentary,  also a education pack has been produced,  it’s aim is to inform young people about homophobic bullying,  hate crime and the effects of  discrimination and prejudice.   The pack and documentary is being made available to 100 Liverpool school and will be seen by over  20,000 young people.


Best Gay Cities

        

Nothing compares to the moment when, after arriving in a foreign city, the hotel room's drapes are drawn back to reveal the world outside - a world that, neatly if barely contained by the window's geometry, seems to belong to you alone.
 
Conde Nast Traveler's "Room with a View" column, featuring frame-worthy vistas from all over the world, has been whetting the appetites of armchair tourists for 20 years. This compendium gathers the most breathtaking sights of all time, from Balinese beaches to Asia's bustling metropolises to African savannahs teeming with wildlife rather than nightlife.

Now buy a book! 
Conde Nast Traveler's Room with a View
A  BEST OF THE BEST collection from the magazine.
ASSOULINE’S newest tome, Condé Nast Traveler Room with a View offers a global exploration of the world’s most stunning hotels and resorts and the most breathtaking views taken from the interior of their rooms. Each page offers a vista of the world’s wonders – natural and manmade, spiritual and sensual.  In each image, photographers have captured transporting views, presented the perfect spots to observe ethereal horizons, glittering urban skylines, and truly, everything in between.

Take, for instance, the bathtub vista from the Royal Park's Urban Spa room in the 971 foot-high Yokohama Landmark Tower, or Room 609 at Badrutt's Palace Hotel, the perfect box seat for the Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow, played on the frozen Lake of St. Moritz below.

Room with a View presents 160 of these stunning photographs that, along with the magazine's concise commentary, are sure to stoke the imaginations of even the most seasoned travelers.


Conde Nast Traveler's Room with a View

        

ORANGE COUNTY
itself is very welcoming
 to the LGBT communities.


This past month, there has been much in the press about the gay vietnamese community and the TET parade.

Last week   - WESTMINSTER – A coalition of Vietnamese gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender groups said they will march down Little Saigon streets  – a first for the annual Tet Parade. Once Gay and lesbian Vietnamese-Americans said they were  marching in  the Parade, it sparked rebukes from a City Council member and Christian leader.

The groups have chapters in Orange County, but they have never actually participated in an Orange County public event.

Rev. Nguyen Thanh Van and Westminster City Councilman Andy Quach made very vocal negative comments.
The minister, who leads the Hội Đồng Liên Tôn interfaith council, called on religious and political groups to boycott the parade.

Quach, who is chairman of the parade's organizing committee, issued a letter in Vietnamese that, stated the politician wishes he could ban the gays but that he can't. He asked that everyone still turn out and enjoy the parade.

Despite opposition, the group marched anyway. Towleroad reader Rob Hoang published  this photo of him and his boyfriend marching with the first LGBT group to march in the Orange County Tet (Vietnamese New Year) parade in California.

"We were anxious, prepared for the worst," stated one UCLA participant who had been cautioned in an AQWA newsletter and various forums to be wary of possible protests being staged against the LGBT marchers.

"Boos"  totaled less than five. Cheers rose from the crowd as the Vietnamese LGBT marchers were announced in English, followed by a second--perhaps more unexpected--wave of cheers as they were again announced in Vietnamese.

And in an extreme act of hypocrisy, Andy Quach, an Orange County City Councilman who warned of gays and lesbians "any extreme or outrageous material not suited for children" while participating in this year's Vietnamese Tet Parade, rode in the parade in a car painted with tits and ass. That's real nice Andy.

The call for a boycott from Reverend  Thanh Van,  and other religious conservatives ended in a massive fail and a potential political migraine for Andy Quach.


The Best Gay News

        

 

You wouldn't think of Chocolate necessarily, when you think of San Francisco....But only in San Francisco, with its rich and luscious history of food, can one find four of the nation's 11 major chocolate manufacturers and a disproportionate number of unique boutique chocolatiers.

The Bay Area is home to some of the greatest chocolate factories in world including: The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, See’s Candies and Scharffen Berger Chocolate (recently acquired by the Hershey Company).

 

In 1849, an Italian chocolatier by the name of  Domingo Ghirardelli received news of a gold strike at Sutter’s Mill and took it upon himself to strike it rich and sail off to California. While Ghirardelli found no luck in the Gold Rush, he found his fortune in chocolate instead. He established his first chocolate factory in San Francisco’s famous Fisherman’s Wharf, which is considered a historic landmark today.

Ghirardelli is one of the few chocolate companies in the United States to control every aspect of its chocolate manufacturing process, rejecting up to 40 percent of the cocoa beans shipped in order to select what the company calls the "highest quality" beans. The company then roasts the cocoa beans in-house by removing the outer shell of the bean and roasting the inside of it. Today, Ghirardelli’s Chocolate Factory is considered one of the most popular sites in the Bay Area because on any given day, you can find decadent, gooey chocolate churned there. Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is a major contributor in the multi-billion dollar industry that can soothe the soul of the savage beast as well as stimulate “feel good” hormones. While chocolate is no longer being manufactured in Ghirardelli Square, the retail store still serves fresh chocolate sundaes and other sweet confections.

See's Candies was founded by Charles See and his mother Mary See when they opened up shop in 1921. The company is headquartered in South San Francisco.The chocolate in See's candies has been provided by the Guittard Chocolate Company since the 1950s; See's and Guittard pioneered the delivery of bulk chocolate in liquid form in tanker trucks in 1959. See's Candies makes more than 100 varieties of premium chocolate truffles, caramels, toffee, and other candies, including boxed assortments, lollipops, and kosher treats.

Scharffen Berger Chocolate is a Berkeley, California-based chocolate maker, founded in 1996 by sparkling wine maker John Scharffenberger and physician Robert Steinberg. The company is a manufacturer of chocolate (as opposed to chocolatiers, who make their products using chocolate acquired from wholesalers and manufacturers). Scharffen Berger is the first American company founded in the past 50 years to make chocolate from "bean to bar.” Scharffen Berger primarily produces chocolate bars, which are dark chocolate varieties with high cocoa solid content. By 1997 they made the first batch in a small South San Francisco factory using vintage German equipment and basic ingredients including Venezuelan criollo beans and whole Tahitian vanilla. Today, Scharffen Berger makes about a half million pounds of chocolate a year. You can find fine artisan "bean to bar" chocolate in a marketplace atmosphere at Scharffen Berger.

Gourmet Walks includes a Gourmet Chocolate Tour, with tastings of fine chocolate. Guests learn  where to find premium chocolate in San Francisco and discover artisan chocolatiers who create heavenly truffles and butter creams, and stores that sell local and international chocolate bars.

Artisan chocolates have received considerable attention recently, and the flavor notes have ranged from basics like dark, milk, caramel, and coffee, to more exotic fillings including honey and chai. Some flavors chocolatiers have experimented with include grey salt, goat cheese, olive oil and bacon. The trend of using spices like anise, wasabi and saffron mixed with chocolate is sure to get your blood pumping. Chocolatiers' imaginations are running wild, as chocolate consumers seem up to trying anything these days. San Francisco’s chocolate houses are setting trends and making giving food connoisseurs just one more reason to satisfy their cravings.

Best Gay Cities

 

        

And you thought San Francisco
was the gayest city
 in the United States?


Well....yes,  and no. While you can't get mucher gayer than Folsom Street Fair, the Advocate took at look at cities in the US and   ranked them  by:

-Same-sex couple households per capita
-Statewide marriage equality
-Gay elected officials
-Gay dating and hookup profiles per single male population
-Gay bars per capita
-Cruising spots per capita
-and Gay films in Netflix favorites.

The list is very shocking!


1. Atlanta, Georgia
2. Burlington, Vermont
3. Iowa City, Iowa
4. Bloomington, Indiana
5. Madison, Wisconsin
6. New Orleans, Louisiana
7. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
8. Portland, Maine
9. Austin, Texas
10. Seattle, Washington
11. Gainsville, Florida
12. Ashville, North Carolina
13. Springfield, Massachusetts
14. San Diego, California
15. Albuquerque, New Mexico


Fort Lauderdale I would have guessed. Maybe San Diego. But the other 13?  I had no idea!

        

SOUTH  BEACH is the neighborhood that encompasses  about 25 blocks in the city of Miami Beach. 

In the 1920's-1930's South Beach  brought Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and Nautical Moderne architecture to the Beach. During the 1970's-1980's the area was used as a retirement community with most of its ocean-front hotels and apartment buildings filled with elderly people living on small, fixed incomes.

This period also saw the introduction of the "cocaine cowboys," drug dealers who used the area as a base for their illicit drug activities. Scarface and even Miami Vice , typified this activity. The town became very run down and there were vacant and boarded up buildings everywhere.

So what happens? Gays cleaned it up. In the late 1980s, a renaissance began in South Beach, with an influx of  "fashion industry professionals" moving into the area. South Beach started to become  "fabulous" and gay clubs sprouted up everywhere.

It became this extremely popular entertainment mecca, thanks to the media. By the mid 1990's, the rest of the straight world started to capitalize on this small area. More and more big straight clubs popped up and by the late 2000, many from  Miami proper would come over and drink and cause trouble. We call that the "bridge and tunnel crowd".  When suburbanites come in and start taking over "our towns". It's no longer fun at that point.



Gianni Versace was murdered  in 1997.  I really view that as a turning point.  Within a couple years, South Beach was changing. And not in a good way. I was last there in 2004 for the famous Winter Party, which attracts  several thousand gay people. Even with that many gays in town, my partner and I DID NOT feel safe walking  the streets at night.  Straight kids in cars drove past and yelled  "faggots"  at  us   and one car even hurled a bottle at us. We walked in somewhere for a slice of pizza late night and straight teenagers  mumbled "gay this" and "fag that"  under their breath, but loud enough to hear. We were told by locals at that time, that many gays are starting to relocate to Fort Lauderdale.  I have not been back to South Beach since.

It has just gotten worse in the last 5 years as the area has become a late night drinking straight town. This month in the news, gay bashings are on the rise there. State of Florida records stated that 75% of the anti-homosexual hate crimes in Miami-Dade County in 2009 occurred in South Beach/Miami Beach. It's still chic and expensive there. Major developers have invested billions there. But the gays are getting out.

"South Beach isn't the free-spirited haven of gayness it once was." says writer Natalie  O'Neill from  Miami New Times.

Tony Lopez was celebrating the White Party this past November. Another huge gay event which brings thousands into the town. It was 4am and he wandered into a popular place for some take-out food. As he approached the line for food, an aggressive 20-something staggered up to him.

"Got a cigarette?" he asked. Tony shook a Marlboro Mild from the pack and handed him one.

Right then, a gang — Tony remembers four men — "appeared out of the woodwork." They shoved him into the alley behind the restaurant, yelled "Fucking faggot!" and began to punch him. He fell to the ground and tried to shield his head as they kicked him in the face.


(Fort Lauderdale)

O'Neill reports, "In a five-year span, the State Attorney's Office reported 26 incidents, half of which were in Miami Beach. Victims include a lounge singer who was stripped naked and hogtied and a magazine publisher who was viciously beaten.

It's surprising when you consider South Beach's heyday as a sparkling gay playground, where oiled-up boys frolicked between wild foam parties and the hub of hedonism that was the Versace mansion. Nobody thought twice about casual sex in Flamingo Park or flamboyant public fashion shoots, and — at its peak — MTV was even there to glamorize it all." - which really became the downfall of South Beach. It was a  "kept secret" for a while but once it became celebritized by the rich and famous and sensationalized by television and film, it was no longer a  secret!


I am not saying don't go to South Beach. There are still fun clubs and fun parties there.
But YOU MUST BE CAREFUL. Walk in groups and not alone. Especially at night, when most of the trouble starts.

Gay Fort Lauderdale has been a haven for gay and lesbian travelers for decades. But in the last 5 years, it has seen tremendous growth as South Beach shifted.  In addition to being a  very gay friendly city ,  Fort Lauderdale has more than 100 gay-owned establishments including hotels/guesthouses, bars, clubs and restaurants, plus the second largest Metropolitan Community Church congregation in the United States and three gay and lesbian publications. Gay Ft. Lauderdale has three popular gay beach areas on Fort Lauderdale's 23 miles of wide, sandy beach.

Fort Lauderdale continues to reign supreme as one of the most popular gay destinations in North America.

Read more from Natalie O'Neill.

Visit Fort Lauderdale 


Get a Free Fort Lauderdale calendar/planner!


Best Gay News Magazine

 

        

    

The Consitutionally mandated decennial census begins in March.  Will your same-sex relationship be counted?

The task of the US Census is to count every man, woman and child in the country and in the past has measured everything from income, to housing to health insurance, to illegal aliens.  One of the most important tasks of the Census is for the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives, from which are dervied the total number of electors to the Electoral College - who ultimately vote for our President.

Since 1990 the census has included a designation of "unmarried partner" on the form, it was the first time that same-sex relationships could at least somewhat be acknowledge.  Unfortunately there is no question on the census that allows citizens to designate their sexual identity.

 

This year there are only 10 questions on the form this year, one of the shortest in history.  Adding a question specifically about sexual oritentation will take quite some time to get included, but at least now if you are in a committed relationship you can attempt to be counted. This years census only asks for name, sex, age, date of birth, hispanic origin, race, household, whether you own or rent your home and your relationship. 

You can still make your gay voice be heard by requesting a copy of the sticker at the top of this page and affix it to your US Census envelope when you return it to the government. 

Head over to Queer the Census and request your own sticker to tell the government that we need to be included.

 

From Change.org:

Even though the results aren't officially reported, the raw numbers reveal that 145,000 same-sex couples identified as married or "unmarried partners" in 1990 (before any legal recognition in the U.S. even existed) and close to 600,000 same-sex couples self-reported in 2000. The Obama administration has reversed a Bush-era policy, so in the 2010 Census, a report will be released that outlines official information about same-sex couples. Here are some quick instructions on how to make sure your family is reported correctly.

What Box Do You Check?
If you are in a relationship and you live together, you have two choices. First, one of you will be designated as "Person 1." If there is no clear favorite for who should be the head of household, perhaps you could flip a coin, wrestle for it or hold a lip-synching competition. Whoever doesn't win will be designated as "Person 2." This person is asked how they are related to Person 1. There are 16 choices, but the two that concern you are "husband or wife" and "unmarried partner."

This is the important part: You do not answer based on the actual legal status of your relationship, you answer based on how you personally categorize your relationship. If you are legally married, you will probably mark down "husband or wife," though if you are in a civil union or domestic partnership, yet you still feel married, than you should also mark "husband or wife." If there is no legal recognition of your relationship where you live, but you still consider yourself married, it's also important that you mark "husband or wife."

        

Matthew Bourne’s
legendary all-male Swan Lake is back in London - but only until January 24, and this production, at Sadler’s Wells, has been garnering reviews to equal - or better, those it received at its premiere there in 1995.


The longest running ballet in the history of the West End or Broadway, Bourne’s Swan Lake is based loosely on the romantic Russian original, including its Tchaikovsky music and plot outline, but with stylistic inspiration from Hitchcock’s The Birds, and most startlingly of all, with the traditional female corps de ballet replaced with a menacing male ensemble. At its Broadway premiere, Time Out New York called it “a miracle”.


Touring companies have played to sold-out houses throughout the world,  but now it’s back where it all began, and with extravagant, award-winning designs by Lez Brotherston.

Matthew Bourne’s SWAN LAKE has collected over thirty international theatre awards including three Tonys for the Broadway production and has been widely acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic as a landmark production on the international stage.






BEST GAY CITIES

        

“Walk with Pride” is a planned 2010-11 project to photograph and document gay pride parades around the globe. Our aim is to promote lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride on an international level, while highlighting the similarities and differences in gay rights and gay culture around the world.

Charles “Chad” Meacham (Project Photographer)

Charles was born just outside of Philadelphia, PA, and began traveling immediately after high school.  He picked up a camera at the age of 30, and has since been privileged to win over 20 international awards including those from National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, and PDN magazines.  The idea for this project was sparked after months of following the recent debates in America on gay rights issues in the news, and photographing the 2009Taipei Pride event, one of the largest pride parades in Asia.

Sarah Baxter (Project Coordinator)

Sarah Baxter is the blogger for this project, and contact person/organizer.  Born in Athens, Ohio, Sarah enjoys traveling, and has lived and worked in Los Angeles, NE Thailand, North Africa, and most recently in Taipei, Taiwan.



THE  GOAL -

Fourteen months, over 30 high intensity parades, and one straight couple with the ambitious aim of using photography to promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and all sorts of pride on an international level.  Through social media they aspire to highlight the similarities and differences in gay rights and gay culture around the world, while surrounded by the frequently “mardi-gras” like atmosphere of the celebrations.



This is a gay issue.
This is a straight issue.
This is a human rights issue.


Walk with Pride blog       Walk with pride on FACEBOOK        Walk with pride YouTube

        

DID  YOU KNOW....


Best Gay Cities


is  now  mobile

on your  phone???






Get Mobile now

with Best Gay Cities!

        

(photo by Philip Blackmon)

STATEMENT FROM MICHAEL CRAWFORD, CO-CHAIR OF D.C. FOR MARRIAGE
ON MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY SIGNING THE D.C. MARRIAGE BILL:

“D.C. for Marriage is elated that Mayor Adrian Fenty has signed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009, following the overwhelming vote in support of marriage equality by City Council on Tuesday. We are blessed to have the continuing strong and diverse support for marriage equality in Washington, D.C from Mayor Fenty, members of the Council, faith leaders, and residents.

"Having the right to legally marry will have an invaluable impact on gay and lesbian people and our families. Our work has always been about ensuring that every child and every parent in the District has the protection of full equality, so we can strengthen both our families and our community.  We are excitedly looking forward to seeing the first couples and their joy as they are finally able to marry, here in the District.

"With today’s bill signing, the District has once again proven its long-time commitment to social justice and equality. We have boldly blazed a trail for the rest of the country by creating a coalition of support among clergy representing many different faiths, and residents of every race, ethnicity and origin in this majority African-American city.  Together, we have ensured that the first jurisdiction in the South to make marriage equality law is our nation’s capital.

"As we now focus on defending marriage equality on Capitol Hill, we remain committed to our outreach and education efforts to unify the D.C. community. Our hope is that, as the federal government takes its first look at a local marriage equality measure, Members of Congress will respect the decision made by D.C.’s democratically elected government and not interfere with the enactment of the bill.

"At the same time, the discrimination-promoting groups who stripped marriage equality from our families in California and Maine now have their sights on D.C., and threaten to force a ballot initiative on same-sex marriage, along the lines of California’s Proposition 8 and Maine’s Question 1.

"In D.C., we believe all people and families should be treated equally. We disagree with outsiders who come into our city to advocate for discrimination against our friends and our neighbors. Their efforts will fail here.

"Mayor Fenty’s signing of the bill today may not end the fight, but we will triumph.  In a matter of months, the work of so many of D.C.’s residents will culminate in full equality for all.”

DC FOR MARRIAGE

        

Started in Boston in December 2000 by five intrepid men, the Santa Speedo Run has attracted thousands to run through the streets of Boston all while raising money for local charities, spreading holiday cheer and having a great time. It has also influenced others in many cities across North America to duplicate the event.

It was  a freezing  20 degrees this weekend  in Boston for the run.  And  a  balmy(?) 50 in San Franciscio. 


Atlanta and Albany joined in the fund-raising as well this year. 

        

Congratulations Houston!

Houston became the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor, with voters handing a solid victory to City Controller Annise Parker after a hotly contested runoff.

Parker defeated former city attorney Gene Locke with 53.6 percent of the vote Saturday in a race that had a turnout of only 16.5 percent.

"This election has changed the world for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. Just as it is about transforming the lives of all Houstonians for the better, and that's what my administration will be about," Parker told supporters after Locke conceded defeat.

Parker, 53, has never made a secret or an issue of her sexual orientation. But it became the focus of the race after anti-gay activists and conservative religious groups endorsed Locke and sent out mailers condemning Parker's "homosexual behavior."



BEST GAY CITIES