Some Retailers Courting Gay Buying Power

Recently, gay themed advertisements have been cropping up.  J.C. Penney’s has hired open lesbian Ellen DeGeneres as a spokesperson, and featured two dads and their kids in a Father’s Day ad.  Target started selling same sex wedding cards (Hello!) in June and sold out of their gay pride shirts  (I got mine!)  Corporations made statements celebrating gay pride this year.

It seems that retailers are willing to go out on a limb to get our business.  That, and maybe they don’t see it as all that risky.  The majority of Americans, if not pro gay, are indifferent.  Of course, the religious right is in an uproar and threatening new boycotts every week.  Maybe the gay buying power is worth it.  One estimate puts the average income of gays double that of average Americans.

I wonder if we are going to see gay couples in television commercials soon?  If we do, it would be so fun to be sitting with a right-wing bigot… I’ve always wanted to watch someones head explode!

read the full article here.

Homoquotables Greeting Cards Press Release

Gay Entrepreneur Creates Website Featuring Gay Cards for Every Occasion

 Boulder, Colorado, June 28, 2012 — Dan McLellan wanted to buy a romantic card for his spouse. He hunted in card shops and on line, but nothing filled the bill. There were lots of sharp, funny, edgy, and sexy cards out there, but Dan McLellan is a romantic and he wanted a romantic, tender card to express his deep feelings for his mate. There were none to be had. Dan and his spouse, Michael, are gay.

With the national trend heading toward acceptance of same sex couples, businesses that cater to the specific needs of the gay and lesbian community are booming. These businesses cover the spectrum of products and services, with airlines, retailers, financial firms, automakers, and others targeting the gay dollar in their advertising. With new laws allowing gay marriage on the books, the newest industry to join the trend is the wedding industry.

But Dan McLellan is not consciously a trendsetter. He’s just a man who couldn’t find a product he wanted. So like many an entrepreneur before him, Dan decided to create the product he couldn’t find: gay wedding cards. Mixing a love for quotes and a love for black and white photography, Dan created a collection of romantic gay cards and launched a new website, Homoquotables.com, to showcase his work.

“I was just amazed that there was nothing appropriate out there for the romantic gay relationship,” says Dan. “I have only been out for about five years, and I really was not that aware of gay culture. When I fell in love with Michael, I wanted to give him a card that showed him how I felt, and couldn’t find anything.”

Once Dan created his cards, he took them to a trade show, where the positive response led to the creation of Homoquotables.com. The cards featured on Homoquotables.com are just what Dan was looking for and was unable to find: tender, romantic cards featuring homosexual men in love with their partners. The cards are made of high quality paper and can be customized to suit the purchaser’s needs, by displaying a variety of greetings. Any card can serve as a gay birthday card, a gay wedding card, or a gay card for other occasion in the life of a homosexual friend, family member, or lover.

Click here to see Dan’s cards: www.Homoquotables.com.

Dan has big plans for the site. He intends to introduce new cards at the rate of one a month, and wants to create cards for lesbians as well as gay men. He is considering adding e-cards to the site, as well as T-shirts, coffee mugs, and other gift items to sell. Dan hopes eventually to have a selection of over 60 different cards to choose from. Once ordered, the cards are created and mailed to the customer, a process that takes about a week. Dan also wants to find gay-friendly businesses to keep his cards in stock.

Dan invites gays and lesbians to visit the site not only to purchase cards and gifts, but also to catch up on positive news affecting the gay and lesbian community. Dan’s blog, links to news clips, and embedded videos highlight the progress being made for lesbians and gays. Dan believes that a new market is about to explode to meet the needs of engaged and newly married gays and lesbians, and is looking to add links to wedding planners, wedding vendors, honeymoon travel planners, and others who specialize in same-sex weddings.

“I really think the site will fill a niche,” explains Dan. “After all, there are so many people who need cards for same-sex couples and gay relatives and friends. Gays get married, travel, have birthdays, graduate from college, get promotions, and need get well wishes just like everyone else. There is a real need for tasteful and loving gay birthday cards and gay cards of all kinds.”

About Dan McLellan

In addition to being an entrepreneur, Dan McLellan has been a speech language therapist for the past 25 years. He holds a Masters degree in speech language pathology from the University of Colorado, and works mostly with autistic children and children who have genetic disorders, cerebral palsy, or similarly severe conditions that inhibit their speech.

Married for 23 years and the father of daughter Taylor, 19, and son Jackson, 16, Dan came out five years ago. He and his ex-wife, Kay, divorced amicably, and in addition to her career as an industrial designer, Kay assists Dan with the website. Dan and Michael married in March 2012. Michael is Canadian and he and Dan are dealing with immigration issues, since the Defense of Marriage Act does not allow Dan to sponsor Michael in this country. Dan and Michael live in Boulder,Colorado.

Happy Independence Day!

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday!

Facebook Co-founder Marries

Facebook co-founder, Chris Hughes, married his partner of 7 years, Sean Eldrige.  The couple were married at their home this Saturday in New York.

Hughes co-founded Facebook and is now editor in chief of The New Republic magazine.  Read the full story here.

Mormon Group To Resign From Church

A group of Mormons plans a mass resignation from the church this weekend.  As reported by Reuters, the organizers of the exodus said they would gather in a public park and sign a Declaration of Independence from Mormonism.  The reasons are varied, but more than 100 people have contacted the group with plans to resign over issues such as teh church’s activism against gay marriage (as seen most recently in their support of Proposition 8 in CA), teachings that conflict with science, church teachings that are racist or sexist; and “inconsistencies in the church’s explanation of its own history, including the practice of polygamy.”

As the article explains, this is a big deal.  Mormons do not take kindly to people leaving their flock.  Defectors are ostrasized by friends and family and often left without business or social connections.

I admire people who take risks to stand up for what they believe in.  I wish more people would – I am not a religious person, but I realize faith is an important part of many people’s lives.   There are so many minded, affirming churches around, I wish more people would fill the pews there rather than continue to support bigoted church’s that preach hate, discrimination and judgement.