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The "South Carolina is so gay" ad, which was pulled by the South Carolina Tourism Agency. |
South Carolina Pulls Plug On Gay Tourism Ads
COLUMBIA, SC - South Carolina's tourism agency is refusing to go ahead with a campaign to attract gay tourists.
Ads proclaiming “South Carolina is so gay” were to be placed in London with a gay tour company in order to attract gay tourists to the southern state, and would have cost the state about $5,000.
In a press release dated June 27, Amro Worldwide, a London-based company that specializes in gay travel, Amro CEO Andrew Roberts said the campaign was meant to reclaim the phrase “so gay,” which has been used as a slur.
“South Carolina has a lot to offer gay travelers, and we think that people may be surprised to see our destination reaching out to the gay market,” said Kirsty Dillury, spokesperson for SC Tourism, in the same press release. “We are delighted to be involved with the ‘So Gay’ campaign in particular as it sends a powerful positive message to everyone that there is nothing wrong at all with a destination being described as ’so gay.’”
Dillury continued, “For our gay visitors it is actually quite wonderful for them to discover just how much South Carolina has to offer — from stunning plantation homes to miles of wide sandy beaches.”
The State’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism director, Chad Prosser told The State newspaper “[He] exercised extremely poor judgment in approving participation in the program.” Prosser also said that the department will require more review of potential advertising contracts in the future, and ordered an immediate investigation into how the ads were approved without his knowledge.
South Carolina’s participation in the ads was proposed by the state’s London advertising representative and the department’s ad chief signed off on them.
After learning last week that the state had agreed to spend tax money on the advertising campaign – and incited by a post on The Palmetto Scoop blog – the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism said it would not pay the tour operator.
“South Carolinians will be irate when they learn their hard earned tax dollars are being spent to advertise our state as ‘so gay,’” Senator David Thomas (R-Greenville) told The Palmetto Scoop. “South Carolina is a wonderful, family friendly destination not a Southern version of San Francisco. This campaign goes against our core values,” Thomas continued. Thomas later told The State that he is calling for an audit of the department.
Joel Sawyer, a spokesperson for Gov. Mark Sanford told The State that using tax money “to support a social or political agenda” was inappropriate. “Our state tourism dollars should be talking about the beaches and attractions of South Carolina,” Sawyer said to The State.
Atlanta, Boston and New Orleans also are part of the ad campaign. None of those cities have backed out.