Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau Launches New Initiative
To celebrate LGBT Pride Month, the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau is debuting its first Pride logo this June.
The Louisville CVB’s standard logo has been modified by adding the six colors featured on the traditional Pride flag to the fleur de lis in the organization’s logo. The fleur-de-lis, which means “Lily Flower,” was the symbol of King Louis XVI of France, whom the city is named after.
The Pride logo will be utilized during the month of June and will be featured on a limited-edition t-shirt.
The t-shirts can be purchased at the Louisville Visitor Center (301 S. Fourth St.) located in downtown Louisville while supplies last. The black, unisex tee is available in sizes Small to 2XL and are being sold for $18 each.
They’ll also be for sale at the Louisville CVB’s booth during the 18th annual Kentuckiana Pride Festival, held June 15 and 16 at its new location on the Big Four Lawn at Louisville’s internationally-acclaimed Waterfront Park. A portion of the proceeds from t-shirts sold at the festival will benefit the Kentuckiana Pride Foundation, whose mission is to provide a forum for creative expression and education relating to the LGBTQ community in the Louisville Metropolitan Area and to give back through charitable and in-kind donations.
This idea stemmed from the Louisville CVB’s LGBTQ Hospitality Task Force, which was created in 2014 to assist in promoting the city as an LGBTQ-friendly destination. This same group was behind “Say I Do In Lou,” an initiative that was launched in 2015 on the heels of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Marriage Equality. The contest awarded one couple an all-expenses-paid wedding sponsored by more than a dozen local businesses.
“Louisville has a long history of being an accepting and inclusive city,” says Karen Williams, President & CEO of the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This initiative is just another opportunity to show visitors our Southern hospitality and that we are a welcoming destination to everyone.”
Adds Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer: “Louisville is a city of compassion, a city that believes in fairness and equality. It’s great to see the CVB proudly promoting those values with this great new logo and T-shirt. Can’t wait to get mine!”
Louisville has recently received national recognition as being an LGBT-friendly destination, including being named
“One of the 10 Hottest Gay Destinations” (Orbitz) and “One of 6 Underrated Cities for LGBT Travelers” (Condé Nast Traveler). The city also received a perfect score of 100 for the past three years on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, which measures the laws, services and leadership that promote the inclusion of LGBT individuals.
For more information: GoToLouisville.com/Compassion.