PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia leveled up its LGBTQ+ tourism with the grand opening of the Pride Visitor Center.
Visitor Center President Kathryn Ott Lovell and Governor Josh Shapiro snipped the rainbow ribbon to signal that the center, on Locust Street in the heart of the Gayborhood, is open for business.
The Center offers the usual brochures and ticketing, but wall panels tell the story of the first gay rights sit-in at Dewey’s lunch counter, once located right around the corner and the “Annual Reminders” at Independence Hall, the forerunners of Pride parades.
The state ante’d up a quarter of a million dollars for the center, which Shapiro says is only fitting since the state was founded as a haven for vulnerable groups.
“At a time when other states are walking away from their LGBTQ+ community, we are walking toward it. At a time when other states are saying no to pride-based tourism, we are embracing it,” Gov. Shapiro said.
The Center is timed to be a resource for semiquincentennial visitors, but it will be a permanent fixture. Visit Philly marketing director Neal Frauenglass says it fulfills a promise the city makes when it invites LGBTQ+ tourism.
“It tells visitors they’re not just welcome but they’re wanted and that is the difference within this community. We need to know that we are welcome, we are wanted and that we will be safe,” Frauenglass shared.