Virginia
Delegation Rejects Gay-Inclusive Guidebook

The Virginia delegation to the Republican National Convention had to brave the Minneapolis-St. Paul area without a handy guidebook, all because the guide included information on gay-friendly local attractions. According to ABC News, a campaign official from the Virginia lieutenant governor's office canceled an order for 150 of the guidebooks because they included six to eight pages dedicated to gay and lesbian nightclubs.

"Having a section dedicated solely to GLBT will be a BIG problem for many of our folks," office aide Melissa Busse wrote to Rake Publishing, who distributed the guides. "We simply can't hand them out."

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling later told ABC News he was unaware of the decision and said later in a statement he wishes "it had not happened."

Even without the books, owners for LGBT clubs in the Twin Cities say that they've seen an uptick in business during the convention.

"We've had a quite a spike," said Robert Parker, who manages the Gay 90s club, "mostly from people who are curious, come down, and wind up leaving and having a good time." (The Advocate)