Question... How do you feel about for profit gay event organizations? There is one in our area and some guys are appalled by the idea. I don't care personally. What is MeetUp, gay bars, gay tourist destinations, etc? I think its great we are at a point societally that such businesses can exist openly. This week they arranged a pizza party with a free viewing of Sharknado (free is only way to view that) at a great public restaurant. Yeah, they make a local business gay for the night. Usually these events test the business' abilities to deal with large traffic and large proceeds. How do you feel about "for profit" gay business models? I think it is great they can openly exist and are accepted.
In this world, anything taken seriously requires money, it is all-pervasive and necessarily so. I have no issues with it, as long as I'm not being gouged.
I think a $10 cover charge at a gay bar because it is drag night and I am only there to use the pool table gouging. BTW... I suck at pool but my friend is teaching me.
When you set up a common interest group and once it goes past 20-25 people and you are trying to organise people to commit then it does cost money to organize, so as long the who are doing the organising are open about it, then I don't see a problem.
Eh, there are good things and bad things about for-profit LGBT organizations. I will say that I have no problem with them as long as they give something back to the community in some kinda of scholarship or donation. Else I start having problems with the whole thing. Why do I have problems? Well, usually for-profit organizations will have more money than non-profit so sometimes the gatherings will be better, which while its fun it also takes away money from other great organizations that need it very badly. For example, if a small town has many for-profit business, but not enough non-profit lgbt organizations then you are leaving many minorities within our little community without any help. LGBT youth, HIV testing, homeless youth, faith groups, etc. Can we have both? Sure, but the balance is hard to obtain.
I only dislike the for-profit ones if they try to subtly present themselves as being like a non-profit. You know, where "a portion of the proceeds go to..." And then they play it up like it's a now a charity fundraiser. Well, no, it's a fundraiser for the guy putting it on, really. Luckily, I don't see this much anymore. Lex
