Miami Herald - July 29, 2002
Cara Buckley, cbuckley@herald.com

"State of Denial, Welcome," the shirt read, the letters scripted against a spray-painted backdrop of Florida. McCarron wove easily through the artier-than-thou crowd, who wilted in the heat for a July 13 opening at the Kevin Bruk Gallery.

On the back of his shirt were the words, "HIV AIDS. Souvenirs from sunny Florida."

McCarron and his supporters, members of the AIDS activist group ACT UP, are calling for a gay and tourism boycott of the Sunshine State. Florida, they say, is in a "state of denial." It has the third-highest rate of AIDS infection in the country, and Miami has more reported cases than the entire states of Georgia, Maryland or Massachusetts.

Despite these figures, Florida recently cut $10 million from programs including Medicaid's Project AIDS Care Waiver Program, which supported people homebound with the disease. After the cuts, many were left without housekeepers, cooks or caregivers who used to help them to the bathroom.

At the same time, the state continues to be a mecca for gay and lesbian tourists, who account for 10 percent of the nation's $540 billion tourist industry. Ads from Miami-Dade and Broward counties run in gay magazines. In Broward, gay and lesbian travel accounts for an estimated $570 million of the county's $25 billion travel industry.

"The paradox is that so much money is being generated by tourism, but all this money left in the state doesn't benefit those people who are in need," says McCarron, who is gay. "The government says we can't afford to take care of these people. But they can afford to appropriate $20 million for a TV ad when there's no money in the budget."

Two and a half weeks earlier, at the 11th Annual Greater Miami & the Beaches Business Expo and Luncheon, McCarron interrupted the otherwise staid proceedings by hurling accusations at the event's keynote speaker, Gov. Jeb Bush.

McCarron demanded to know why cuts had been made. Some money was recently restored to the program, but went to funding life enhancement initiatives like day trips, instead of personal care.

Bush responded that he had done more for AIDS programs than any other Florida administration. But McCarron and his fellow activists say it isn't enough.

'Dade and Broward counties welcome gay tourists' dollars, but Florida is not spending money on the necessary prevention," said Greg Scott, president of Broward's People With AIDS coalition. "HIV is going to become our greatest export."

McCarron also holds gay and lesbian travelers to task. He believes they should demand that their tourist dollars go toward local AIDS support initiatives.

"They're coming to a community that's gay friendly, where they can feel a little better about themselves and [be more] public about their sexuality," McCarron says. "There's rejoicing. They don't want to think about AIDS or discrimination. But instead of lining the pockets of bar hotel club owners . . . shouldn't gays look out for other gays that are sick?"

McCarron says gay travelers are especially culpable because while on vacation, many do not practice safe sex.

'I'm sure their argument is, 'It's your town, your city, your state, and not our responsibility,' " he says. "But it is their responsibility."

Bet you will not see that in the state's travel ads.

TRAVEL AD GETS NOD

Two kayaks, hot pink and turquoise, glide through jade waters. A hint of sunken shells and coral glitters below. Sun-bleached mangroves reach toward the sky, casting intricate shadows.

On the left side of the picture is a signpost for the Everglades. "Home to many species of wildlife rarely found elsewhere in North America," a caption reads. Opposite is a signpost for South Beach with the legend: "Home to rare wildlife of the human kind not often seen in America."

Crafted by Turkel & Schwartz for the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau to bolster ecotourism in Miami, the ad recently earned a nod from the U.S. Ad Review.

The Ad Review's editors comb hundreds of magazines for their favorite ads, and publish their top picks quarterly. Miami's ecotourism ad will appear in the upcoming issue.

Ad Review editor Jane Kellner praised the ad's clean lines and relatively low-word count. '[The] juxtaposition of the Everglades' tranquillity and South Beach's frenetic nightlife really made the ad stand out," Kellner notes.

The recognition marks the second time in a row that a South Florida agency received kudos for visitors' bureau ads. Harris Drury Cohen's ad for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, which depicted the silhouette of a woman formed by a mosaic of 500 tiny pictures, was printed in the Ad Review's last issue.

020729
MH020716

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .