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| | Issue #21.28 :: 07/09/2008 - 07/15/2008 | Grant Shows City More Gay Friendly
Pride Festival Receives H-Tax Funding
| BY NICK MCCORMAC
| The Capital City has taken another official step toward showing acceptance and support for gay and lesbian groups and individuals.
Columbia City Council recently allocated $10,000 to the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement through a hospitality tax grant for the group’s South Carolina Pride Festival, scheduled for Sept. 20. It is the first time a hospitality tax grant has been issued to a gay or lesbian organization.
The hospitality tax, a 2 percent levy on prepared food and drink, goes toward supporting tourism in the city.
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| Columbia City Council recently approved allocating $10,000 in city hospitality tax revenue to the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement. The group plans to use the money to help pay for its annual festival in September. Courtesy photo |
Organizations hoping to receive H-tax funding from Columbia apply for it to a city committee, which recommends who should get how much. The recommendations are presented to City Council for approval. The council approved the Pride group’s request unanimously.
Pride president Ryan Wilson says the group asked for $20,000 but is happy with $10,000. “You shoot for the stars and hope to land on the moon,” Wilson says. “I have no complaints.” And he lauds the city for its support. “By doing things like this, the city shows that it’s a very welcoming and inviting place for gay and lesbian individuals,” Wilson says.
In another move to make Columbia gay friendly, City Council in March unanimously approved amending an ordinance to make it illegal to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation when it comes to housing and other public accommodations.
Mayor Bob Coble says he is pleased that the city is presenting a welcoming image. “Columbia respects people of all walks of life, and this diversity is our strength,” Coble says.
From a financial standpoint, Coble says having an open and accepting community is important if the city wants to be competitive in the global economy.
As recently reported in these pages, South Carolina’s predominantly anti-gay culture hurts the state’s economy. Among other things, it depresses business activity related to gay marriage, which is illegal here, and dissuades talented gay and lesbian workers from relocating to the state.
But in Columbia the latter is not the case, Coble says. “Companies see how accepting we are as a community and realize that’s good for business,” he says. “They want to know that every employee will have the opportunity to succeed.”
South Carolina Pride plans to use part of the city grant money to promote its September festival in cities such as Atlanta and Charlotte, Wilson says. The money also will help cover the cost of the festival’s entertainment, namely drag entertainer RuPaul.
Wilson expects 7,000 to 9,000 people to attend the event. “A lot of people think festivals like this are a way of flaunting an alternative lifestyle, but we see it as a way of celebrating identity,” he says.
Coble thinks the city has come a long way from segregation to integration. “Our door is open to all citizens. We work to include everyone because it’s the right thing to do.”
In that regard, Columbia is an island of blue in an ocean of red. While anti-gay sentiments continue to permeate much of the rest of the state, the city is presenting an image of acceptance and tolerance. | |
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