Yes Virginia: there is a boycott

[dreamer_easy]

I remember reading a great report from Harlan Ellison on how he refused to spend any money while visiting a US state which had failed to ratify the ERA - IIRC not as much as buying a chocolate bar.

Now, with a visit to the US state of Virginia coming up later this year, where it's legal to discriminate against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in housing, banking, and employment, I'm thinking about following Ellison's example. This could be a bit of a nuisance for family and friends, so I don't want to go too over the top, but I wonder how many shopping trips, meals out, etc, I can move over the border into Maryland. I must of course accompany this behaviour with some letters to relevant politicans and perhaps newspapers too.

At the very least Jon and I should go and break the state's "crimes against nature" law a little.

Comments

[sheramil.livejournal.com]

> I must of course accompany this behaviour
> with some letters to relevant politicans and perhaps newspapers too.

you'll have to do that out of state too, unless you want to boost the Virginian stamp industry. i think a better pointy stick would be for everyone to send letters to whoever the relevant authority is, stating "we were going to holiday in Virginny this year. but no."

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

the Virginian stamp industry

Curses! Didn't think of that!

The complicated thing is that both Virginia and Maryland (where Jon's folks live) are basically suburbs of Washington DC. So it's a bit like visiting Fern Tree Gully while boycotting Upwey.

Huh?

[outsdr.livejournal.com]

>The complicated thing is that both Virginia and Maryland (where Jon's folks live) are basically suburbs of Washington DC.

Isn't that kinda like calling Australia a suburb of New Zealand?


Those parts of Maryland and Virginia (Silver Spring, Bethesda, etc.) that surround D.C. are very much extended suburbs, but both entire states?!?

[acelightning.livejournal.com]