The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday asked the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau about the impact from this weekend's gay pride festival, which organizers say is expected to draw tens of thousands to the city.
Both groups declined to comment.
Those business groups’ refusal to publicly discuss the Atlanta Pride events disappointed Emma Foulkes, head of the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
“It says to me we still have a lot of work to do,” she said.
Forty-five years after the first gay pride parade in Atlanta, the event has grown from what was a radical protest march to something more mainstream, with appearances by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and corporate sponsorships from Coca-Cola and Delta.
But it still generates controversy, with some people uncomfortable with such public revelry.
“I don’t believe in celebrating the lifestyle,” said Tanya Ditty, head of Concerned Women of America in Georgia. “By having a parade, you’re giving a nod to that lifestyle.”
Read about the controversy in the Saturday AJC print edition and on MyAJC.com.
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