TIMES ARE CHANGING!
 
More and more cities and states, are becoming more tolerant and we are seeing more liberal attitudes.  I wasn't sure I would see gay marriage in my lifetime. But look at the last 3 years! More states are deciding  certain laws and restrictions are unconstitutional. Las Vegas welcomes gay couple and will perform ceremonies in many of their hotels. Even DISNEY will perform a gay wedding now!

There is a shift in the cultural landscape. Gays are on TV. Ellen. Will and Grace. Modern Family.  Heck, NBC said “The public needs to know that we’re not just catering to straight white 30-somethings,” said Adam Stotsky of NBC’s marketing department.

“As our ratings show, straight white 30-somethings don’t like TV. Blacks and gays love it.”

The tide is changing - and the time is right. Las Vegas now has a major  gay club  and  gay  resort.  It's time for Atlantic city to follow suit. And the people at Harrah's Entertainment are going to be the leader. 

As  Michael Musto pointed out, "I've always been astounded that the casinos never catered to the lavender dollar, obviously cowing in terror of the family-values folks who thump Bibles in between playing card games and hiring hookers..."


Harrah's decided this year to be the first organization to roll out the red carpet for the LGBT community. While Harrah's Entertainment and Atlantic City have always welcomed the LGBT community, "OUT in AC" was  the first weekend long celebration specifically for the LGBT community.  It took place a couple weeks ago and drew nearly 1,000  LGBT people to the events being offered. People came from as far away as Chicago but most came from within a 2 hour radius of the city; Philadelphia, Boston, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia,  New York City and many of New Jersey cities.

Locals welcomed the LGBT weekend of events! There is really only one gay bar in town currently! The WestSide.   However, more are coming. Robert and Joel who run the Ram's Head Inn, just a couple miles outside of town,  have started offering Gay Mondays at their upscale restaurant, and they are growing in popularity. A spokesperson for Harrah's speculated that it is quite possible, within the next year, one of the casino's will offer  a gay club. We also met a couple who lives here in Atlantic City who said they are working on opening a gay club. Plus,  many staffers from Harrah's  talked about the possibility of several all gay weekends in 2010. We suggested they host a big beach party, since they are sitting on prime ocean beach frontage,  something which could potentially rival  Miami's Winter Party!



The weekends entertainment and parties were amazing fun! Harrah's did a great job bringing together  something for everyone. Talent  ranged from New York icon and singer Amanda Lepore performing with hottie gay rapper Cazwell,  The cast of The L Word, singer Lori Michaels, Lance Bass, Queer Eye's adorable  Jai Rodriguez who now sings and DJs, plus the ever funny Miss Coco Peru, who hosted Sunday Recovery Rehab Gay Bingo with unlimited Mimosas and Bloody Mary's. 

When the party came to an end at 2:30pm on Sunday afternoon, we didn't want to leave! We ended up staying in the city another night and left the next day. Which gave us time to relax at Harrah's  $90 million pool enclosure and spa facility!

I would say the weekend was  a huge success and I think 2010, will bring even more gay fun to this city. Many of the people we talked to, said they will definitely come back for more of these  special gay events.

Perhaps the sentiment of the weekend was best expressed by Lady Eve who, at each event, reminded the crowd of nearly 1,000 revelers that the reason that OUT in AC was a resounding success was because of them. As she said, the LGBT community has been there all along; all we needed was to be acknowledged, at last. - And I must add, most of the staff was amazing all weekend, going out of their way, to make sure everyone was having a great time.


"Harrah's Entertainment strives to provide its customers unique reasons to visit Atlantic City," said Jennifer Weissman, Regional Vice President of Marketing for Harrah's Atlantic City Operations. "OUT in AC" showcased Harrah's Entertainment as a year-round, friendly destination for the LGBT community."

The company's friendliness with the gays is much  more than a gimmick; Harrah's provides things like health care benefits to the partners of its gay employees, something it's not required by law to do.

 

At a time when certain corporate behemoths continue turning their backs on LGBTs (while reaping enormous profits), shouldn't we support those, who support us? Vote with our gay dollars! 
 
While Atlantic City may not become the next San Francisco for gay travel, tourism officials believe the resort's evolution into a more upscale gambling and entertainment hub fits the lifestyle of gay and lesbian customers.

 

"What the gay market is looking for is high-end retail, accommodation and nightlife, and that's what we have," said Jeffrey Vasser, president of the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority.


"The more we reinforce the fact that Atlantic City is a gay-friendly destination, the better off we will be in attracting that market, which is a very upscale market."

Weissman said Harrah's developed its marketing campaign with the help of an employee advisory board that includes gay and lesbian casino workers.

"It comes down to diversity in our company and diversity in our workers and our customers," she said. "We believe that by having different backgrounds and different perspectives, it will only make us a better business."




Read more at  OUT  IN  AC  @   New Gay Travel Guide

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