Check this article out. During London's Gay Pride, posters were displayed advertising 6 US locations to gay vacationers: South Carolina, Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. Guess which was the only 1 to have a negative backlash? Apparently, the decision was made by a low level official and some antigay folks were none too happy.
What is with this binary thinking that being welcoming to 1 group of people means hostility to another group? There were folks bringing their kids and having a perfectly lovely time at the recent Pride Picnic.
Furthermore, being explicitly unwelcoming affects more than the targeted objects of hostility. When the Maennerchor Club was pulling attitude years ago about serving women who were not escorted by men, it made me feel very negative about them. When someone was rude to a Pride Picnic staff person because of their size, the group in question gave itself a black eye to more than just the person that they had interacted with. When I have dealt with customers who were rude to a potential new hire or who made racist statements, it made me think much less of their business.
Mean-spiritedness is very expensive.
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