Last Dance at the SunToast

Yes, I did say SunToast, as in “Done, Finished, Kaput”….sad, but true. A possible reason for my intentional misnaming of said icon, could be because I’m an angry, ol’ queen mad about losing a major gay establishment – and lashing out (ala the loss of Judy Garland, leading to the Stonewall incident) OR I could be justifiably upset about the Suncoast’s treatment of their guests on the last day.  But complaining about it now is a little late (not that it would make any difference since it is closed). Plus, complaining about the Suncoast is like complaining about siblings that probably mean well, but did a poor job of execution; each and every time. Thus reducing you to admonish a loved one; and not being completely sure about whether or not they truly deserve the finger wagging.

I am referring to the way the resort was operated up to the last hour of the last day. I was hoping for some redeeming aspect of management’s “seemingly uncaring and exploiting policy.” But true to form, it was business as usual. Maybe I overlooked the huge, 3-story, rhinestone banner APPLAUDING THE GAY COMMUNITY FOR ALL THEIR SUPPORT!! Or maybe I was expecting some sort of acknowledgement and milestone/party type open bar atmosphere. Instead, you wouldn’t have known it was the last day other than the record breaking crowd. Of course, the resort was woefully staffed and all libations took forever to obtain. What was the Suncoast thinking? They left a bad taste in my mouth as if being hit with a pie in the face. Is this the way they thank the community? Were they only expecting a handful of people?

Not only was service incredibly slow, they obviously didn’t care to plan for a last blowout party. It was truly “business as usual”. Suncoast’s position was, “We’re not going to lift an extra finger to do anything special for these gay punks. Let them deal with the sorry ass service. They’ll get over it or they won’t drink!!”  Of course some took the challenge into their own hands and provided their own elixirs; which was scathingly prohibited…even ON THE LAST DAY OF BUSINESS.  Management made no apologies about the excessive wait time, and admonished ANYONE found with a cocktail that wasn’t issued by the latent and anal Suncoast staff. Suncoast seemingly had to drain the last dollar from patrons by threatening to arrest anyone found mixing and drinking their own concoctions. I mean, who had that much anger to pursue gay brothers and sisters on such a momentous day involving such a petty issue? C’mon. Could the Suncoast really be that stingy? If so, it might explain the cheapness of the resort’s accommodations.  Now, again, metaphorically, I don’t want to bash my only son’s accomplishments, but how do you extol a “resort” that won’t even furnish remotes for hotel room TVs. It hurts to have to tell people the unflattering truth about an establishment of which I wanted to be so very  proud of.

So, is this one of those issues where you are supposed to blindly “Support the Troops”™ or “Support your Gay Sibling” even if they are participating in an activity that has no elevating qualities or shows no signs of improvement?  Am I a traitor to speak out?  I hear you say,….”Well you don't have to patronize the business.” But that’s like saying you don't have to support a child who is actively doing the wrong thing. Secretly you support, but not without giving some advice and listening to what they have to say.

So, Suncoast, what do you have to say to the community about your quality of establishment, exploitation of businesses, and seemingly lack of concern for anything other than MONEY!!!??  Maybe no one really understands. Was it really necessary to threaten, with arrest, anyone drinking his or her own drinks on that last day? Of course, it was business savvy for top management to feign ignorance about Suncoast’s last dance drinking policy by acting like they didn't know what was going on.   Why was it necessary for the gay management to turn on the gay patrons for enjoying the Last Dance?

Now I know there are plenty of good things that the Suncoast has done over the years.  It wouldn't hurt to have someone rebut this letter (and other letters of complaint) concerning the Suncoast’s community service.  You know we appreciate the facility, or it wouldn't have lasted as long as it did; but that still doesn't exonerate the Suncoast from knowingly poor performance.

Would it be too much to hold our gay establishments accountable when poor service is at hand?  Money still is king, I guess. But we all tend to lose if we choose to boycott our unique gay establishments rather than to constructively criticize; and make them listen.  But if that logic worked, we couldn't be in Iraq, would we?

Wendell W. Wilson

wwwjax@aol.com

St. Petersburg, FL