Posted on 05/26/2007 7:00:50 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3
PENSACOLA BEACH -- Souvenir shops that line this sugary white Panhandle beach display Confederate flag beach towels, window decals and T-shirts. Hooters and other bars fly POW-MIA, Marine and Navy flags and cater to the sailors and Marines from the nearby base. Vacationing Southern families usually fill the hotels and condominiums in this slice of paradise long nicknamed "The Redneck Riviera." But every Memorial Day they mostly stay away as this Florida Panhandle town becomes more like trendy Miami Beach -- 700 miles and a world away. Starting in the mid-1980s, gay men from New Orleans and other nearby cities began gathering here for a three-day party that has grown into one of the South's largest gay gatherings, attracting more than 60,000 people in 2004 before hurricanes Ivan and Dennis destroyed many beach roads and buildings. Following two years of rebuilding, organizers anticipate 50,000 this weekend -- and the resulting culture clash. Instead of flying rainbow flags to symbolize gay pride, people should fly American flags on Memorial Day, Godfrey said. "I think what goes on out there on the beach on Memorial Day is surprising to a lot of people who move into our community.
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
Thats nasty!
Here is a “gay”story to trump yours.I’m at the local library and walk into the restroom.The stall door is closed so I go back out in the lobby and wait for the person to finish.A few minutes later this 15 year old boy walks out the door all red in the face and dazed.I walk back in and found out the stall door was STILL locked-HMM,I thought-thats strange.So I walk back into the lobby.
A couple of minutes later this old man around 80 walks out the bathroom door huffing and puffing and trying to adjust his dentures!All of a sudden I realized what had been going on in that stall.
I drove home and used the restroom THERE that day.
I don’t bash the Jersey shore or Jones Beach...or Gawd forbid....toney Sag Harbour.
8 years in Manhattan.
it’s condescending when in actuality we are talking about arguably the prettiest beach in the country populated by the prettiest most conservative bunch to be found on any beach this side of the Great Salt Lake....hardly rednecks except at PCB and as another poster noted...that is changing rapidly....there are Yates cranes everywher
South Walton is more quaint.,...crowded but quaint.
My husband and his same sex co-worker went there together unknowingly. They wondered why the locals kept snickering at them everytime they went to a store or restaurant. Once at the beach, they figured out what was going on after men started hitting on them. They left soon after.
Every Memorial Day weekend now I kid him about P’Cola.
Wardaddy! You’re back!!!!!
Where have you been?
I’ve been looking for you.
You were missed.
Not in Pensacola. They had a 40 year span where they had no hurricanes, and then suddenly they started having them sometimes three or 4 a year, starting in the 80’s.
I went for a long walk...lol
things changed....i’m back
i have friends here who stuck their necks out for me...
good to see you too
this place has a nice fresh smell to it
like fresh laundry hanging on my mother’s clothesline in May down in Mississippi...nice cotton sheets
fresh and clean....no more dirt.
how are my allegories (or is that metaphors) so far?
check out my homepage for what went on while I had more time on my hands...
PS...my wife is grateful I’m back here
I absolutely loved both of your posts.
I’ve really missed your way with words.
You take me home...
You write as well as Dash Gough (Goff?). lol
Your allegories (or metaphors) are a sight to behold.
I’m glad your wife is happy, too.
I recently learned that Disney theme parks have some kind of ‘remembrance wall’ or something to that effect, where park patrons can pay to leave behind a message relating their experience at the Disney park. But apparently, Disney prohibits patrons from using any reference to ‘God’ in such messages. (it might offend someone)
For that reason I will boycott anything Disney as mush as possible.
However each Christmas, Disney has the token worship festival known as the Candlelight Processional, in which my daughters have sang twice now. We, as Christians, use that opportunity, however small, to plant a "seed" for those who might not know Christ.
Please get your facts straight. Disney World did not start Gay Days. They do not sponsor the event and never have.
However, I know many who had no knowledge of it taking place who are from the far reaches of Florida (Panhandle, North Florida, SW Florida, Okeechobee area, etc.) and were very surprised and embarrassed to find that kind of activity upon arrival. Most of them had to beg for refunds before leaving - this after nearly a year after planning a long saved for vacation at Disney.
Contrary to what you say, it is only recently that this information has been passed around via mainstream channels (most of us do not read Gay media outlets) - prior to that, Disney acknowledged NOTHING - even if you asked. Ten years ago, the internet was not available everywhere, especially rural areas of Florida.
It may not be Disney's job, but it would be a gracious courtesy on their part to give such information to families who may be offended.
They certainly make great effort to not offend the Gay population.
BTW, Gay Days in Orlando is advertised this year as being May 29 - June 4 - a full 7 days.
That’s some Weekend.
They may have not sponsored them officially, but they turned a blind eye to the complaints of the disgusting behavior that went on during Gay Days. There was a book that came out a few years ago whose title escapes me (it has the word Mouse in the title) that explains how complicit the Disney Corp. was in this. And they are now allowing gay marriages to take place on their grounds in the wedding chapel. They may not be publicizing their consent to Gay Days, but they do nonetheless.
Nope. No correlation there. It was Bush's fault, global warming, etc. It just couldn't happen to be a little Heavenly Judgement...
My guess is they're not seeking "legitimacy."
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