The Gay UK November 2015 Issue 16 | Page 7

EDITOR’S Buy gay and go gay. I’ve recently come off a wonderful quick break from Gran Canaria, a destination renown for its gay scene. My partner and I stayed in an all gay resort, called Vista Bonita, check them out by the way. Before my sojourn, the idea of staying in an allgay resort was, to begin with, well how to say, unappealing, but why? Is there an undercurrent of shunning LGBT businesses and services? With the closures of gay bars, is the nail being hammered into the once thriving LGBT business arena? Sure the “pink pound” is worth over £92 billion to the UK alone, but not, it’s becoming increasingly obvious to LGBT businesses up and down the country. This economic strength we have as a collective is going into companies and organisations who want to sell to that pink pound. Less than gay friendly owners and stakeholders own some of those businesses, which is why I always suggest doing background research on the companies you choose to put your hard earned cash into, especially those businesses not based in the UK. So back to my all-gay holiday. With everyone identifying as gay or bisexual at the resort, I got to experience a relaxation quite different to the usual paranoia’s of my normal holidaying. For starters checking in, you don’t have that slightly uncomfortable moment when the receptionist looks you both over and asks, in slight whispered tones if you’d “rather a twin room”. Then, there was none of that small talk with that drunken straight couple, the wife of which is so over keen to show they’re “okay” with gays that she over does the fag hag routine, talks endlessly about shoes and Kylie, while the husband looks on, sheepishly (or longingly, I can never tell) – into his tankard of beer, both of us wishing she’d shut the hell up. Then there’s the openness you have at an all-gay resort. Many of our readers have expressed that they don’t feel awkward holding the hands of their partner in public, many do – I am for one in that group. Years of school bullying and heteronormative oppression have left their indelible mark and I can’t help but feel my inner Anita Bryant whisper, “won’t somebody think of the children”, if I take my partner’s hand by the swimming pool. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as proud as they come, and don’t think we should hide away, but to be honest, having a “concerned” mother herding her children away from us like we were Jaws on heat is, well just disheartening and I can’t be an activist every moment of the day – especially in a bathing costume as I’m turning a subtle shade of lobster, sun-creamed up to the gills. For the cover: ASIFA LAHORE Photographed for THEGAYUK by Monty McKinnen © 2015 In this issue I interviewed serial entrepreneur Josh Rafter, who summed it up perfectly that if you want the gay scene and gay GET IN TOUCH businesses to exist in the future you We love hearing from you have to use them. Show some so here’s our contact details. solidarity with the bars and EMAIL: [email protected] businesses in your area. If you want FACEBOOK: facebook.com them to be there for future /TheGayUK generations of LGBT folk and want TWITTER: twitter.com/TheGayUK LGBT safe spaces to exist in the UK then go gay and buy gay where you can. THEGAYUK | ISSUE 16 | NOV 2015 7