[ISL] "Tour operators get lesson in being gay-friendly"

[rfmcdonald]

The CBC Prince Edward Island article is interesting, and certainly reason for hope. Just stay away from the comments.

(I did not know there was a P.E.I. Gay Tourism Association.)

With tourism season fast approaching, operators from across the Island are getting a lesson in welcoming those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities.

Many Islanders in the tourism industry pride themselves on welcoming visitors but the organization Travel Gay Canada say there’s a lot more some could be doing.

Anne Marie Shrouder, of Travel Gay Canada, spent Friday morning educating operators on ways to make their businesses more LGBT-friendly.

Often, said Shrouder, it’s the more subtle reactions that are problematic for tourists in the gay community.

“I'm checking in with my partner and we're both female and we want one bed. And it's like, ‘Oh, right.’ Little things like that -- eyebrow [raising], whispering behind the counter, and it all undermines my sense of ‘I want to be here,’” she said.