Baltimore to gay couples: We want to marry you!
Baltimore tourism officials wasted no time in getting the word out to same-sex couples who plan to marry: We’re ready.
The Visit Baltimore website launched a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender wedding-planner page just one day after Maryland voters upheld a same-sex marriage law the governor had signed this year. The law goes into effect Jan. 1.
Maryland, Maine and Washington made history Tuesday by being the first states to approve gay marriage by public vote. These states join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Washington, D.C., which already allow same-sex marriages.
“As a city, we have long been proud to support the rights and equality of our visitors, and the legalization of same-sex marriage is another important step forward,” Visit Baltimore President and CEO Tom Noonan said in a statement.
The new Web page explains how to get a marriage license and suggests wedding venues such as the Walters Art Museum, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum or even a spot “under two-story dinosaurs” at the Maryland Science Center. The tourism agency also offers an LGBT guide to the city and publishes an electronic newsletter called the Rainbow Round-Up.
There’s plenty of competition for cities and states trying to woo LGBT travelers too. New York City tops the list as the most gay-friendly destination in the world, followed by Las Vegas, San Francisco and London, according to a tourism profile.
mary.forgione@latimes.com
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