Cincinnati Aims To Hurdle Anti-Gay Stigma

Cincinnati — After local voters last month repealed an amendment that prevented the city from passing anti-discrimination laws based on sexual orientation, the Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau is making a push to win back business lost after the measure took effect 11 years ago.

Article XII, voted in by Cincinnati voters in 1993, was an amendment to an ordinance passed in the city a year prior that prohibited discrimination based on race, gender, age, religion, disability, mental status, ethnic origin and sexual orientation.

Immediately after passage of Article XII, which essentially removed "sexual orientation" from the non-discrimination ordinance, eight groups canceled upcoming scheduled meetings and conventions to the city, taking elsewhere the approximately $25 million they were expected to contribute collectively to the local economy.

"After the article was passed, the city was perceived as being not as tolerant as it should have been of various groups," said Alan Welch, president and CEO of the CVB.

In addition to the eight groups that canceled, Welch said at least 200 groups that later chose not to meet in Cincinnati expressed concern about Article XII.

Since election day, the bureau has contacted the eight groups and invited them to come back to Cincinnati individually for site visits. The bureau also sent letters about the repeal to the 200 groups that had cited Article XII as a concern.

A meeting planner for one group that canceled after the amendment was passed said the city is a possibility for future conventions.

"We'd have to determine if Cincinnati is still a good location for our group, but the repeal has certainly opened a door for us to look at the city again," said Cheryl Russell, director of meetings and conventions for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in Rockville, Md., which canceled a deal for its 1995 convention in Cincinnati.

The effects of the repeal probably won't be known for years, as most associations book their annual meetings several years out. However, Welch said two of the eight groups that canceled have expressed interest in bringing their national meetings to the city.

"We think the repeal will make a major difference in attracting business to Cincinnati," Welch said. "The city will be recognized for moving ahead, moving toward progress."

Contact Loree Stark at lstark@ meetingnews.com.