In Dallas this weekend

by: Adam Bink

Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 19:30


I'm in Dallas this weekend for NGLTF's Creating Change conference, a gathering of LGBT activists- online and offline that's one of the largest around. I've never been to Texas, and given that my flight back home is on Super Bowl Sunday, my biggest fear is that this card-carrying Bills fan will encounter a flight delay and be forced to watch the Super Bowl in- gulp- a Dallas airport bar. Ew. I would love some restaurant recs with good vegetarian options, though.

Anyway, if you're around, I'm speaking at 4:45 PM on Friday the 8th on a panel titled "Reaching Out to the Blogosphere" with Mike Rogers of the film Outrage and PageOneQ, Bil Browning of The Bilerico Project (where I sometimes cross-post),  and Miriam Perez of Feministing. I'll be talking about some best and worst cases of internet outreach, and ideas on strengthening bonds between traditional LGBT organizations and online activists. Hope to see you there. More info about the conference and registration here.

Adam Bink :: In Dallas this weekend

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In Dallas this weekend | 16 comments
I grew up in Big D (0.00 / 0)
And still travel there to visit family. Take heart. You're not descending into the Inferno (at least not to the lowest level). Any decent Mexican restaurnat has plenty of veggie options: quacamole,  quesadillas with cheese... Just make sure that the beans don't have lard in them (sometimes called ranchero style). Be brave.  

Save Our Schools! March & National Call to Action, July 28-31, 2011 in Washington, DC: http://www.saveourschoolsmarch...
Still sounds like a horrible choice of a location to me. (0.00 / 0)
What's the idea behind putting this event into the heartland of ignorants and haters? To make a public stand, and maybe show some independents and moderates that LGBT's are people too, and nothing to be afraid of? Brave! Stay careful.
[ Parent ]
The "idea" (0.00 / 0)
Locating conferences is a complicated task with a lot of variables to consider: cost, available venue that's an appropriate size, adequate hotels, convenient airport connections (a big bonus for Dallas), etc. Having a sympathetic populace living around the event is hardly ever at the top of the list. Just consider that the next Netroots Nation is in Vegas. Hardly a bastion of the progressive blogosphere. Finally, Dallas has a pretty vibrant LGBT community. It's nowhere near as scary as you're making it out to be. (Have you ever even been there?)

Save Our Schools! March & National Call to Action, July 28-31, 2011 in Washington, DC: http://www.saveourschoolsmarch...
[ Parent ]
Imho the organisators should have taken a more sympatheetic look.. (0.00 / 0)
..at New Orleans. As far as I remember for holidays there (long ago), the airport connection is ok there, too. Good, and fast shuttle service. Much better entertainment value for after con parties, imho. It's still the South, of course, but ceertainly not as hostile towards LGBTs as Texas. And the city needs those conventions badly!

Really, give "the city that (Bush and Obama)care forgot" a chance next time, pls!

"Have you ever even been there?"
Yes, once, for about two hours when changing planes, as far as I remember. Horrible airport, imho.

[ Parent ]
It's Super Bowl Weekend (0.00 / 0)
There won't be a hotel room available within 50 miles of New Orleans for another week.  Perhaps they could have chosen another weekend for the conference, but that may not have been an option.  

As someone who grew up in New Orleans and now lives in Dallas, I can assure you Adam that the stereotypes aren't true, at least not in the cities.  Of course it's the same across the country - metro areas tend to be more educated and accepting.  Wander out into the country and you're on your own, but fortunately, this being Dallas, you have to drive at least an hour to get that far out.

[ Parent ]
Oops, ok, that's a point. (0.00 / 0)
It shows, again, that I'm not that into footall. But I will still watch the Superbowl on TV, of course.

" Perhaps they could have chosen another weekend for the conference"
Yeah, really. Chosing the Superbowl weekend is never a good idea.

"As someone who grew up in New Orleans and now lives in Dallas, I can assure you Adam that the stereotypes aren't true, at least not in the cities."
Uh, I'm Gray, not Adam, but since you know both cities, you sure have a point with this.

[ Parent ]
Hmm, btw, did you move because of Katrina, BT? (0.00 / 0)
From all the post Katrina reports I got the impression that lots of people from the Big Easy made Houston and Dallas their new permanent residence after fleeing from the desaster. But wasn't this some kind of a cultural shock for them?
[ Parent ]
nope (4.00 / 1)
I moved here in 1999 after college.  I was halfway between the two cities with a shiny new IT degree and the choice was pretty obvious.  For all its charm, even before the storm New Orleans was far from a "tech jobs" city.

There were quite a few refugees who ended up in Houston and Dallas after Katrina.  I don't know any personally but my ex worked with some and she said they missed home badly but were just happy to have a home and to be employed.  When things get bad enough I guess life's priorities become more obvious.  On the plus side, we got an influx of people who know how to cook food properly!  

PS I know you aren't Adam, I just combined 2 posts into 1 :)

[ Parent ]
Correction (4.00 / 1)
The Super Bowl is in Miami, not New Orleans.  I don't pay much attention to football either!  It's still gonna be crazy down there this weekend though.
[ Parent ]
NOLA is too big (0.00 / 0)
It's what's called a Top Tier venue and would have way too much capacity for this event. Dallas is what's called a Second Tier venue (similar to Charlotte or Indianapolis) and more appropriate for the size of this meeting.  

Save Our Schools! March & National Call to Action, July 28-31, 2011 in Washington, DC: http://www.saveourschoolsmarch...
[ Parent ]
"too much capacity"? You mean, the rooms are too big? (0.00 / 0)
You're speaking about the convention center? Can't find a location there with the right size? D'oh. How many people will be at the con?

As for the size of the cities, Dallas is bigger than NO, 1.27 million vs. 330,000 (Katrina sure had an impact :-( ).

[ Parent ]
No, no, no. (4.00 / 1)
It's not about the size of cities. For instance, San Antonio is a Top Tier site even though it's not as populace as Dallas or Houston. The size of the meetings facility and the amount of surrounding hotel accommodation is what counts. You get charged more for choosing a Top Tier site in terms of those two metrics, and others. It's complicated, like I said.  

Save Our Schools! March & National Call to Action, July 28-31, 2011 in Washington, DC: http://www.saveourschoolsmarch...
[ Parent ]
Texas is a large, large place (4.00 / 1)
And it's population is a lot more diverse than out of staters would think.  There are plenty of progressive folk in Austin and DFW.  Houston has an out lesbian mayor.  They are plenty of regressive jerks, but their concentration is much higher in the smaller cities.  It's just that there are a lot of those smaller cities.  And that they are very, very conservative there.  
[ Parent ]
Additionally, (0.00 / 0)
there is a lot of crazy backwardness in Louisiana, but that doesn't necessarily reflect on all of New Orleans, does it?
[ Parent ]
If you have time to get to Fort Worth (4.00 / 1)
Spiral Diner is pretty great.  And you get to see a bit of the DFW alternative cultural types.
i've been to TX during superbowl weekend (0.00 / 0)
it's not so bad. it's like a big Pride, or something. traffic sucks, but that would happen anywhere. good luck with the airlines.  
In Dallas this weekend | 16 comments
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