Marketing Tulsa to the Gay Community (StayOnTopic)

[TURobY]

Dallas Trumps Houston on enticing gay tourists

Tulsa has a decent infrastructure to support marketing itself as a gay-friendly city. So why is it that we are not competing on a national level in gay-tourism?

[mr.jaynes]

Dallas Trumps Houston on enticing gay tourists

Tulsa has a decent infrastructure to support marketing itself as a gay-friendly city. So why is it that we are not competing on a national level in gay-tourism?

Probably because there isn't a national kinowledge of Tulsa as a gay destination, per se. While there is a substantial gay community here, there does not seem to be a gay ghetto, nor gay advocacy organizations to put Tulsa on the map as a gay tourism destination. About all there is, is perhaps a gay pride parade, and that's probably not exciting enough to make the news anywhere but Tulsa. Just my two cents.

[TURobY]

Wow, this is an old post! It was one of my first posts when I joined the forum.

I assure you that there was a lot more to this thread (thus the 'Stay On Topic'), but alas, it appears to have been cleaned out during the archiving.

[Wilbur]

Please tell.  What makes a city a gay destination?

[TheArtist]

Tulsa doesnt do a good job of marketing itself to any tourist groups imo. Can you think of anything touristy that Tulsa does a good job of marketing at? Plus I have no idea what "decent infrastructure" you are refferring to which would help our city be attractive to gays.

Plus, lets dispell the old myth that Tulsa has a large gay population. It does not. Just as we lament the loss of many of our creative class and YP types,,, the gays were the proverbial canary in the mine and flew the coup well in advance. May have had a large population of gays at one time, but we had a lot of stuff at one time lol. Check out Epodunks "gay index" rankings data for instance.

The average city would rank 100, a number larger means you have more gays, lower, means you have fewer.

Austin.......169
Houston.....150
Dallas........196
Denver.......216
Tulsa.........98
Tucson......131
Boulder......138
Santa Fe....201
St Louis.....156
Fayetteville..109
Salt Lake Cty..193

[TheArtist]

Please tell.  What makes a city a gay destination?

A city that offers a definite lifestyle. If you look at the cities on that list, the highest ranking ones are what you could call "lifestyle" cities. They also tend to have a big arts scene, are known for their creative sides, are often vibrant and active in the arts , design, and high tech fields. They have lots of activities, from skiing to hiking, biking, canoeing, mountain climbing, great shopping and dining lol. Gays tend to be environmentally conscious, and or, like cities where there is a lot of money to be made and a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit.

[Conan71]

Tulsa doesnt do a good job of marketing itself to any tourist groups imo.

+1


At one point in the early '80's I remember hearing that Tulsa had the largest per capita gay population in the country or second largest behind San Francisco.  I have no idea where that figure came from, nor if anyone still tracks that.

[cannon_fodder]

Wow.  I had that perception also (that Tulsa had a larger gay community).  The first few months I lived in Tulsa I knew more gay couples than straight couples.  I guess it's just who you know that gives you a perspective.  OR, perhaps, the religious tenants of our state reflect an under reporting of sexuality (or even cause a disproportional number of people to live 'normal' lives and conform against their own interests).  

The information you referenced cites to a source saying there are only 1,112 same sex couples in Tulsa.  It would seem I know a disproportionate number of gay couples.  Since I am heterosexual, married and have a kid, that seems somewhat unlikely.  But they are the best numbers I have so lets digress.

Homosexuals are, statistically, more likely to be working in an artistic or professional field.  That stereotype holds true in my personal experience in Tulsa.  Fact be told, every gay couple I know in Tulsa both have professional jobs and usually no kids - thus, disposable income.  Throw in the stereotype about wanting things to look neat and proper or otherwise in style  (which also holds fairly true in my experience) and it is to our communities detriment to lose those members of our society.

My gay friends that have an urge to move always want to move to somewhere perceived as a gay mecca.  Communities touted in gay magazines as gay friendly places to live.  I assume it is no different than any other group wanting to move to a community where they feel welcomed and comfortable.  And it helps if there is a larger gay community there.   I have to assume our reputation as the buckle of the "bible belt" doesn't help our cause at all, nor amendments banning already illegal gay marriage in the state, or legislators stating that homosexuals are the greatest threat to America.   *sigh*

Several gay couples I know in town don't want to move to new locations in Oklahoma (including in Tulsa) because they are afraid they will not be accepted in their new neighborhoods.  Sad, but I guess a legitimate fear.  There are enough zealots in town that would do their best to make a gay couple feel uncomfortable that I suppose it could (and does) happen.

Bah!  On topic, I doubt we can change the national perception of Tulsa in short order among the gay community unless the gay community here feels more comfortable.  While a "gay ghetto" (Castro) might make a good tourist destination and could attract gay residents, segregating a component of society seems an odd way to achieve those goals.

As a whole, I don't think Tulsa does a good job marketing ourselves as a tourist destination anyway.

[edit]I also want to add something about those "gay friendly places to live" lists.   From the lists I have seen they simply list the most elite destinations to live in the nation.  Average homes of $800,000, places that anyone would love to live.  It's basically a wheres-where of rich communities.  I'd want to be able to live there too![/edit]

[RecycleMichael]

I like the idea of marketing to gay people. Gay means happy-go-lucky, merry, right?

[Wilbur]

A city that offers a definite lifestyle. If you look at the cities on that list, the highest ranking ones are what you could call "lifestyle" cities. They also tend to have a big arts scene, are known for their creative sides, are often vibrant and active in the arts , design, and high tech fields. They have lots of activities, from skiing to hiking, biking, canoeing, mountain climbing, great shopping and dining lol. Gays tend to be environmentally conscious, and or, like cities where there is a lot of money to be made and a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit.

WOW!  Lets try not to stereotype, since most everybody likes these things.

By gay, I assume we are talking non-heterosexual.  What makes a city a non-heterosexual destination?  What specific to the gay lifestyle is attractive in one city and not another? 

[swake]

I don't know about the epodunk stats, but, most stats that I have seen on the number of gay people in a metro use a pretty bogus reasoning for finding the size of the gay community.

They use census numbers counting the number of household that contain cohabitating people of the same sex as an index. There's no tracking of sexual orientation or relationship status within the household. They do not factor in the cost of housing which will drive up this metric in high cost areas due to the increased financial need of people to share a residence regardless of sexual orientation or relationship status and would tend to drive down the same number in low cost areas like Tulsa where there is little need to share residences for purely money related reasons.

[DwnTwnTul]

As a young, homosexual, professional living in Tulsa for the past 10 years, I have to say I feel that we have a decent size communtiy for the size of this city.  My partner of 10 years and I feel extremely comfortable and accepted in and around our part of town (midtown).  In fact, I am honestly more comfortable here than many "gay-friendly" locations including San Francisco.  I thoroughly enjoy the mix of our laid back culture, mixed with what some would consider "gay".  

The one aspect of my life in Tulsa that I wish was better is employment.  Not only do I wish there were more professional jobs available, but I also wish that I could be more comfortable at work.  While my company includes homosexuality in its discrimination policy, it is best to follow the "don't ask don't tell policy".  Conservatives continue to dominate upper management.  

All in all Tulsa is a good location for me and my partner.  We both have good jobs, the cost of living is low, we have many wonderful friends (gay and straight alike).  Life could only be better if Tulsa were more urban/dense, had a light rail system, and a greater number of quality jobs.  

[Conan71]

Wow.  I had that perception also (that Tulsa had a larger gay community).  The first few months I lived in Tulsa I knew more gay couples than straight couples.  

And you weren't worried about catching "The Gay"?  (inside joke, folks)

For a city which is called the "Buckle Of The Bible Belt" and very Republican-leaning, I see Tulsa as very gay-tolerant and accepting. 

[sgrizzle]

Dallas Trumps Houston on enticing gay tourists

Tulsa has a decent infrastructure to support marketing itself as a gay-friendly city. So why is it that we are not competing on a national level in gay-tourism?

One question. Gay infrastructure?

[mr.jaynes]

One question. Gay infrastructure?

Gay infrastructure might imply not only a number of gay bars and nightclubs and social services (such as a gay pride community center and an AIDS-testing clinic), but also various political-advocacy organizations. The gay community in Tulsa does not appear to have the same political and cultural influence as it would in, say Los Angeles or Miami.