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DID YOU KNOW?
LGBTQ Travel and Tourist Operators and Promoters
Global travel and tourism is one of the top industries in the world. With advances in technology and travel, the world has become a smaller place. There are many more opportunities for learning about other countries and traveling to them. As a result, travel and tourism play an integral role in the economic development of a country,the health of countries, and the global economy as a whole.
Human rights advances in the LGBTQ community have coincided with the growth and relevance of the travel and tourism industry. Same-sex weddings and pride celebrations, for example, now comprise a growing proportion of business for tourist operators in many parts of the world.
The travel and tourism industry pioneered the potential of developing a niche LGBTQ marketplace for its services. A 2016 study with responses from 661 service providers in 90 countries revealed estimated annual global spending for travel by the LGBTQ community at US$202 billion, up from US$142 billion in 2011. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has published similar studies.
Boutique hotels, airlines, and travel companies that cater specifically to the community have been created and have thrived. These include the travel companies Olivia and Alyson Adventures, along with hotels Joie de Vivre, Axel, Kimpton Hotels, Neemrana, and The Out.
Nevertheless, some mistakes are routinely made in the industry. Stereotyping, focusing on only one segment of the community, or relying on sexual imagery are some. As well, the Global Code of Ethics on Tourism does not mention discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) was founded in 1983 by a group of 25 LGBTQ travel agents and hotel owners to connect the community and support it in providing advice on safe and welcome places to travel in the world. IGLTA now has offices and members around the world in 80 countries and offers complete travel packages, conferences and trade shows, events for the community, and support for LGBTQ travel providers. The organization provides annual awards to recognize those individuals and companies that excel in their service to the LGBTQ community.
Many LGTBQ individuals are travel consultants and/or bloggers who are widely known and respected for their advice. Others are founders or senior executives in major airlines around the world (Quantas, Monarch Airlines, and Lufthansa). Some are government ministers responsible for the promotion of travel and tourism in their countries.
We have identified notable LGBTQ individuals in the travel and tourist industry from Argentina, The Czech Republic, Nepal, Spain, Finland, Australia, the United States, Colombia, Great Britain, Canada, India, Tasmania, Mexico, South Africa, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, and Switzerland.To read more and see the complete list, click HERE
Directory of past 'Did You Know?' Articles See Here
The goal of QueerBio.com is to be the definitive online biographical reference source for the international LGBTQ community. Its database lists over 20,000 contemporary and historical figures who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, two-spirit, or gender fluid (LGBTQ) and includes artists, sports figures, politicians, entertainers, business leaders, academics, activists, and more. The database is widely international in scope and is an ideal source for research and analysis with full search and sort functionality.
The mission is to inspire, educate, and motivate all generations of LGBTQ individuals and others through a collective knowledge of this international community.
Managing Editor: Mark S. Bonham
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To search for an individual from the database of over 20,000 biographies, simply type the name in the Search Box located in the top right hand corner of this Home Page and click on GO. Similarly, you can search for a common characteristic such as Country, City, Nobel Prize winners, writers, and so on.
Alternatively, you can view and scroll through the entire list of biographies by viewing the All Biographies section.
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Announcing Our New Documentary Project - Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed the World
Despite adversity and discrimination, LGBTQ individuals have excelled throughout history. Yet historians and academics have conveniently participated in the heterosexist erasure of these LGBTQ contributions by omitting the LGBTQ status of prominent historical figures from academic and historical documents. Accordingly, there are relatively few comprehensive projects which document and showcase the influence of these LGBTQ efforts.
Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed The World will be an original documentary outlining the contributions that members of the LGBTQ community have made, individually and collectively, to changing the world.
We are now Crowdfunding to get this project off the ground. We would love to have you as part of our team. You can help us and SUPPORT THIS PROJECT!
SEE THE TRAILER, READ MORE AND CROWDFUND HERE
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Bonham Centre Awards Gala
Annual Awards established in 2007 to recognize individuals or groups that have made a significant contribution to the advancement and education of human rights issues surrounding sexual education. Click here to find out more about the Bonham Centre Awards, past recipients, and present nominees.
Books Available From QueerBio.Com
It's A Fabulous Morning! My Interviews With Fascinating People in the LGBTQ World (Pearse Murray and Mark S. Bonham, 2019) presents fascinating interviews with individuals from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two Spirit and Ally (LGBTQ) community. Icons such as Lily Tomlin, Chaz Bono, Melissa Etheridge, Mark Tewksbury, John Cameron Mitchell, Kathleen Wynne, Wanda Sykes, Tony Kushner, David Hockney, Edmund White and more provide their personal stories of the community and their lives within it. Compelling insight into events of the community, such as Toronto’s Bath House Raids, is also provided. 262 pages.
A Path to Diversity: LGBTQ Participation in the Working World (Mark S. Bonham, 2017) investigates the current state of employment markets around the world for the LGBTQ community. Included is a discussion of equality in the workplace and why it is important to both the employer and employee, the wage gap, which professions are attractive to LGBTQ individuals and why, and the role of unions and government legislation. A survey of seventy five professions provides a status report for each, and seventy two biographies of influential LGBTQ professionals from around the world is included. 242 pages
Notables: 101 Global LBGTQ People Who Changed the World (Mark S. Bonham, 2015) reveals a group of select global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) individuals whose accomplishments in their profession changed the world in some relevant way. Included are founders of various social movements, innovators in sports, leaders in business and politics, explorers and discoverers, instigators in religious movements, thinkers in philosophy, infamous villains, creators of new academic fields of study, and risk takers in the arts, culture, and entertainment worlds. 212 pages.
Champions: Biographies of Global LGBTQ Pioneers (Mark S. Bonham, 2014) reveals a group of select artists, writers, politicians, lawyers, sports figures, activists, and religious figures from around the world who have helped shape the history of the LGBTQ community. Presented in a convenient notebook format. 114 pages.
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