Good for my hometown!
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A new TV ad campaign featuring a same-sex couple in colonial costume invites gay tourists to come to the City of Brotherly Love, and a gay media group said it’s the first time a television commercial for a U.S. tourist destination has targeted homosexuals . . . “This is an invitation, that you (gays) are welcome here, because of what Philadelphia is and what Philadelphia has to offer, and because we have a strong gay community,” said Meryl Levitz, president and chief executive of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., which is sponsoring the ad campaign. “And we’re not saying it’s a gay destination; it’s a gay-friendly destination.”
A man in the commercial is seen writing a letter by candlelight to his “dearest beloved” and asks to meet at Independence Hall. Once at the hall, he rebuffs an interested female and gives his bouquet of flowers to his male partner. As the scene plays out, a narrator says: “Philadelphia and its countryside has a long history of making everyone feel welcome and free.” The word Philadelphia is shown in a rainbow of colors. The commercial is the first TV ad by a destination - such as a city or resort - to target a gay audience, said Mike Wilke, executive director of the Commercial Closet Association, a nonprofit group that tracks gay representation in ads.
