Ft. Lauderdale - July 2013 - A Sad Departure

We've had a wonderful time  here in the Ft. Lauderdale area over the last week and I for one am feeling less than thrilled to be headed back to Hampton Roads and anti-gay Virginia.  Admittedly, Florida is not a gay friendly state, but in this area one would never know it.  Virginia has nowhere comparable where gays seemingly are accepted by almost everyone and where business that cater to the LGBT market are so plentiful. During our stay we have been places ranging from the beautiful Lauderdale Yacht Club, to cruising down the Intercoastal Waterway to hitting the gay clubs in Wilton Manors taking an air boat ride across the Everglades at Cooperville.  

For those who have never visited the area, I recommend Ft. Lauderdale highly.  Below are some photos from over the last week.

Lauderdale Yacht Club

Intercoastal cruising

Everglades tour

Making it all the more fun were our hosts and their amazing home and our friends we shared time with, both the locals and the ones visiting from Virginia.

A little too close for comfort!!

Sebastian Beach

Our friends' home

Thankfully, we have been invited to visit again "any time."

Read More

Ft. Lauderdale - July 2013 - Day Six

Yesterday was pretty much non-stop from the time we headed out in the morning for our tour of a portion of Everglades National Park.  The photo above shows the sign for the tour company we used.  To say it was rustic is an understatement, although the air boat tour was enjoyable and informative   albeit unnerving when I had a 10 foot alligator about 4 feet away as I was seated near the side of the air boat.  Our boat captain was a hoot even though at first glance he was major league Bubba type.  Our band of adventurers included a number of friends also down visiting from Virginia (shown below in a somewhat cheesy photo that was included in the ticket price). I will post an alligator photo tomorrow.

After the Everglades expedition, we had drinks at the gorgeous home of friends in Wilton Manors followed by dinner at a great Thai restaurant in the same complex as the Alibi and Boom (gay clubs).  After dinner, we visited both clubs and also the Village Pub across Wilton Drive.

While Florida hardly ranks as a gay friendly state, the Ft. Lauderdale area is very gay friendly and I am not looking forward to returning to Virginia tomorrow evening.

Read More

Gay Tourists in Russia Could Now Face Two Weeks in Jail

Throughout the recent severe worldwide recession one of the most reliable tourism market segments has been the LGBT travel niche.  Many cities and countries have actively sought to boost their desirability as a destination for LGBT travelers.  Not Russia.   With the recently enacted anti-gay law signed into law by Vladimir Putin - in an apparent attempt to bolster his support from the reactionary elements in the Russian Orthodox Church - LGBT tourist should think twice above traveling to Russia.  Personally, I find it most unfortunate that the International Olympic Committee has not canceled plans for the 2014 Olympics to be held in Russia.  Shift Travel IQ looks at the risk of jail time now faced by LGBT tourists in Russia.  Here are highlights:

This is a warning for visitors and tourists wanting to travel to Russia. Anything considered pro-gay, from gay-affirmative speech, to gays holding hands in public, to even wearing rainbow suspenders is now illegal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law yesterday one of the most draconian anti-gay laws on the planet.

The new law, coming only seven months before Russia is to host the Winter Olympics in Sochi expecting visitors and tourists from around the world.

The law also contains a provision permitting the government to arrest and detain gay, or pro-gay, foreigners for up to 14 days before they would then be expelled from the country. That provision ought to send chills to anyone gay, lesbians, bisexual or transgender who is planning to attend or participate in the Winter Olympics.

It is now literally illegal in Russia to say that you are gay. It is illegal to kiss your partner in public – say, after you win a gold medal. It is illegal for a gay athlete to wear the rainbow flag. Or even to acknowledge during an interview that they are gay – or for the foreign press to acknowledge it – unless they mention that gay sexual orientation in a negative way.

Then there’s the seemingly officially-sanctioned violence against gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Russia. It’s been made clear for years now that Russian government will turn a blind eye towards anti-gay violence, and many have alleged that the Russian government is actually behind such violence. Will gay Olympic athletes and gay Olympic fans be targeted for violence while in Russia? No one knows.

What we do know is that the International Olympic Committee’s response to the growing threat of violence against gay athletes and gay Olympics fans has been rather anemic to date.
More importantly, anyone thinking of attending the Olympics in Russia, a country that appears to be sinking fast into its old authoritarian ways, should stay home.

Read More

Ft. Lauderdale July 2013 - Day Four - - My Grandson is Born!!

Today has been a lazy laid back day for the most part with overcast skies.  Luckily, it gave us a day to recover from all the sun at Sebastian Beach yesterday.  It also gave the boyfriend a chance to hit the store in preparation for tomorrow evening's "Mo Down" as our hostess calls the gay parties we throw at their home every time we visit.   Tomorrow's plans include another excursion on the boat - pictured above flying a rainbow ensign the husband of one of the boyfriend's country club clients bought us and the Hampton Yacht Club flag - swimming in the pool and a barbecue.

The most exciting news is that my grandson, Benjamin was born this afternoon around 3:00PM Eastern time.  Mother and son are doing well at last report.  I am waiting to see some photos which I will share once I get them.  I treasure my granddaughter who is now 6 months old and will do the same with Ben.  

As far as the rest of the day goes, we had such a good time at The Alibi last night that we will probably venture back to Wilton Manors from Lighthouse Point and perhaps stop by the Gay Mart so that the boyfriend can buy a new swimsuit. 

Read More

Ft. Lauderdale July 2013 - Day Three

Our third day in the Ft. Lauderdale area was truly a busy one.  We spent a good part of the day enjoying near perfect weather at Sebastian Beach - the so-called gay beach - along with throngs of others.  Thanks to a steady wind, the temperatures were comfortable.   Besides the gather in of gays, what struck me as I walked along the water's edge was the racial and ethnic diversity of the crowd: black, white, Hispanic, and a mix of others with several languages being heard among the crowd.  It represents the future diversity of America even in states like Virginia.  It also represents what frightens the Hell out of Christian conservatives who see their strangle hold on society slowly and deservedly dying.

We had dinner at a French restaurant named Sage Cafe with our hosts and other friends visiting the area from Hampton Roads.  After dinner, we made our way over to Wilton Manors and did some clothes shopping since there are so many options for shopping for items one never sees in our backwater area.  We ended the evening by having a good time at The Alibi which was packed and playing great dance music.  

Read More

Ft. Lauderdale July 2013 - Day Two

Today was a great day even though it started out with me dealing with office e-mail and drafting documents for a couple of hours.  Kudos to my youngest daughter for holding down the fort at the law firm while we are out of town.   After lunch, we went out on our hosts' beautiful Intrepid 40' boat from which we flew the Hampton Yacht Club red and blue pennant (shown in the photo above).  Cruising around Lighthouse Point and parts of Pompano Beach, I was struck by (i) the wealth in this area and (ii) how much of a backwater Hampton Roads is in comparison.  The image below is looking down the creek from out hosts' dock, followed by a shot of one of the  boats we saw on our cruise. 

To thank our hosts for their hospitality, the boyfriend and I took them (and a friend who they are also hosting) to dinner at the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Ft. Lauderdale proper.  Through our Hampton Yacht Club membership, we have reciprocal benefits with yacht clubs around the country (and other parts of the world).   The dinner and the club facility were both amazing.  Thankfully, our guest membership is good through the day we head back to Virginia. :)  A photo of the club's pool and pavilion complex is set out below.

Tomorrow's plans include a visit to Sebastian Beach - the "gay beach" in Ft. Lauderdaler - followed by a get together with friends in Wilton Manor for drinks and dinner.  On Saturday, we will be throwing our traditional gay house dinner/party at our hosts' home.

Again, I hope local readers will drop me an email at michaelinnorfolk@gmail.com in the hope that we can perhaps meet for a drink or something.

Read More