UK Foreign Office warns LGBT tourists about travelling to Southern US
47 replies, posted
[url]http://www.advocate.com/world/2016/4/20/uk-issues-travel-warning-about-antigay-us-states[/url]
[QUOTE]Days before President Obama travels to England, the United Kingdom's foreign office has issued a travel warning to British tourists visiting the American South, specifically referencing North Carolina and Mississippi.[/QUOTE]
A bit of an over-reaction in my opinion
It's so dangerous down here in the south. We got rednecks doing LGBT patrols riding around in trucks that have Budweiser containers, with several people riding in the back with double barrel shotguns and with confederate flag shirts and trucker caps (Also with a confederate flag) [sp]sarcasm[/sp]
[QUOTE=RedBaronFlyer;50174811]It's so dangerous down here in the south. We got rednecks doing LGBT patrols riding around in trucks that have Budweiser containers, with several people riding in the back with double barrel shotguns and with confederate flag shirts and trucker caps (Also with a confederate flag) [sp]sarcasm[/sp][/QUOTE]
Don't forget if you are caught being gay by the police, you get put on death row and sent to old sparky.
[QUOTE]The US is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country. LGBT travellers may be affected by legislation passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi. Before travelling please read our general travel advice for the LGBT community. You can find more detail on LGBT issues in the US on the website of the Human Rights Campaign.[/QUOTE]
they aren't exactly saying that you'll be shot
[url]https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/local-laws-and-customs[/url]
[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;50174874]Don't forget if you are caught being gay by the police, you get put on death row and sent to old sparky.[/QUOTE]
And there's a live studio audience with Joe Rogan and Vince McMahon commentating, once it starts there's pyrotechnics and strobe lights and the audience holds up signs saying "FRY HIM" while Ride The Lightning blares and everyone is headbanging.
[QUOTE=MissZoey;50174890]they aren't exactly saying that you'll be shot
[url]https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/local-laws-and-customs[/url][/QUOTE]
Here's the low down, you won't be shot, you won't be arrested, and you won't be refused service (unless you run into a nutjob). You'll just hear "bless your heart" a lot.
[QUOTE=RedBaronFlyer;50174811]It's so dangerous down here in the south. We got rednecks doing LGBT patrols riding around in trucks that have Budweiser containers, with several people riding in the back with double barrel shotguns and with confederate flag shirts and trucker caps (Also with a confederate flag) [sp]sarcasm[/sp][/QUOTE]
"pick up all these budweisers citizen!"
People around here in Montgomery seem fine with LGBT people. [sp]of course since I'm white I don't go to the hood so I dunno about them[/sp]
[QUOTE=MissZoey;50174890]they aren't exactly saying that you'll be shot
[url]https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/local-laws-and-customs[/url][/QUOTE]
Since I'm from NC (for school at least) the H2B law isn't exactly popular and the people here think the governor is an asshole in general. In any case if you visit the main cities the people are very welcoming and more liberal compared to the isolated farmers scattered throughout the state. Worst case is someone will tell you "You need Jesus".
[QUOTE=RIPBILLYMAYS;50175068]Since I'm from NC (for school at least) the H2B law isn't exactly popular and the people here think the governor is an asshole in general. In any case if you visit the main cities the people are very welcoming and more liberal compared to the isolated farmers scattered throughout the state. Worst case is someone will tell you "You need Jesus".[/QUOTE]
Well, I'm sure the point of the travel advisory is to not support tourism in areas of the world like NC with bad human rights laws.
[QUOTE=Aztec;50175104]Well, I'm sure the point of the travel advisory is to not support tourism in areas of the world like NC with bad human rights laws.[/QUOTE]
You're right. NC is constantly jailing dissenters and committing genocide.
[QUOTE=Aztec;50175104]Well, I'm sure the point of the travel advisory is to not support tourism in areas of the world like NC with bad human rights laws.[/QUOTE]
I don't blame them. Raleigh is a rising tech city and there's a lot of industry coming to live here but ever since the law was passed a shitload of companies and entertainment groups have killed their plans to come here. Even though the city as a whole is progressive the government needs to get with the times and stop clinging to the outdated, stereotypical Southern Values crap.
[QUOTE=Aztec;50175104]Well, I'm sure the point of the travel advisory is to not support tourism in areas of the world like NC with bad human rights laws.[/QUOTE]
There's a lot of bigger fish to fry then. How about they start off with the entire Arab world
[QUOTE=SomeRandomGuy18;50175229]There's a lot of bigger fish to fry then. How about they start off with the entire Arab world[/QUOTE]
To be honest the reaction to this is likely an over-reaction if anything. The UK offers travel advice to [url=https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice]225 countries[/url], and is intended to give people a warning of issues they might face (Including breakdowns of specific regions of middle east countries that shouldn't be visited or should only be visited if absolutely necessary etc)
It isnt saying 'If you are LGBT you shouldn't go here or else you will be gunned down in the street', it's just informing LGBT people that those places have recently passed anti-LGBT laws and to check out their [url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-foreign-travel-advice]travel advice for LGBT people.[/url]
Of course people are probably going to blow this up into something far more than what it is. It is probably humiliating for the USA/those states but again its just the UK govt making sure people are well informed before they travel rather than trying to attack the states.
I mean excluding the obvious things where people would notice, if you just walked in a store by yourself nobody is going to instantly know you are gay.
[editline]21st April 2016[/editline]
[QUOTE=SomeRandomGuy18;50175229]There's a lot of bigger fish to fry then. How about they start off with the entire Arab world[/QUOTE]
They already do this.
Come to Huntsville Alabama, we're nice.
[QUOTE=SomeRandomGuy18;50175229]There's a lot of bigger fish to fry then. How about they start off with the entire Arab world[/QUOTE]
They did, this is next.
[QUOTE=RIPBILLYMAYS;50175164]I don't blame them. Raleigh is a rising tech city and there's a lot of industry coming to live here but ever since the law was passed a shitload of companies and entertainment groups have killed their plans to come here. Even though the city as a whole is progressive the government needs to get with the times and stop clinging to the outdated, stereotypical Southern Values crap.[/QUOTE]
i'm sure most landmarks and tourist spots are outside of raleigh and charlotte too, though it's been a few years since i was there. the town i was in was most definitely 'tourist warning'-worthy
Guys, there's a little bit of a difference between warning tourists there's some fucked legislation in a couple southern states and "THE SOUTHERN US IS FULL OF ROVING MAD MAX STYLE GANGS HUNTING FOR GAYS"
[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;50175117]You're right. NC is constantly jailing dissenters and committing genocide.[/QUOTE]
Don't pass bad laws that discriminate against a certain group if you don't want travel advisories directed at that group lol.
Not rocket science
Looked at the website a bit - it's not like they're saying 'don't go or ur gonna die' - it just seems more like a 'you can do what you want, just use your own judgement' kinda deal
[img]http://i.imgur.com/WVsaBDA.png[/img]
Joke all you want. Some US states are making discriminstion legal and people that can be affected by this deserve to know.
What an overreaction. It's just advice. Here's what the government of Canada has to say about the United States overall:
[quote]Crime
The possession of firearms and the frequency of violent crime are generally more prevalent than in Canada. Within large metropolitan areas, violent crime more commonly occurs in economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, particularly from dusk to dawn. Verify official neighbourhood crime statistics before planning an outing.
Robbery and assault can also occur in wealthy residential or commercial districts. Exercise caution, particularly at night. Violent crimes, particularly assault, are often connected to alcohol and drug consumption. Remain alert and discreet while in entertainment areas.
Canadians have been the victims of crime such as break-ins, assaults and pickpocketing in the Miami area, sometimes during daylight hours. Theft occurs in the North Miami Beach area, at South Beach and at airports, particularly from trunks of parked cars. Be alert, as criminals use a variety of techniques to steal personal belongings.
Passport theft is on the rise. Ensure that your travel documents are secure at all times.[/quote]
Most countries do these.
yeah if it's advice than I really don't see much cause for huge upset. i doubt most LGBT tourists will encounter any major problems in NC and MS anyways. after that law passed in mississippi, at least on the coast, many businesses have signs saying they don't discriminate and are fine with anyone shopping in their store really. hell even a city on the coast is trying to get MS to repeal the bill so it's not that bad unless you find a nutjob.
[QUOTE=RedBaronFlyer;50174811]It's so dangerous down here in the south. We got rednecks doing LGBT patrols riding around in trucks that have Budweiser containers, with several people riding in the back with double barrel shotguns and with confederate flag shirts and trucker caps (Also with a confederate flag) [sp]sarcasm[/sp][/QUOTE]
OK but to be fair, last time I was in Tenn, there [i]were[/I] rednecks driving around the town in a truck with beer in the back, shotguns on the rack, and Confederate flag blowing in the wind, but they weren't doing any sort of lgbt patrol that was just what they did every night
This is one of those hilarious situations where in order to try and appear accepting of a group an institution accidentally alienates them.
They want to appear to be involved with LGBT people and giving them [I]helpful information[/I] that they think will make them safer and allow then to suffer less hardships but what they end up doing is putting these people on a pedestal which only serves to single them out AND have possibly offended a large swath of the US in the process.
It's like the Metropolitan police got accused of being racist because of a lack of non-white police officers so they put quotas in place to try and balance the numbers and now they have inadvertently become racist by giving undue priority to a particular demographic of people just based on their ethnicity. I have a friend who was turned down from the met a few times because of said quota, in short he was not allowed to join the police because of the colour of his skin and this is a measure they use to try and make themselves [I]less[/I] racist.
[QUOTE=thisguy123;50177111]This is one of those hilarious situations where in order to try and appear accepting of a group an institution accidentally alienates them.
They want to appear to be involved with LGBT people and giving them [I]helpful information[/I] that they think will make them safer and allow then to suffer less hardships but what they end up doing is putting these people on a pedestal which only serves to single them out AND have possibly offended a large swath of the US in the process.[/QUOTE]
Can't really say I agree.
The travel advice site provides advice for everyone, but they have a small LGBT page/section that is dedicated to travel tips for LGBT people as well as mentioning things of note for that specific group on pages for specific countries. They do this because being openly Gay/trans can be a dangerous thing in a surprisingly large amount of countries/parts of countries. They aren't being singled out, they are being provided extra information that could save them from facing heavy discrimination or violence.
[QUOTE=RedBaronFlyer;50174811]It's so dangerous down here in the south. We got rednecks doing LGBT patrols riding around in trucks that have Budweiser containers, with several people riding in the back with double barrel shotguns and with confederate flag shirts and trucker caps (Also with a confederate flag) [sp]sarcasm[/sp][/QUOTE]
I can feel your saltyness.
[QUOTE=DeepInferno;50177400]I can feel your saltyness.[/QUOTE]
It was a joke about the stereotypical southerner and how they're steriotyped as racist, anti-LGBT, truck ridding, beer drinking, shotgun toting, confederate flag loving hicks
[QUOTE=Cushie;50177397]Can't really say I agree.
The travel advice site provides advice for everyone, but they have a small LGBT page/section that is dedicated to travel tips for LGBT people as well as mentioning things of note for that specific group on pages for specific countries. They do this because being openly Gay/trans can be a dangerous thing in a surprisingly large amount of countries/parts of countries. They aren't being singled out, they are being provided extra information that could save them from facing heavy discrimination or violence.[/QUOTE]
True but in this instance they are making a bit of a generalisation which paints a somewhat unfair representation of the American south.
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