Stephen <mca### [at] aolcom> wrote:
> On 20/07/2014 14:48, Cousin Ricky wrote:
> > - Sir Francis Drake totally reviewed his fleet from above Magens Bay.
>
> Do you have a festival or just a spot?

Just a spot.  It's called Drake's Seat.

> > - Bluebeard the pirate was totally historical.
>
> Blackbeard?

Blackbeard was a thoroughly unpleasant historical figure named Edward Teach.
Bluebeard is imaginary, but his hotel pulls in more revenue.

> > We have a new one going.  Gay tourists totally get married on our beaches all
> > the time, even though it's not legal.  Yet.  (Go ahead, Governor Herbert (Utah),
> > make my day!)
>
> What do people think of that? When I was in Jamaica, I noticed that they
> were a tiny wee bit homophobic. O_O

The entire Caribbean is virulently homophobic, but the USVI is less so than most
parts.  The Bahamas once refused mooring to a cruise ship full of lesbians, but
we welcomed them.  Our previous governor is rumored to be gay, but that never
hurt him politically.  As far as I can tell, with one exception that I know of,
all of our incumbent politicians are opposed to same-sex marriage, but several
of them recognize that it is a civil rights issue and will not act on their
personal feelings in this regard.

A bill is now being drafted to legalize gay marriage (and in the process, repeal
the asinine legal requirement that women legally change their last name).  There
has been loud community opposition to the bill, but my sense is that it's just a
vocal religious minority.

In one sad story, a father bragged that he (literally) beat the gay out of his
son.  The son killed himself two weeks later, and his father said that we need
to make it illegal to /be/ gay so that more kids won't choose to be gay and then
kill themselves!  For a moment, I thought I was in Uganda.

Some politicians have promised vote against or veto the bill.  I'm trying to
find out who they are so that I can vote against them.

Right now, in order to have a same-sex wedding here, the couple must first get a
marriage license in one of the states where it is valid, then contact one of the
preachers here that advertize the service.  Ironically, this means that you
cannot have a gay wedding here unless you are religious!

I don't understand why more people don't see the tourism potential.  OK, I do
understand: it's religion.

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