Kevin Dallas is the CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority—an independent organization which opposed the legislation overturning gay marriage. Perhaps unsurprisingly for someone tasked with promoting tourism in Bermuda, he insists that the island is still very much welcoming to LGBT tourists. But in doing so he emphasizes that the wide media coverage of Bermuda’s gay marriage reversal has missed something crucial. The legislation in question, The Domestic Partnership Act 2017, also contains provisions that are beneficial to LGBT rights, including the right to a same-sex partner’s pension, property and inheritance rights, and immigration privileges—rights that other countries in the region don’t necessarily have.
“We have had anecdotal evidence of people saying ‘I’m canceling my trip to Bermuda and going to Antigua instead,’” Dallas said. “But LGBT people in Bermuda enjoy far more rights and protections than they do in Antigua—so how does that make sense? Ellen Degeneres said she was canceling a trip to Bermuda, on the other hand, she sent an entire studio audience to Dubai, where it’s illegal to be gay.” [...]
Tanzella raises an interesting point: It seems unfair to ask LGBT travelers to choose their next holiday destination based primarily on the equality record of the government in question. After all, we don’t ask non-LGBT travelers to do the same on any number of issues, from gender equality to the environment. Indeed, some of the globe’s hottest destinations are riddled with all kinds of political problems which travelers remain blissfully unaware of.
No comments:
Post a Comment