To help FlyerTalk family members provide tips, recommendations, and advice on gay travel, perhaps a clearer consensus on the concept of “gay travel” would help.

My question is inspired by posts such as these from the current thread on Rehoboth Beach:

“I have heard that it’s much more ‘mixed’ than P-Town.”
“I think ptown is a bit better, as it’s more gay, where rehoboth definitely has a mixed crowd.”
“The gay beach is Poodle Beach at the far South end of the Boardwalk.”

These remarks are positive in tone and helpful in intent, and are right in line with the stated purpose of this forum. They do beg a question, however:

Is the most essential characteristic of “gay travel” the ability of gay people to go somewhere and be surrounded as much as possible by other gay people?

This would seem to be the basis of many posts in this forum and information provided in the gay section of many travel guides. It’s understandable, given the comfort level it provides and the lower likelihood of anti-gay incidents ruining one’s recreational downtime. (Not to mention the higher profits to those who target this more affluent demographic.)

That said, some would say that “gay travel”, so defined, is counter-productive and even detrimental to future generations of gay travelers.

• Would the existence of numerous “black beaches” or “black restaurants” in U.S. travel destinations really have helped perceptions that allowed the great strides in race relations the U.S. has seen in the past 50 years?
• Wouldn’t a gay person’s travel be more enriched through more interaction, not less, with a “mixed crowd”? Ditto for the better understanding and positive perceptions of non-gays?
• Wouldn’t less harassment, not more, of gay people be the ultimate outcome over time if there was less emphasis on segregating gays from other travelers?

This is not a rant or even a complaint. Just a query for gay travelers/travel providers/sympathizers to help clarify the concept underlying this forum. And perhaps comment on the seeming contradiction between “gay travel” and the social integration that many gay and humanitarian activists seek.