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 Walt Disney World, EPCOT, MGM, Universal Studios Jesse Monteagudo Reflects on Central Florida's Attractions |
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By Jesse Monteagudo
But, as a gay man, I also frequented those particular attractions and events that Orlando offers us "citizens of the rainbow". First and foremost, of course, is Orlando's own "gay kingdom", the Parliament House Motor Inn. Open since 1975, "la Casa del Parliamento" was, as entertainer Miss P told historian James Sears, "the boldest thing that anyone ever thought about doing in Orlando," By the time I got to the P-House (1977), its "hotel balconies were the sexual bingo capital of the South" (and I played my share of "bingo"). Since then the Parliament House has had its ups and downs, and though the current owners have restored the place to some of its past glory, its 70's and 80's sexual heyday is a thing of the past. But there's more to Orlando than the P-House, of course. As LesBiGay tourists and immigrants alike flocked to Orlando, other bars and clubs began to cater to the gay community. Among the queer clubs that have opened in Orlando in the past-quarter century are the Full Moon Saloon, the Club Orlando, Southern Nights and the Cactus Club, just to name a few. Of course Orlando is best-known for hosting a series of gay circuit parties and other special events, from the ever-famous Gay Days at Disney (and elsewhere) and the increasingly-popular "Bear Bust". This year's "Gay Days", scheduled from May 28 to June 3, expects to draw more than 150,000 people. During the 27 years since the Parliament House opened, Orlando's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community has flourished, thanks to that city's burgeoning tourism industry. Though we do not know what percentage of the Disney or Universal workforce is queer, we may presume that it is a large one, more than the 10% we attribute to the general population. To their credit, both Disney and Universal recognize the value of their lesbian, gay or bisexual employees, as shown by their non-discrimination and domestic partner policies. In addition to working for Orlando's star attractions, our community members own and operate quite a few of that city's small businesses, not only in the famed "Vi-Mi" district but in other neighborhoods as well. Indicative of the GLBT community's rising power in Orlando was the election, in April 2000, of Patty Sheehan as the first openly lesbian member of the Orlando City Council. This year Orlando's body politic took a great step in our direction when it began to discuss a proposal that would extend legal protections in employment, housing and accommodations to its lesbian, gay and bisexual people (transgendered people were sadly left out). Inspired by Sheehan's election, the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance Committee was formed to add sexual orientation to the categories protected by local law. As a result of the Committee's work the Orlando Human Relations Board agreed to take up the measure at its April 16 meeting. Though there was some opposition at the meeting, activists are optimistic that Orlando will soon join other Florida cities and counties that have "gay rights" ordinances. The Human Relations Board will shortly make a recommendation to the Orlando City Council, which will have the final say-so on this vital matter. Politically, Orlando is fairly progressive by Florida standards, having voted for Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential elections. On the other hand, the greater Orlando Area (Orange County) is firmly in the buckle of the Bible Belt. When Exodus International, the (in)famous "ex-gay" ministry moved to Winter Haven, it was just the latest of a string of Religious Right organizations to relocate to Central Florida. While Orlando voters cast their ballots for Sheehan, nearby suburbanites continued to re-elect the likes of State Rep. Allen Trovillion - best-known for telling a group of GLBT students that they were going to hell - and Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney. As for Orlando's GLBT community itself, the presence of gay hotels, an openly lesbian Council member or even a community center (the Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Community Services Center of Central Florida) should not be mistaken for a politically-active population. "In Orlando, most gay organizations were focused on socializing, and even they were largely unknown to the straight community," wrote Matt Schlueb in the Orlando Sentinel. "[W]hen it comes to pushing for social change, local activists concede that Orlando's gay community is largely invisible." Though the transient nature of a community dependent upon the tourism industry has a lot to do with this apathy, the fact remains that many Orlando gays find it to their benefit to remain in the closet, even - especially - when out-of-town queers whoop it up during Gay Days.
To Zac Adams, the Web site's owner, all this fuss boils down to antigay bigotry and harassment. For their part, timid activists fear that this brouhaha would scare some City Council members into voting against the proposed gay rights law. Meanwhile, the five College Boys in question are planning to hold two online celebrations: one on the day when the Orlando's gay rights bill finally becomes a law and one on June 1st, which is of course Gay Day at Disney. I can hardly wait. Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer who lives in South-Florida within driving distance of Orlando. He can be reached at jessemonteagudo@aol.com. |
Orlando, Florida--I love Orlando. Though I never lived there, I've visited Orlando many
times since 1970, and I hope to visit it many more times before I'm through.
Like everyone else, I've enjoyed Orlando's many tourist attractions: Walt
Disney World, EPCOT, Universal Studios, MGM, Sea World, International Drive.
