It was a week of raised eyebrows and dropped jaws on the sexual diversity front. Sit down for this one, but George W. Bush actually
seemed to get it recently while meeting a transgendered woman in, of all places, the White House. In a report sent my way over a
week after it was published—and apparently unnoticed elsewhere—San Francisco Chronicle columnist Leah Garchik noted that at
W.'s recent Yale reunion at the White House, Yale alum Louise Casselman saw a female classmate approach Bush.
'You might remember me as Peter,' the woman stated, referring to her years with Bush at Yale, which was an all-male school at
the time. Bush apparently didn't bat an eyelid, grabbed her hand, and replied, 'Now you've come back as yourself.' (No word yet on
what Christian Right leaders thought of that—perhaps because no other media organization seems to have picked up on it—nor if
Karl Rove will have Bush backing away from the comment).
Reading that certainly had me doing a double take, but it was topped big time by the monumental news from up north. Same-sex
marriage landed in our own backyard just in time for gay pride, as Canada announced that it would legalize gay unions.
During the same week, the troglodytes dominating the U.S. Supreme Court were still splitting hairs over whether or not gays and
lesbians should be hauled off to jail for engaging in sodomy in the privacy of their homes (something Canada settled more than 30
years ago; now the U.S. Supreme Court has decided against the sodomy laws—more on that in a future column).
Yes, there are all those big questions about what this means for the institution of marriage, for the family, for gay rights and for
society in general. But an odd question that has been weighing on my mind is: Can same-sex marriage now save Niagara Falls from
going over the edge? And a more general question: Will Canada suddenly surge ahead of us in more ways than one?
In The Rise of the Creative Class (Basic Books, 2002), Carnegie Mellon University economics professor Richard Florida says that
it's not casino gambling, sports complexes, airports or meat-packing plants that truly revitalize a depressed area. It's the ratio of gay
couples as well as 'creative' types of every sexual persuasion who flock to the place on the heels of the homosexuals. He notes that
most cities where business is flourishing at a rapid pace have a high percentage of gay couples. Conversely, places like Pittsburgh
and Buffalo, rotting away no matter how much state and private money seems to be invested in them, are two of the three urban areas
to lose population from 1990 to 2000—and they also have a low percentage of gay couples.
In a May 1 USA Today article, Florida put forth his argument in terms of societies in general.
'The key to understanding America's technological and economic vibrancy lies in our openness to new people and ideas,' he
wrote. 'Tolerance of immigrants, gays and other minorities is much more important to sustained economic growth and the high-paying
jobs than the tax cut President Bush has in mind.'
It's not that Florida, by associating gays with 'creativity,' is trafficking in stereotypes about gays having a flair for decorating, but
rather that 'creative, innovative and entrepreneurial activities tend to flourish in the same kinds of places that attract gays and others
outside the norm.' If gays and lesbians feel comfortable, then almost anyone will, he says. 'A place where it's OK for men to walk
down the street holding hands,' he writes, 'will probably also be a place where Indian engineers, tattooed software geeks and
foreign-born entrepreneurs feel at home.'
It all sounds a bit too pat, but, generally, I'm sold. And it brings me back to the fate of Niagara Falls, NY, one of the most
depressed cities in New York State. When Niagara Falls, Canada set up casino gambling, it was the death knell for the decaying New
York side of the falls—not to mention that the view is more spectacular across the border. In the last century, Niagara Falls, NY, was
the big honeymoon destination. Now it's a dump.
Maybe same-sex marriage can change that. American couples are already flocking to Canada to get married, even though it
remains an open question whether such marriages will be recognized in the U.S., where there will no doubt be years of litigation.
Niagara Falls, NY, could become a stop-off point for American couples on their way back, honeymooning stateside after they get
hitched in the chapel across the border.
If Niagara Falls, NY, has any chance of saving itself, it needs to go gay-gay-gay pronto. Already, there are reports of Detroit
couples racing over to Windsor, Ontario to get married, and Montreal is nuzzling in for some of the action too, touting its gay-friendly
policies. Meanwhile, Niagara Falls, Canada isn't prepared for the onslaught and interest it's getting from American gays and lesbians,
so there's still time for Niagara Falls, NY, to get a piece of this.
'There are plenty of honeymoon suites, heart-shaped bathtubs and tiny wedding chapels in the Honeymoon Capital of the World,
but no room—yet—for gay weddings,' Canada's National Post reported last week referring to the Canadian side of the falls.
Nonetheless, the paper reported, 'Niagara-area churches have been deluged with requests to officiate same-sex weddings.'
The larger question of whether or not Canada will surge ahead of the U.S.? If Richard Florida's theories hold, then at least some
of the creativity and innovation—and the economic conditions that accompany them—could quite possibly be zapped from the U.S.
Call it Canada's revenge for U.S. cultural domination during the past 200-odd years.
'I think that at this point, Canada is going to start looking about as attractive to gays and lesbians as it did for people who were, in
conscience, opposed to the Vietnam War and decided they were going to come live here,' Tom Faulkner, a Canadian professor was
quoted saying. 'I think that'll be very interesting to watch ... I think we may find ourselves with some very interesting and wonderful
immigrants.'
Once out front in so many areas, the U.S. is now lagging behind. Of course, if George W. Bush's policies—and those of the
Republican Party—actually mirrored the candid and seemingly honest statement the president made to his transgendered Yale alum,
we'd actually be a few steps ahead.
Signorile hosts a national radio show each weekday from noon to 3 p.m. EST on Sirius Satellite Radio, stream 149. He can be
reached at www.signorile.com .
