MB chamber hears it over gay ad
About 20 to 30 people have called the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce to sound off about the controversy over the state's decision to pull ads proclaiming South Carolina as "So Gay" during gay pride week in London.
Most of the people who called the chamber have said they agree with the S.C. Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism's decision to yank the ads, said Brad Dean, president of the chamber, which handles much of the out-of-market advertising for Myrtle Beach.
Some even said they canceled vacation plans - though Dean pointed out there's no way to verify that. An industry expert said pulling the ad sent a bad signal to gay tourists. To try to mitigate that, an S.C. gay pride group said it would pay for the $5,000 ad.
A handful of tour operators with gay and lesbian travel packages called simply to clarify Myrtle Beach's position on the matter. (The chamber has not specifically targeted the LGBT community with ads or marketing and was not involved in the PRT campaign.)
The controversy prompted one PRT employee to resign.
Whether you agree with homosexuality or not, there are gay people, and they do have money and do visit the Grand Strand.
Pulling this ad is silly and just goes to show that some people are just uncomfortable around the very idea of homosexuality.
Posted by: Carson | July 19, 2008 at 02:13 AM