Press Release—Gay-Owned Greeting Card Company Offers Cards For Every Couple

Boulder, CO-January 21, 2015 Perusing the cards at his local greeting card shop back in 2012, there was something Dan McLellan,the creator of Proudly Yours, couldn’t find– himself. “I wanted to get my boyfriend Michael a card for our 3rd anniversary of being together as a couple,”McLellan says. “There were no LGBT cards available in retail stores, so I looked online.  All I could find were either sexually suggestive cards or silly cards with rainbows and cartoon characters.” He shared his frustration with his close friends, one of which was his ex-wife. “She suggested I make a card,” McLellan says. This suggestion grew into an inspiration for a line of cards specifically for gay couples. “I have always loved black and white photography and famous quotations.  I paired the 2 and made a few prototypes from images I purchased and edited.  I showed the results to a few friends and everyone was impressed with the idea and thought it filled a missing niche.” Those prototype cards soon became Proudly Yours, a unique and inclusive line of greeting cards.

“I initially designed 12 male and 12 female cards. I started a store on Zazzle, and then began work with a local print shop to get inventory for both retail and wholesale customers,” McLellan says. Stunning black and white images of gay and lesbian couples adorn the front of each card while quotes by a varied group of authors– from Judy Garland and Kahlil Gibran to Victor Borge and Trey Parker and Matt Stone- take the place of well-worn greeting card messages on the inside. “There are no specific greetings such as ‘Congratulations on your wedding’ or ‘Happy Anniversary’. Each couple is unique I wanted each card to be versatile -knowing that marriage equality is not available in all states/countries, my cards can be used for weddings, civil unions, domestic partnerships, commitment ceremonies, anniversaries, Valentine’s day, birthdays or just to say ‘I love you’,” he says. In the fall of 2014, McLellan added 8 new designs to the line. Plans for future cards include holiday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day as well as a line of cards featuring interracial couples and couples of color.

With Florida recently becoming the 36th state to recognize gay marriage and Valentine’s day right around the corner, Proudly Yours cards have never been more timely or easier to buy.“Our cards are available through are available for retail purchase on Amazon for US customers and Zazzle for international customers. This means any couple, anywhere can celebrate any occasion with our cards,” McLellan notes. Proudly Yours cards can also be purchased at over a dozen brick-and-mortar retailers around the country too.

About Dan McLellan

In addition to creating Proudly Yours, Dan has a master’s degree in Communication Disorders and Speech Science and is a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist since 1988. He currently owns a private practice working with young children with a variety of communication and feeding issues. He has two children, Taylor (22) and Jackson (19) with his ex-wife Kay. Dan came out in 2008 and married his husband Michael in 2012 in New York City. They live with their two dogs, Gatsby and Daisy in Boulder, CO.

For more information about Proudly Yours, contact Dan McLellan at (303)817-5055.