If Denver can be more tolerant of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, the effort will boost the city’s economy, said Mayor John Hickenlooper.
He said Saturday that Denver needs to be socially inclusive because studies show that cities where GLBT communities flourish are the most successful.
“Economic potency is where everyone is welcome,” Hickenlooper said.
He and other speakers at the Denver GLBT Commission’s town hall meeting at the Denver School of Science & Technology discussed how the gay and lesbian community can have a positive effect on Denver’s growth through tourism and business.
Hickenlooper referred to Rich ard Florida’s book “The Rise of the Creative Class,” which says cities tend to thrive when they have a strong “creative index,” based on technology, innovation and diversity.
In 2000, Denver’s creative index ranked 14 of 49 major cities, he said. San Francisco and Austin, Texas, are first and second, respectively, he said.
Others echoed his remarks.
“We need to appeal to niche markets like the GLBT, who spend more,” said Jayne Buck, vice president of tourism for the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Buck cited research by California-based Community Marketing Inc. that 98 percent of same-sex couples take a vacation every year and tend to have incomes and educations above the national average.
Denver needs a more tolerant market that welcomes gay and lesbian travelers to compete for their tourism attention, she said.
The way to create such an environment is by passing more legislation friendly to the GLBT community, which would be a great marketing tool to jump-start Denver GLBT tourism, she said.
Among the speakers Saturday were Pat Steadman, board member for Equal Rights Colorado; Mark Renn of the Colorado Business Council; and Jacky Morales-Ferrand of the Office of Economic Development.
Steadman pushed legislation such as Senate Bill 81, which would prohibit employers from discriminating based on sexual orientation when making hiring or firing decisions. Nondiscrimination in the workplace is an integral policy if Denver wants to compete in the business sector, he said.
“If we want to be the next Silicon Valley, we have a lot to do with public policy to compete for a talented workforce,” Steadman said.
Staff writer Julianne Bentley can be reached at jbentley@denverpost.com.
