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LGBT CRUISES!
businessprofile
CHARLIE ROUNDS
TRAVEL ENTREPRENEUR
& BUSINESS VISIONARY
by Matthew Wexler
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mall in stature but with a stare that could launch a thousand ships (and probably
has, as he served as president of the legendary gay and lesbian cruise company
RSVP Vacations for more than 21 years), Rounds is a force to be reckoned with.
Charlie has passion and is a smart, true business person. I admire his big ideas and
creativity, says Steve Roth, founder and president of Out Think Partners, an LGBT communications and marketing agency. Roth, a longtime friend and colleague from their RSVP days,
recruited Rounds about a year and a half ago to join the agency and bring his decades of
expertise to a rapidly evolving landscape.
We saw changes happening so fast in the US, says Roth, referring to the gay marriage
momentum, which at press time is legal in 35 states. We are far from done but headed in the
right direction. Yet we were seeing the rest of the world go from bad to worse. International
LGBT rights is the next frontier, so we started talking and asking ourselves how we could
make a difference.
Its a question Rounds has been asking himself for a long time. The apple doesnt fall far from
the tree, says Rounds, whose mother was a lifetime human rights activist and founder of the
Minneapolis chapter of Amnesty International. Rounds always knew he was gay, though he didnt
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US-based foundations that already have relationships with those on the ground. Charlies
energy and passion is unmatched to make
that happen, says Roth, who believes he hit
the bulls-eye when bringing Rounds on
board. The portal will also enable visitors to
donate to nonprofits equipped to facilitate
funding and resources, as well as offer news
about the latest international issues pertaining
to the LGBT community.
One of those hot-button issues is transgender travel, which echoes the plight of gay
travelers from RSVPs early days. Rounds
said that the company founder, Kevin
Moisser (who also founded the aforementioned nonprofit bearing his name), thought:
Screw it. If were not welcome Ill just take a
ship into the middle of the ocean. But with
the transgender communitys momentum
making headlines with celebrity advocates
like Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black),
a more aggressive and focused response is
taking shape, thanks in part to longtime colleagues like Richard Gray, managing director
of the LGBT market for the Greater Fort
Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau
(GFLCVB). Gray recently helped facilitate the
largest transgender travel survey in history.
Gray is quick to point out his inspiration.
Charlie Rounds has been a personal mentor
and role model for me. His leadership and
vision are extraordinary. He continues to make
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