Big Gay Hudson Valley has introduced the first-ever printed LGBTQ+ maps for Ulster and Dutchess Counties. The colorful guides, illustrated by the Kingston-based Jason O’Malley, are designed to help residents and visitors navigate the Mid-Hudson Valley and find queer owned and affirming organizations, businesses and resources as they explore the region.
The creation of these maps has been made possible with support from I LOVE NY, Dutchess Tourism, Inc. and Ulster County Tourism, as well as the more than 60+ advertisers that highlight their LGBTQ+ owned and allied businesses and organizations on the maps.
Featuring a variety of illustrations that capture the beauty and diversity of the Hudson Valley, the maps include a cheeky assortment of the many Queer Woodland creatures that live in the neighboring hills, forests and creeks that make up our diverse community. Keep an eye out for the Great Northern Non-Binary Owl, Bearnice P. Labeja Johnson, Queer Deer, Butch Beaver, Rainbow Trout, Deervine, and more.
“I regularly have LGBTQ+ visitors in my store asking where they should go and what they should explore next,” explains Andrew Addotta, co-founder of Hamilton & Adams in Kingston, NY. “We’ve always sent weekenders to BigGayHudsonValley.com for more information, but we’ve never had anything that we can hand to shoppers when they ask. These new maps are a game changer for us and for visitors. We’re so happy that we could help to make them available to the community as an advertiser.”
The maps include panels that highlight upcoming events and happenings of interest to LGBTQ+ residents and visitors, a detailed list of community resources and LGBTQ+ organizations, QR codes linking users to Big Gay Hudson Valley’s online business directory, travel information for navigating the region, and not-to-be-missed highlights for visitors.
More than 30,000 copies of the maps are being distributed across the two counties with a majority of maps being made available at the businesses who supported their creation as advertisers. The maps are also available at Tourism Information Centers throughout the region.
Big Gay Hudson Valley plans to expand this program in 2025 with the creation of county maps for at least three more Hudson Valley counties. If you represent a business that would like to advertise or municipality that would like to help to make this possible, please contact BGHV for more information.
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