REUTER

"Boycott May Haunt Colorado"
By Cathy Keen, Gainesville Sun, December 20, 1993

        Colorado's tourism industry will continue to suffer from the boycott over
passage of anti-gay-rights legislation despite a judge's recent ruling
against the measure, a new University of Florida study suggests.
        The boycott's damage to the state's tourist industry will persist because
convention organizers have canceled reservations made far in the future, said
Michelle Hunnicutt, a researcher in UF's recreation, parks and tourism
department.
        "Since many conventions are planned three, four and five years in advance,
the full effects of the Colorado boycott may not be felt for some time," she
said.  "There has even been on convention canceled for 1999."
        For the first nine months of the boycott, the net losses for canceled
conventions from 1992 to 1999 exceeded $45.5 million, she said.
        Hunnicutt interviewed 60 representatives of convention hotels, convention
and visitor bureaus, and independent meeting-planning consultants in the
state.
        More than half of those surveyed said they received cancellations as a
direct result of  the statewide boycott, she said.
        "The boycott has definitely hurt Colorado's convention business," Hunnicutt
said.  "Unfortunately, such losses may only be the tip of the iceberg because
of the tendency of many meeting planners to remove a boycotted state from the
shopping list of convention sites being considered."
        The boycott followed Colorado voters' approval in November 1992 of Amendment
2, which prohibits laws protecting homosexuals from discrimination based on
sexual orientation.  A similar amendment has been proposed in Florida, and
petitions are being collected to get it on the November 1994 ballot.
        But the Colorado measure never took effect because a judge there issued a
preliminary injunction in January, saying there was a strong likelihood it
would be found unconstitutional.  This week, a Colorado judge struck down the
amendment, calling it unconstitutional.
        During the first nine months of the boycott, those surveyed said more than
33,458 room nights were canceled because of opposition to Amendment 2.
        In addition, they said their organizations received cancellations for
conferences scheduled years in advance because of Amendment 2.  More than 18,
046 room nights had been canceled so far for 1994 to 1999, the study found.
        If Florida were to follow Colorado's lead and pass an anti-gay-rights
amendment, such a boycott would further damage the state's troubled tourist
economy and be felt for years to come, said John Crotts, director of UF's
Center for Tourism Research and Development.
        "For Florida, such a measure would have the potential to add insult to
injury," he said.  "Many people have already been discouraged from visiting
Florida due to recent publicity of crimes against tourists, and tourism is
our No. 1 industry."
        More than half of the respondents in the Colorado survey said the boycott
presented a serious threat to the state's tourism industry.  However, the
overwhelming majority, 83 percent, said they did not believe that the boycott
would be effective in changing attitudes toward Amendment 2.
        Instead of altering people's views about homosexuality, research suggests
that such boycotts may only polarize attitudes; causing more anger on both
sides of the issue, Hunnicutt said.  "If anything, you get a reaction to the
action, which only grows as the boycott goes on," she said.
        One-third of those surveyed said they believe the boycott harms the very
population it is intended to help because the hospitality industry employs
many gays and lesbians.  When hotels cater to fewer guests, they often must
reduce their own costs by cutting employees' shifts and salaries, Hunnicutt
said.