ORLANDO, Fla. -- A LITTLE past midnight at the Parliament House,
the parking lot is full. That's not surprising: the club,
actually several bars and a hotel rolled into one sprawling
complex, has become a definitive destination in Orlando, though
not quite in the mold of Walt Disney World, just a 30-minute
drive away.
At one of the Parliament House's bars, male dancers perform
in little more than their skivvies. At another, a more
rough-and-tumble Western-minded crowd holds sway. And at the
complex's small Footlight Theater, drag queens take the stage,
including one seemingly pregnant female impersonator who gives
''birth'' to the musical strains of ''I'm Every Woman.''
In other words, this is Orlando gone gay.
''Our slogan is 'Orlando has more than one magical
kingdom,''' said Don Granatstein, an owner of Parliament House,
referring to the Disney theme park. Indeed, as improbable as it
may seem in a town dominated by mouse ears and miniature golf,
Orlando has emerged in the last few years as a major destination
for gay tourists. In addition to a $2 million makeover in recent
years, Parliament House is just breaking ground on the Gardens,
an adjoining 164-unit time-share resort that is being heralded
as the first gay-friendly project of its kind in the world. And
closer to Disney -- on the often ticky-tacky tourist strip of
Highway 192 in Kissimmee -- the Freedom Resort & Spa, a
gay-oriented membership resort, has just opened on the site of a
former Travelodge hotel; the price of membership begins at
$3,000.
While Orlando lacks a defined gay center like the Castro
district of San Francisco, gay-friendly bars, clubs and stores
like Pulse, Lava Lounge and Mojo Books are loosely scattered
throughout the city, and Orlando has the oldest gay community
center in Florida. At Ritzy Rags Wigs & More, an emporium
that specializes in gay-pride items and gowns and accessories
for drag queens, sales have tripled in the last three years. The
owner, Leigh Shannon, himself a well-known female impersonator,
pulls out a size-15 pair of red pumps for a curious customer.
''You can go waterskiing with these!'' he laughed.
That's all in addition to the annual event that put Orlando
on the gay map in the first place: Gay Days, a series of
parties, performances and gatherings throughout the city around
the first week of June, highlighted by trips en masse to the
local theme parks -- the Magic Kingdom included -- where
participants typically sport red T-shirts to stand out from
other visitors. In spite of protests from groups, particularly
Christian activists, Gay Days has soared in popularity. This
year's events, which begin on May 31, are expected to draw more
than 125,000 people.
''It's a gay buffet,'' said Fiely Matias, an Orlando gay
entertainer, searching for the best way to describe the event.
Mr. Matias himself will appear in ''Lounge-zilla!'', billed as a
show featuring ''original tunes about fetishes, threesomes,
stalking, bizarre sibling rivalries, vengeance and sex-change
operations.''
THE two new gay-oriented resorts are an attempt to extend
that buffet year-round, creating places where gay travelers can
feel at ease in the shadow of the Mouse House. At the Parliament
House's $25 million-plus time-share, for example, the amenities
in each unit will range from granite countertops to risqué
artwork with gay appeal, plus a whirlpool bath that will light
up with the colors of the rainbow. The units, spread among five
buildings, are being sold for $9,400 to $20,000 a week,
depending on size and season.
There will also be what the project director, Charles
Schmidt, describes as an up-to-date health club that's far
larger than those at most time-share resorts. ''Straight people
don't work out. Gay people are in the gym every day,'' said Mr.
Schmidt, a time-share sales veteran who is gay.
It's an approach that appealed to Darren Langford and Victor
Rodriguez, a couple who split their time in different cities --
Mr. Langford lives in Las Vegas, Mr. Rodriguez in New York; both
are Parliament House regulars who come to Orlando as a midway
vacation destination. They put down around $14,000 a week for a
two-bedroom unit at the Gardens, saying they preferred the idea
of visiting the resort, with its gay-themed amenities and
ambience, rather than trying to fit in at a nongay
establishment. ''It's a comfort factor,'' Mr. Langford said.
''People are not judging you.''
The influx of gay visitors has come as something of a shock
to locals in this often conservative metropolis -- a sleepy
Southern community until Disney established itself in Central
Florida in the 1970's. While Orlando did pass a gay-rights
ordinance in 2002 and elected Patty Sheehan, who is openly
lesbian, to the City Council in 2000, the surrounding area of
Orange County has not fully accepted gays and lesbians, some gay
activists say.
But even within the city, there are still attacks against
gays, including one on a man in January. And some of the city's
proudest gay residents describe the local scene as fragmented --
without a truly identifiable gay neighborhood -- and say they
can't always relax their guard. ''I wouldn't feel safe walking
around my neighborhood holding my partner's hand,'' said Keith
Theriot, an artist and social worker who came to Orlando after
living in New York and New Orleans. ''I can't do what I did in
Chelsea.''
And though Gay Days has become an international draw, the
event receives little or no support from the Orlando/Orange
County Convention & Visitors Bureau. ''We don't have the
funds to go into niche marketing,'' said Danielle Courtenay, a
spokeswoman for the bureau. Disney also distances itself
somewhat from the celebration. ''We're not the host of the event
per se, but we're open to everyone every day,'' said Kim Prunty,
a Disney spokeswoman.
Despite that, Disney's presence in Orlando is ''a major
force'' in Orlando's gay identity, said Doug Swallow, a software
developer who is widely credited with founding Gay Days in 1991.
(He now runs GayDay.com, which promotes and markets the event.)
Indeed, Disney was one of the first big businesses nationwide to
offer benefits to same-sex couples, a policy it started in 1996.
Add the fact that the many gays who work in the entertainment
field are naturally drawn to Disney, and you have a solid base
upon which to build a gay presence and gay tourism.
It's an increasingly lucrative market in the era of ''Queer
Eye for the Straight Guy.'' According to a study by Community
Marketing, a company based in San Francisco that tracks gay
tourism, American gay travelers spend $54 billion annually. That
has cities from Atlanta to Bloomington, Ind., looking to cash
in. In Orlando, Universal Studios, which has two theme parks in
town, signed on as an official partner this year with GayDay.com,
marking the first time a theme-park company has joined the
event. ''We saw it as a good business opportunity,'' said Tom
Schroder, a Universal spokesman.
Back at the Parliament House, the time-share project, whose
first phase is already nearly sold out before construction, is
only the beginning of extensive plans to attract gay travelers
-- a gay-oriented retirement home on site has been discussed.
Plus, the resort, which attracts 10,000 visitors weekly, is
continuing to improve its lineup of attractions, from tea dances
to a drag play, ''Ladies of Eola Heights.''
Never mind that the gay complex's owners -- Mr. Granatstein
and Susan Unger -- are straight. The husband-and-wife
developers, who have made much of their money in the time-share
business, say their clientele is loyal in the extreme. When last
year's hurricanes destroyed the complex's towering
yellow-and-red neon sign, patrons were openly weeping. Mr.
Granatstein is now spending $60,000 to replace it.
It's worth every penny, the owners say. As Orlando's gay
tourist market continues to grow, Parliament House wants to be
at the fore of this unlikely boom in America's theme-park
capital. Mr. Granatstein takes particular pride in the way
out-of-towners from more established gay-friendly cities view
the club. ''People come from New York and say they've never seen
anything like this,'' he said.
DANCE CARD
The June Gala
GAY DAYS is Orlando's signature gay event, a celebration held
in the first week in June that incorporates everything from pool
parties to comedy shows to gay expos. Plus, there are organized
visits to local theme parks.
While the festival is somewhat ad hoc, not unlike Mardi Gras,
two similarly named companies organize and promote schedules of
major events and help arrange travel, tickets and accommodations
with partner hotels. GayDay.com's lineup runs from June 1 to 6
and includes a swimwear fashion show, concert by the Village
People and a travel expo (www.gayday.com). GayDayS.com's lineup
runs from May 31 to June 5 and includes drag bingo, a motorcycle
run and a show called ''The Naked Guy'' (www.gaydays.com;
888-942-9329).
In addition, other promoters and clubs hold events. The
Parliament House, working with GayDay.com, will be featuring
performances by Kimberly Locke, Deborah Cox and Jennifer Holiday
from June 3 to 5, among other events (www.parliamenthouse.com;
407-425-7571). The Freedom Resort & Spa, working with
GayDayS.com, will have its formal grand opening during the
event, with a series of pool parties (www.freedomresortandspa.com;
800-327-9151).
CREATING A BUZZ
Cities Discover a New Kind of Tourism
MANY cities are trying to get a piece of the gay travel
market. Here is what some are doing to attract gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender visitors:
CHICAGO -- With the city scheduled to hold the Gay Games in July
2006, Illinois tourism officials are gearing up with a marketing
push that will begin this summer, when they will be host to
members of the gay news media. Among the city's most popular gay
events are Pride Fest (June) and International Mr. Leather (late
May) -- billed by the Chicago Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of
Commerce as ''the nation's premier leather event.'' The city
also has an officially designated gay business district,
Boystown, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation.
The Gay Games are expected to attract 12,000 participants.
PHILADELPHIA -- The city has poured $1 million into an extensive
marketing campaign built on the theme ''Philadelphia: Get Your
History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay,'' promoting the city's
traditional and gay-oriented attractions and events. The efforts
have ranged from television spots (on the air in New York) to a
''Navigaytor'' travel guide for Philadelphia. Three large-scale
gay and lesbian events take place in the city -- a PrideDay
Parade and Festival (June), OutFest in honor of National Coming
Out Day (October) and an Equality Forum (held earlier this
spring). Tourism officials also point out the Gayborhood, a
downtown area with gay nightspots and other establishments.
SAN DIEGO -- On its Web site, the San Diego Convention &
Visitors Bureau welcomes gay and lesbian visitors with its ''San
Diego From Gay to Z'' guide (www.seeyouinsandiego.com/gaytoz),
which notes events like the Pride Celebration (July) and the
Nightmare on Normal Street Halloween celebration. The city also
claims one of the oldest gay and lesbian drama companies in the
country, the Diversionary Theater. And there is a
well-established gay neighborhood, Hillcrest, which in the
bureau's words ''celebrates San Diego's hip and wild side.''
Published: 05 - 13 - 2005 , Late Edition - Final , Section F
, Column 2 , Page 1
