Is Canada Branding itself as a Gay country?

[August1991]

This is kind of interesting. There is an international gay sports olympics in Montreal now (Liza Minnelli invited to perform for the opening ceremony). In addition, Montreal is going to have the head office for the International Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (5 jobs to be created) to coordinate such Chambers in other countries (Chambers in Japan, China, Australia and India are in the works).

Here's my point. Is Canada becoming identified in the world as a Gay country? If Canada were an American city, would it be San Francisco?

What's going to happen to the neighbourhood? House prices? When Canadians go abroad, are they going to receive long surreptitious looks from foreigners of the same sex?

La Chambre de commerce internationale gaie et lesbienne (CCIGL) aura son siège social à Montréal.

L'annonce officielle de la création du nouvel organisme a été faite mercredi matin, lors de l'événement Out for Business, réunissant 400 gens d'affaires gais, en marge des premiers Outgames, qui s'ouvrent un peu plus tard dans la métropole québécoise.

La CCIGL a été fondée par la Chambre de commerce gaie du Québec et par une quinzaine d'autres issues d'une dizaine de pays, dont la Suisse, les États-Unis, le Mexique, le Danemark, la France, l'Italie et la Grande-Bretagne.

Elle disposera d'un budget de 1 million de dollars, dont 50 % proviendra de fonds québécois et l'autre moitié des Chambres de commerce membres. L'institution, qui entreprendra ses activités en 2007, créera cinq emplois à Montréal.

La nouvelle chambre travaillera à la création de succursales au Japon, en Chine, en Australie et en Inde.

R-C

[Michael Hardner]

As superstitions and aversions towards homosexuality abate, homosexuals will be marketed to as an identifiable group, much as men, women, or new Canadians are. Your question is a little silly, though. I don't see there much chance of any country being gay, as in 50%+ gay.

[jdobbin]

This is kind of interesting. There is an international gay sports olympics in Montreal now (Liza Minnelli invited to perform for the opening ceremony). In addition, Montreal is going to have the head office for the International Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (5 jobs to be created) to coordinate such Chambers in other countries (Chambers in Japan, China, Australia and India are in the works).

Here's my point. Is Canada becoming identified in the world as a Gay country? If Canada were an American city, would it be San Francisco?

What's going to happen to the neighbourhood? House prices? When Canadians go abroad, are they going to receive long surreptitious looks from foreigners of the same sex?

ml?ref=rss]R-C[/url]

Richard Florida has said a high gay population in a city usually signfies an economic lift for the whole metropolitan area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Florida

Maybe the looks we'll be getting is how did we get so rich?

[August1991]

Richard Florida has said a high gay population in a city usually signfies an economic lift for the whole metropolitan area.

I don't want to drift far here but I've always found Floida's theory bad reasoning. It confuses causation and correlation.

It reminds me of the urban planner who, noticing slower traffic and congestion in areas with many pedestrians and retail shops, decided to install speed bumps to help the neighbourhood economy.

[jdobbin]

]I don't want to drift far here but I've always found Floida's theory bad reasoning. It confuses causation and correlation.

It reminds me of the urban planner who, noticing slower traffic and congestion in areas with many pedestrians and retail shops, decided to install speed bumps to help the neighbourhood economy.

A large gay population has not hurt Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver from being properous. And which countries are likely to give us looks? Just being Canadian will set off some "gaydar?" <heh>

[geoffrey]

Richard Florida has said a high gay population in a city usually signfies an economic lift for the whole metropolitan area.

All those handbags and hair bleaching must add up?

[jdobbin]

Richard Florida has said a high gay population in a city usually signfies an economic lift for the whole metropolitan area.

All those handbags and hair bleaching must add up?

They said there's a large population of gays in Calgary now. So next time a roughneck saddles up to you are the bar and asks you to "Brokeback Mountain," be sure to ask who's buying the popcorn.

In all seriousness though, the theory is that many gays have higher incomes and more discretionary spending at their disposal. Statscan has shown some evidence that this might be true but numbers might not really be conclusive till after this next census results are pored over.

Calgary has strongly benefitted from businesses not related to the oil industry in the last decade. If Calgary is to be economically successful after the oil industry, it would do well to have a tolerant society. I can't think of too many intolerant ones that succeed after the resources run out.

[jbg]

Heterosexual organization of society has worked well for thousands of years. Why fix what ain't broke.

[jdobbin]

Heterosexual organization of society has worked well for thousands of years. Why fix what ain't broke.

The tolerant societies are the ones that usually have better economic prospects it seems.

[August1991]

A large gay population has not hurt Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver from being properous.

That's the point. People look at San Francisco house prices, see gays and jump to the conclusion: "A few gays will make us rich!" It's the same conclusion people make when they see rich people with university diplomas, or see slow traffic in the resto area of town.

Heterosexual organization of society has worked well for thousands of years. Why fix what ain't broke.

Do you really think that gays didn't exist before? And if we're talking about "society working well", given the bloodshed in European history alone, I'm not so sure it has "worked well". True, American society has been far less bloody. And I would also venture to argue that America has been more accepting of gays than Europe.

----

My point was that, to the extent Canada is identified with anything, it seems to be increasingly identified with gays.

When you're standing in a line at a foreign airport, and bored people are looking at passport covers, what does it mean if you have a Canadian passport in your hand? You come from Gay Central?

[jdobbin]

When you're standing in a line at a foreign airport, and bored people are looking at passport covers, what does it mean if you have a Canadian passport in your hand? You come from Gay Central?

I'm not sure people around the world think of Canada at all really. Europeans think we're Americans or just like them...except nicer.

Most others in the world just think we have bears.

[sharkman]

I heard that some areas are actively marketing to gays. It seems kind of a small segment of the market though, STATSCAN says about I% of Canadians are gay.

[theloniusfleabag]

I heard that some areas are actively marketing to gays.

I first heard of this about 8 years ago...As jdobbin states...

In all seriousness though, the theory is that many gays have higher incomes and more discretionary spending at their disposal. Statscan has shown some evidence that this might be true but numbers might not really be conclusive till after this next census results are poured over.

but I think he means 'pored over'.

Besides, going back to your original question...Who cares? I don't care of 'opinions', I care for truth. If Canada gets rated 'the most gay-positve' country in the world, so be it. I have a a couple of very dear friends that are gay. If this somehow 'gayifies' Canada, tough.

[jdobbin]

but I think he meanes 'pored over'.

Besides, going back to your original question...Who cares? I don't care of 'opinions', I care for truth. If Canada gets rated 'the most gay-positve' country in the world, so be it. I have a a couple of very dear friends that are gay. If this somehow 'gayifies' Canada, tough.

<heh> Chanhed it to pored. Don't you hate it when you find your errors only after someone has replied?