Joey Amato is the publisher of Pride Journeys, a website dedicated to LGBT travel. Joey has spent over a decade in LGBT media and public relations and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
Indianapolis has always felt like a second home to me. I used to publish a gay magazine there called UNITE a few years ago, so I was frequently visiting the city. This time, I wanted to experience things that I may not have had the chance to see on previous visits.
One event of major interest was the Lambda Legal Indiana Benefit gala which took place at the Indy Public Library, a stunning building located in the heart of the city. The Indiana Benefit was conceived in 1999 by a group of visionary individuals seeking to advance the civil rights of LGBT people and those living with HIV, in Indiana. That vision and dedication to Lambda Legal’s mission and work in Indiana have yielded some of the most important and strategic legal victories our community has experienced in the past decade, including the freedom to marry.
In 2017, it was an Indiana case that won a federal court victory affirming that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation violates federal civil rights law. This year, the benefit honored philanthropists Neil Bagadiong and Kevin Warren, the Indy power couple who was instrumental in the Pence Must Go campaign that was enacted during Mike Pence’s final term as Governor of the state.
By Joey Amato – Full Story at SDGLN
Most cities have several things going for them and we have been to more than 50 of the largest cities in the country. Some have beautiful mountains or beaches or lakes and rivers and historical sights. Some have fabulous shopping, Broadway shows, museums and galleries and Gay meccas within the city. For over 15 years since we have been writing our national travel columns we were more impressed with Indianapolis than anyplace.
Sure, we LOVE San Francisco and Palm Springs and Ft. Lauderdale and NYC and Chicago and smaller towns such as Ogunquit, Maine and Boothbay Harbor and Flagstaff, Arizona and the dozens and dozens of cities and towns where we have visited. We thought Indianapolis was just very special!
The historical aspects of the city go way back to the early 1800’s. It is the largest city in Indiana, second largest city in the American Midwest and the 14th largest in the country The downtown’s main attraction is Monument Circle with shops and restaurants located on the streets around it and the famous Soldiers and Sailors Monument in the center which was built in the late 1890’s.
We saw a live production of SKYLIGHT at the Theatre On The Square, www.tots.org starring Sarah McGee, Tyler Ostrander and Bill Simmons. We saw it on Broadway in New York City and this production was performed as perfect as on Broadway.
