Vacation Detroit?

By Frank Anthony Polito

NOT IF YOU'RE LGBT!

Just came across this "news item" via Twitter, via HuffPost Detroit: 

Gay Travel 2013: 8 Destinations For LGBT Travelers To Visit Or Avoid

The article, an endorsement for a new LGBT travel agency, says that LGBT peeps should avoid Detroit as their holiday travel destination as it's the "most dangerous U.S. city to visit for gay travelers." But then it does NOT tell us why!

The D at twilight

As an (out and) proud ex-Detroiter, I had to chime-in in the comments section, agreeing with another poster who pointed out: "The Detroit Institute of Arts is one of the best art museums in the country. Festivals along the riverfront, excellent breweries downtown, the symphony, the opera, Fox Theatre, Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, the auto show, Museum of Contemporary Art, the African-American History Museum, nearby Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, Motown Museum, Children's Museum, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit Science Center, the best coney dogs on the planet, Wayne State University to name a few. Unfortunately the gay bars are scattered all over. Gigi's is a great drag bar but in a bad part of town."

I then went on to explain how when we Detroiters say "Detroit" we are usually referring to the entire Metro Detroit area, where there are some of the nicest and wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. Truth be told, Detroit wouldn't be my first choice for a vacation "hot spot" -- though most of those places on the above list I have NEVER even been, and I look forward to seeing when/if I ever get to spend more than a week in the Motor City visiting family.

But I have been to many a gay bar in many a "bad" neighborhood (Gold Coast, anyone?), and the worst thing that's ever happened -- back in the '90s when I was still in college -- was someone drove by and yelled "faggots!" at me and my friends as we were crossing the street from the security-guarded parking lot.

Read the full "article" HERE.