Gay-iendly towns red stat draw LGBTQ tourists: 'We're here to be normal for a weekend'

EUREKA SPRGS: SO GAY, THEY HAVE THREE PRI CELEBRATNS
EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS EUREKA SPRGS
GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS EUREKA SPRGS
GAY-IENDLY TOWNS RED STAT DRAW LGBTQ TOURISTS: 'WE'RE HERE TO BE NORMAL FOR A WEEKEND'
EUREKA SPRGS IS AN LGBTQ HAVEN. WILL IT ‘PAY THE PRICE’ OF COVID-19?‘ALMOST SURREAL’EUREKA SPRGS ARKANSAS IS AN LGBTQ IDYLL WHOSE ELR POPULATN IS NCERNED ABOUT THE TOWN’S MANY MASK-LS VISORS POSSIBLY SPREADG RONAVIS.NI LANGUPDATED JUN. 03, 2020 9:47AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 03, 2020 4:18AM EDT GETTYIT’S NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE EUREKA SPRGS. BUILT THE LATE 1880S AS A RAL SPA VILLAGE, THE NORTHWT ARKANSAS HAMLET IS FED BY PASTAKGLY PRERVED VICTORIAN BUILDGS AND NARROW BBLTONE STREETS THAT SNAKE THROUGH S PERPETUALLY BTLG ENTERTAMENT DISTRICT. JT AS EUROPEAN SETTLERS TRAVELED TO EUREKA SPRGS FOR THE PROMISE OF THE HEALG WATERS OF THE OZARK MOUNTAS, HUNDREDS OF TOURISTS CROWD S NARROW SIWALKS ON THE WEEKENDS, BSHG PAST EACH OTHER TO BUY HANDMA JEWELRY AT THE LADYBUG EMPORIUM OR A CUP OF FFEE AT LOL FLAVOR CAFé. HISTORILLY, S BY WALKWAYS WERE PART OF EUREKA SPRGS’ UNIQUE CHARM. AT ANY MOMENT, VISORS ARE LIKELY TO N TO OTHER GUTS STAYG AT THEIR BED AND BREAKFAST AND EVEN THE MAYOR. IN A CY OF JT OVER 2,000 RINTS, YOU ULDN’T AVOID OTHER PEOPLE, EVEN IF YOU WANTED TO.BUT BUMPG TO PEOPLE IS EXACTLY WHAT LAMONT RICHIE IS WORRIED ABOUT. RICHIE, 72, IS THE OWNER OF QUICKSILVER, A FE ARTS AND CRAFTS GALLERY EUREKA SPRGS WHICH UNTIL RECENTLY HAD BEEN CLOSED BEE OF THE COVID-19 PANMIC. THE TOWN’S TOURISM SECTOR WAS CIMATED WHEN GOV. ASA HUTCHSON BANNED OUT-OF-STATE RECREATNAL TRAVEL EARLIER THIS YEAR, BUT THAT RTRICTN WAS LIFTED ON MAY 5. MOST BS EUREKA SPRGS, CLUDG QUICKSILVER, OPENED THEIR DOORS FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND—WH HAND SANIZER STATNS AT THE DOOR AND REQUIREMENTS THAT CTOMERS WEAR A MASK.BUT RICHIE SAID PROTOLS TO ENURAGE PUBLIC HEALTH HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO ENFORCE. MAYOR ROBERT BERRY—KNOWN TO LOLS AS “BUTCH”—ISSUED AN ORR ELIMATG PARKG SPAC THE TOWN CENTER FOR THE WEEKEND TO ALLOW VISORS TO KEEP SIX FEET OF DISTANCE OM ONE ANOTHER BY WALKG THE ROAD. ACRDG TO RICHIE, THE ORR HAD TO BE WHDRAWN BY THE END OF THE DAY BEE CY HALL RECEIVED “SO MANY PLATS ABOUT HAVG TAKEN AWAY 24 PARKG SPAC” OM PEOPLE WHO GOT TICKETED. “SOME PEOPLE MOVED THE ORANGE N AND PARKED SPAC THAT SAID ‘NO PARKG,’” HE SAID. “OUR ERNMENT IS GOG TO DO WHAT THE LOUST GROUP MANDS AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY.”BS OWNERS SAID EUREKA SPRGS HAS BEEN PUT A DIFFICULT POSN AS NEWS SPREADS ABOUT COVID-19 OUTBREAKS AT A POOL PARTY THE LAKE OF THE OZARKS AND POULTRY FACTORI NORTHWT ARKANSAS. MANY HOTELS, RTRANTS, AND BARS—THE LATTER OF WHICH WERE ALLOWED TO RUME OPERATN AS OF MAY 26—HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO REOPEN BEE THEY WERE NNG OUT OF MONEY, EVEN SPE THE POTENTIAL THREAT TO THEIR OWN LIV. IN ARKANSAS, WEARG PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT PUBLIC AND MATAG SOCIAL DISTANCG ARE SUGGTNS, NOT REQUIREMENTS, AND TOURISTS TO EUREKA SPRGS HAVE LARGELY RPOND BY IGNORG THEM. RICHIE SAID THE SUATN IS A “REAL CLTERFUCK” OM THE TOP DOWN, GIVEN THAT A RECENT REPORT OM THE NEW YORK TIM FOUND THAT THE RATE OF NEW COVID-19 FECTNS NORTHWT ARKANSAS IS AMONG THE HIGHT THE NATN. “WE’RE ALL GOG TO BE PAYG THE PRICE FOR SOME TIME TO E,” HE SAID. “WE JT GOT A LTLE B OF EVERYTHG HERE” BRYAN DRAKE’S STORY IS SIAR TO MANY OF THE TOWNSPEOPLE WHO LL EUREKA SPRGS HOME. DRAKE’S FAY HAS LIVED THE TOWN FOR FOUR GENERATNS, AND HIS GRANDMOTHER, NOW 92, STARTED WORKG AT THE CRCENT HOTEL—WHICH BILLS SELF AS “AMERI’S MOST HNTED HOTEL”—WHEN SHE WAS 15 YEARS OLD. THE SE, WHICH IS PRACTILLY RIPPED OUT OF A STEPHEN KG NOVEL, ED TO SERVE AS AN EXPERIMENTAL HOSPAL FOR A DOCTOR WHO PEDDLED DANGERO “NCER CUR,” JECTG PATIENTS WH RBOLIC ACID. MANY DIED.DRAKE MOVED BACK TO EUREKA SPRGS NE YEARS AGO AFTER HE AND HIS NOW EX-PARTNER CID TO PURCHASE THE BRYDAN SU, A RANCH-STYLE MOTEL WH PETE LIGHTHO AFFIXED TO THE ROOF. WHAT DRAKE—A 50-YEAR-OLD WH A SEEMGLY ENDLS S OF FLOWER-CHILD LOCKS—APPRECIATED ABOUT THE TOWN WAS THAT S MABRE HISTORY HAS A WAY OF ATTRACTG OUTSIRS AND NONNFORMISTS. HIPPI MIGRATED TO THE PICTURQUE TOWN THE 1970S, FOLLOWED SOON AFTER BY AN FLUX OF QUEER PEOPLE LOOKG FOR A REFUGE THE SOUTH. DRAKE SCRIBED EUREKA SPRGS AS “A CLEANER VERSN OF NEW ORLEANS,” WH AN “OLD WORLD CHARM TO .”“IT’S A BIG MELTG POT OF JT ABOUT EVERY KD OF PERSON OM EVERY WALK OF LIFE—EVERY CREED, SEX, AND RELIGN,” DRAKE SAID. “WE JT GOT A LTLE B OF EVERYTHG HERE.” THAT MOSAIC ALSO CLUS TOURISTS OM SURROUNDG STAT LIKE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA, WHO FLOCK TO EUREKA SPRGS FOR EVENTS LIKE S ZOMBIE CRAWL OCTOBER AND THRICE-ANNUAL DIVERSY WEEKENDS, WHICH THE TOWN IS BLANKETED RABOW PRI FLAGS. ALTHOUGH THOSE VISORS BRG REVENUE AND E TO THE TOWN, DRAKE SAID ’S BEE A POT OF NCERN FOR EUREKA SPRGS’ PERMANENT RINTS. “ARE THEY GOG TO BRG SOMETHG HERE?” HE HAS WONRED TO HIMSELF. “HOW’S GOG TO SPREAD THROUGH OUR LTLE MUNY?”LIKE MOST BS EUREKA SPRGS, BRYDAN SU WAS OPEN ON MEMORIAL DAY, AND DRAKE NOTICED THAT OUT-OF-TOWNERS WHO BOOKED ROOMS AT THE MOTEL LARGELY WEREN’T WEARG PROTECTIVE GEAR. HE ASKS THAT GUTS WEAR A MASK DURG CHECK-, AND ONLY ONE PERSON AT A TIME IS ALLOWED THE ONT OFFICE. BUT AFTER CTOMERS LEAVE WH THEIR ROOM KEY, DRAKE SAID THE LACK OF STATEWI REGULATN MEANS HIS BS “N’T ENFORCE ANYTHG AS FAR AS WEARG MASKS OR ANYTHG ELSE.”“AFTER THEY CHECK , THEIR MASK OFF,” HE SAID. “THEY’RE OUT SOCIALIZG WH OTHER GUTS. IT’S AMAZG TO ME THAT NOBODY’S FOLLOWG THAT SAFETY PROTOL TO PROTECT THEMSELV, AS WELL AS PROTECT OTHERS.” “YOU WOULDN’T KNOW THAT COVID-19 WAS HAPPENG EUREKA. IT'S ALMOST SURREAL DRIVG THROUGH TOWN” REPORTS OF TOURISTS CLG TO TAKE BASIC SAFETY MEASUR FOR PUBLIC HEALTH WERE MON THROUGHOUT THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. INGER SVENDSEN, 46, WHO NS ALPE LIQUOR WH HER GRANDFATHER, SAID THAT SHE UNTED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SHE SAW WH MASKS—WHETHER THEY WERE WEARG THEM ON THEIR FACE OR WERE HOLDG THEM THEIR HAND—WHEN SHE WAS DOWNTOWN EUREKA SPRGS ON SATURDAY. OUT OF THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE SHE SAW WALKG BY, SHE TALLIED JT 12. “YOU WOULDN’T KNOW THAT COVID-19 WAS HAPPENG EUREKA,” SVENDSEN SAID. “IT'S ALMOST SURREAL DRIVG THROUGH TOWN.”ACRDG TO SVENDSEN, THE PANMIC HAS HIGHLIGHTED A “DIVI” THAT HAS LONG EXISTED EUREKA SPRGS. ALTHOUGH THE CY WAS THE FIRST ARKANSAS TO ENACT AN LGBTQ NONDISCRIMATN ORDANCE AND WAS S ONLY MUNICIPALY TO PASS A ROLUTN SUPPORT OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, EUREKA SPRGS ALSO HAS A STRONG EVANGELIL NTGENT.ATOP MAGIC MOUNTA SS THE CHRIST OF THE OZARKS, AN IVORY SCULPTURE OF J ERECTED 1966 BY GERALD L.K. SMH, A WHE SUPREMACIST WHO FOUND THE AMERI FIRST PARTY. THE 66-FOOT FIGURE, WH ARMS OUTSTRETCHED, OVERLOOKS THE EUREKA SPRGS AMPHHEATER, HOME TO THE RELIG OUTDOOR STAGE SHOW “THE GREAT PASSN PLAY.”THE THOANDS OF VISORS WHO E EVERY YEAR TO WNS A RECREATN OF THE LAST DAYS OF J CHRIST HAVE EQUENTLY CLASHED WH EUREKA SPRGS’ LGBTQ POPULACE UNFORTABLE WAYS. REV. RANDALL CHRISTY, WHO OVERSE THE PASSN PLAY, WAS A LEADG OPPONENT OF THE NONDISCRIMATN ORDANCE. AFTER EUREKA SPRGS WAS HAILED AS THE “GAY CAPAL OF THE OZARKS” A NEW YORK TIM ARTICLE, CHRISTY LAMENTED THAT CHRISTIAN FAI “DON’T WANT TO EXPOSE THEIR CHILDREN TO THAT.”“WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY DIVID,” SVENDSEN SAID, ADDG THAT THE LACK OF PROTECTIVE GEAR WORN AROUND TOWN IS ALSO A PRODUCT OF MISRMATN SURROUNDG COVID-19. “SOME PEOPLE THK [WEARG A MASK] TAK AWAY THEIR EEDOM. I THK WE GRAVATE TO WHATEVER WE N SEE ONLE THAT RONAT WH PERSONALLY—WHETHER ’S FEAR-BASED OR GIV POWER, MAK FEEL STRONG OR MAK FEEL SRED.” “I WANT TO BE SAFE” WHAT MAK THE DIVI OVER MASK-WEARG EUREKA SPRGS PARTICULARLY GHT IS THAT S QUEER MUNY IS PREDOMANTLY OLR. LOLS MONLY TIMATE THAT 30 PERCENT OF THE TOWN’S PERMANENT RINTS INTIFY AS LGBTQ—ALTHOUGH NO ONE TERVIEWED FOR THIS STORY SEEMED TO KNOW WHERE THAT FIGURE OM—AND MANY ARE RETIRE WHO WERE DRAWN TO THE SLOWER PLACE OF LIFE OFFERS.RICHIE SAID HE AND HIS HBAND, STEVE, MOVED TO EUREKA SPRGS OM HOTON EXACTLY 30 YEARS AGO BEE THEY WERE LOOKG TO LIVE SOMEWHERE THAT WAS “SMALL SIZE BUT NOT OUTLOOK.”AFTER VISG TAOS, NEW MEXI AND ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLA, THE PAIR SPENT A WEEKEND EUREKA SPRGS AND KNEW IMMEDIATELY WAS THEIR FOREVER HOME. EVERYWHERE THEY WENT THEY WERE NNG TO OTHER SAME-SEX UPL, RICHIE RELLED. “OUR REALTOR IS A LBIAN,” HE SAID. “SHE AND HER WIFE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR AS LONG AS STEVE AND I HAVE. WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO LIVE FORTABLY, OPENLY.”THAT SAFE HAVEN HAS BEEN THREATENED BY COVID-19, HOWEVER. ACRDG TO THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 ARE AT HIGH RISK OF SEVERE ILLNS IF THEY E TO NTACT WH THE NOVEL RONAVIS. VARYG MOGRAPHIC SURVEYS SUGGT THE TOWN’S MEDIAN AGE IS ANYWHERE OM 52 TO 57, MEANG THE TYPIL RINT IS ON THE CP OF BEG THE HIGH-RISK GROUP. WHAT’S MORE, NATNAL ADVOCY ANIZATNS LIKE THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN HAVE WARNED THAT LGBTQ PEOPLE HAVE UNIQUE VULNERABILI TO COVID-19 BEE OF DISPROPORTNATE RAT OF SMOKG, LUNG NCER, AND IMMUNOSUPPRSN OM HIV.JOHN RANKE, WHO HAS LIVED EUREKA SPRGS WH HIS HBAND, BILLY, FOR 24 YEARS, TURNED 65 ON THURSDAY. THE TONE WAS LS THAN SPIC, GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANC. RANKE WAS RECENTLY FORCED TO CLOSE EUREKA FE ART, A GALLERY AND OPERATIVE THAT HOED WORK OM SIX LOL ARTISTS, BEE OF THE PANMIC. NOT ONLY WAS THE VENTURE FANCIALLY UNSTAABLE WH 35 LN UNEMPLOYED AMERINS NOW HAVG LS DISPOSABLE E TO SPEND ON ART, BUT THE ARTISTS RANKE WORKS WH ARE ALL THEIR LATE SIXTI AND SEVENTI. THE OLST IS 80.“I’M THE BABY OF THE GROUP,” HE SAID. “IT JT WASN’T WORTH THE RISK TO THE FELLOW ARTISTS.”WHILE RANKE PLANS TO NTUE SHOWG ARTWORK AT BREWS, A FFEEHOE AND TAPROOM HE OWNS WH HIS HBAND, AND HAS BEGUN EXPERIMENTG WH VIRTUAL GALLERY SPACE, OTHERS HAVE BEEN FORCED TO A MORE PRER FANCIAL SUATN. HENRY BRANSTETTER, 56, TIMATED THAT THE TOWER HOE INN, WHICH HE SPENT TWO YEARS RTORG WH HIS HBAND, TOM, LOST AROUND $20,000 POTENTIAL REVENUE WHEN HUTCHSON EFFECTIVELY CUT OFF TOURISM TO THE STATE MARCH. EVEN WH THE RT OF THE TOWN REOPENG, BRANSTETTER SAID HIS BS HAS REMAED CLOSED BEE THE TOWER HOE INN ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THEIR HOME. “I WANT TO DO MY PART,” HE SAID. “I WANT TO BE SAFE.” FANCIAL HS LIKE THE WERE UBIQUO. DRAKE TIMATED THAT BRYDAN SU LOST UP TO $9,000 A MONTH WHILE THE TOWN WAS SHUT DOWN, WHILE RICHIE TOOK OUT CRED RDS TO PAY FOR THE VENTORY AT QUICKSILVER. EVEN AS TOURISTS RETURN TO EUREKA SPRGS, BRANSTETTER SAID HE HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO SEE “ANY NUMBER OF SMALL BS EX THE PREMIS” BEE THEY SIMPLY ULDN’T AFFORD TO TAKE ON MORE BT. “YOU'LL DRIVE DOWN THROUGH THE EVENG AND SOMEBODY WILL BE LOADG UP A TCK,” HE SAID. “USUALLY RENTS HERE ARE MONTH BY MONTH, NOT YEAR TO YEAR. AT A TIME LIKE THIS, [PEOPLE ARE] MOVG OUT.” OTHER BS HAVE CHOSEN TO PERSIST THE HOPE THAT THEY N MAKE BACK WHAT WAS LOST. MANY OF THE RTRANTS AND SIWALK F WHICH OPENED EVEN PRR TO THE MEMORIAL DAY SH WERE THOSE WHO WERE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR ERNMENT ASSISTANCE, WHETHER WAS UNEMPLOYMENT OR THE PAYCHECK PROTECTN PROGRAM (PPP) THROUGH THE SMALL BS ADMISTRATN. “THE FEAR ABOUT OPENG UP EUREKA WAS THAT OUR POPULATN WILL SWELL BY THOANDS ON A WEEKEND, AND THE FOLKS ARE G OM AREAS AROUND THAT ARE STILL FIGHTG THE DISEASE” BS OWNERS ARKANSAS WHO ARE CLASSIFIED AS “SELF-EMPLOYED” ULDN’T APPLY FOR PANMIC RELIEF UNTIL MAY 5, WHEN THE STATE CHANGED THE ELIGIBILY GUIL. BRANSTETTER SAID HE STILL DON’T QUALIFY FOR PPP ASSISTANCE BEE HE DON’T “REALLY HAVE A PAYCHECK, PER SE,” GIVEN THAT HE PAYS HIMSELF. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE JT 10 RERD S OF COVID-19 S THE SURROUNDG UNTY—AND REMAS UNCLEAR AS OF NOW HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE EUREKA SPRGS—HUTCHSON WARNED OF AN ONG “SEND PEAK” ARKANSAS. THE CURRENT NUMBER OF S STATEWI IS JT UNR 6,000. RICHIE SAID HE DON’T BELIEVE “ANYBODY HAS A REAL GAME PLAN PLACE” IF THE UNMASKED THRONG FLOODG THE STREETS RULTS THE FURTHER RONAVIS FECTNS. “WE HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY EE OM THE DISEASE AFFECTG DIRECTLY,” RICHIE SAID. “THE FEAR ABOUT OPENG UP EUREKA WAS THAT OUR POPULATN WILL SWELL BY THOANDS ON A WEEKEND, AND THE FOLKS ARE G OM AREAS AROUND THAT ARE STILL FIGHTG THE DISEASE. AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVERYBODY HAS TO DO WHAT IS THEIR BT TERT.” NI LANG
A GAY GET-AWAY EUREKA SPRGS

EUREKA SPRGS: SO GAY, THEY HAVE THREE PRI CELEBRATNS

Gray had done all, or close to , his 60-pl years – the ary veteran has been a hairdrser, puter programmer, award-wng AIDS advote, and drag queen (he performed as Patti Le Plae Safe, a Miss Gay Ameri wner). Now he mans the ont sk at a motel-turned-LGBTQ-iendly rort, the Wanroo Lodge, owned by a gay uple who recently settled Eureka themselv. A nearly 70-foot-tall J statue gaz over a place once lled the “gayt small town Ameri.”.

Among the mm’s artifacts are vtage photos of a gay uple holdg hands and a woman drsed men’s cloth, he said.

EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS EUREKA SPRGS

Out gay men and women started nng lucrative bs – Gary Eagen’s Sprg Street Pottery stud still stands. Soon, straight and gay upl were drsg drag as sultry saloon performers or macho wboys, pos that were “happily enuraged and monplace,” Danos said. What better place, they thought, to ri out the crazit days of their liv than a gay small town?

GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS EUREKA SPRGS

But ’s a divi that s rints have mostly been able to bridge wh kdns, said David Avanzo, who speaks fondly of a Wanroo regular – “your typil Ozark man” – who once told Avanzo that he’d never met gay men before patronizg the lodge. The days, Taylor said he don’t even “thk about beg gay bee seems so normal here as a uple to go out among straight upl.” But for most of his time Eureka, he wasn’t able to legally marry his now-hband.

A iend and former mayor was at the urthoe, too, and he married the uple on the spot – they beme the first male gay uple to legally marry Arkansas. Text 'GAYTRAVEL' to 1-800-GAY-TRAVEL (1-800-429-8728). — Travel Guis wh a Gay Perspective.