Ban on holiday ads that exclude gays and lesbians

I'm back into my routine again after my New York City visit. The only casualty was my cell phone. It was lost but it may be mailed back to me. Someone called saying they had it. Now, whether they send it to me is another issue. I guess there are still nice people around, even in big cities.

I had a blast in the city and I'm going to try to make it down there at least twice a year now. It's kind of hard on the pocket book because I like to stay in nice places, but it's worth it.

I came across this article about a Caribbean resort who openly specifies that they will not take gay couples. It's caused quite a rift in London and other areas. When I went to the Caribbean, I made it a point to stay in gay-owned places because I like to support my community. So, I never really had to deal with it. It is kind of surprising that a company that manages resorts would ban gays from participating as guests since there are so many gay people working in that industry.

LONDON - The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has rejected advertisements for a holiday firm that bans gays and lesbians from its Caribbean resorts.

Following a raft of complaints from gay groups and members of the public, the Mayor has decided to bar Sandals from advertising its "couples" hotels on underground carriages.

The firm ran a four-week, £200,000 ($563,000) campaign earlier this year on the Tube, but Mr Livingstone decided to act because the ads offer holidays for "its "romantic, mixed-sex couples only" locations.

Sandals, whose slogan "Love is all you need", is seen as bitterly ironic by gay men and lesbians, has already been subjected to criticism for its discriminatory policy. Complaints about its stance led Barclaycard to drop the firm from its promotions.

If that pisses you off, let them hear about it! You can send a direct email to Sandals here.