Bay Windows' story on Hurricane Katrina focuses on the homosexual community there, primarily in the French Quarter. One astonishing tidbit is that last year's "Southern Decadence" event, held over Labor Day weekend in that city, brought in an estimated $100 million to the local economy.
Money talks. This is one big reason this movement has gotten where they have. They have lots of money to spend. (But wait... Wouldn't a minority suffering social and civil-rights "discrimination" be economically underprivileged as well?)
"For gay-friendly businesses in New Orleans, the hurricane could not have come at a worse time. The city's annual gay Mardi Gras event, Southern Decadence, which is also one of the largest annual gay celebrations in the country, was scheduled to run throughout the Labor Day Weekend. Southern Decadence was officially canceled on Tuesday, Aug. 30. According to New Orleans's gay magazine, Ambush, 125,000 people were expected attend the event's five-day series of parties which is highlighted by a parade through the French Quarter. Southern Decadence has drawn larger and larger crowds since its beginning in 1972. Ambush estimated its economic impact on the city last year was $100 million. Many make hotel reservations a year in advance to ensure accommodations."
